Planning to start university in 2026? You’ll need to follow UCAS’ new guidelines for writing a personal statement. In this blog, we break down the key things you need to know.
By April Baniqued. Published 30 January 2025.
A personal statement is a summary that helps the university get to know you as an individual, beyond your grades. Here you’ll be able to write about your ambitions, experiences and skills.
UCAS’ new personal statement guideline is only applicable to candidates wanting to start university in 2026. This means it will take effect in the 2026 application cycle, which launches May 2025. Applicants wanting to start university in 2025 will stick to the original personal statement requirements.
What has changed in the personal statement?
The only change is the formatting of your answer. Instead of writing one long piece of text, you will now need to split your response into three sections, each focusing on a particular question.
The questions are:
- Why do you want to study this course or subject?
- How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?
- What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?
The answers in each section must be a minimum of 350 characters. This will be clearly labelled in each question box. In total, the statement must be 4000 characters, including spaces. There will be a character count to help you keep track.
This change aims to level the playing field for all applicants. By making the application process clearer and more accessible, it hopes to support applicants of all backgrounds, and experience in essay writing.
UCAS also recognises that students may want to talk about extenuating circumstances that have impacted their education and achievement. They encourage students to speak to the university admissions teams about any circumstances, including events that happen after the application form is submitted.UCAS explains each question in more detail on its website.
What advice would you give to applicants?
We spoke to Natalie Travis, our Deputy Head of Admissions (Undergraduate), for helpful tips on writing a personal statement.
“The personal statement being split into three questions is a positive move. It allows applicants to really understand what universities want to know and allows them to focus on key factors. My advice is to focus on three key elements for each question: What, Why, and Your Skills and Experience. Also, be honest and authentic, and share experiences from outside your studies as well. Don't try to be someone you're not. The Admissions team wants to get to know the real you.”
What our Admissions team look for
Natalie also shares what admissions look out for when checking personal statements.
“When reviewing a personal statement, we look to understand more about the applicant’s interest in the subject, what may have inspired them to pursue this and their future career aspirations. Also, how prepared they are for Higher Education, what experiences or even challenges they have faced, and how they have gained skills and experience to support their future studies. As well as what other experiences they have had, what did they learn from these, and how they can use these in future studies.
“Some key things you should consider when reviewing your personal statement. Have you:
- Highlighted your strengths or weaknesses you have overcome
- Connected your experiences to your subject or future career aims
- Express genuine interest in your subject area, future studies and career goals
- Been honest and authentic”
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