UCAS - Your personal statement

Your personal statement

Tell the universities and colleges why they should choose you

The personal statement is your opportunity to tell universities and colleges about your suitability for the course(s) that you hope to study. You need to demonstrate your enthusiasm and commitment, and above all, ensure that you stand out from the crowd.

The personal statement can be different to application essays or personal statements from other countries, so please read the guidance in this section before completing the statement.

Key points to consider

What to include

Dos and don'ts

Size and presentation

Similarity detection

Guides that will help you plan

Statement timeline - for colour printers (PDF) / Statement timeline - for mono printers/copiers (PDF)
Look at our timeline to see when you need to start researching and writing your personal statement.

Statement mind map - for colour printers (PDF) / Statement mind map - for mono printers/copiers (PDF)
Our mind map summarises what you need to know about the personal statement, including preparation, presentation and what to include.

Personal statement worksheet (PDF)
This worksheet is designed to help you think about information you could include in your personal statement. We've included space for you to write down any thoughts you have as you work through it. If you save the document you can write directly into it.

Does it matter?

Some course tutors find personal statements crucial when making decisions, whereas others might not put as much emphasis on them. Since you do not know who will be looking at your statement, the safest thing is to do a good job. In many cases, applicants are not interviewed, so this may be your only chance to make the case for you to be offered a place.

The Assistant Registrar for Undergraduate Admissions from University of Warwick says:

'For highly competitive courses which attract applications from many more candidates than there are places, comparing all applicants' personal statements helps us to identify the most committed and suitable candidates.'

If you're offered a conditional place and narrowly miss the required grades for the course, the university is likely to look at your personal statement again to see if your interests and experience demonstrate any extra skills that could help you on the course. So it can make a difference later in the application process as well.

Remember that the person reading your statement is an expert in your chosen area of interest so they will want to know the reasons why you have chosen the subject.

Make sure that your personal statement is your own work

We put all applications through similarity detection tests, which identify statements that have been copied from another source. Don't be tempted to copy another person's application materials, or download your personal statement from a website. There could be serious consequences to using other people's work. If any part of your personal statement appears to have been copied, we will inform all the universities and colleges that you have applied to. They will then take the action they consider to be appropriate. We will also contact you by email. Click on the similarity detection link to find out more.