How to - Personal Statements
What we look for in a personal statement for an application
As part of your application, all applicants must submit a personal statement. This is your opportunity to explain why you want to study a particular course and to highlight the skills and experiences that show your interest and understanding of the subject area. A personal statement should typically be between 500 and 850 words long and for applications submitted via UCAS, there is a maximum character limit of 4000.
The personal statement is particularly important for competitive courses, as it allows you to demonstrate your suitability and stand out from other applicants.
What to Include
Motivation for the course:
- Explain why you want to study your chosen course.
- Show that you understand what the subject involves and any relevant career exploration, including work or volunteer experience.
Skills and abilities:
- Highlight skills that will help you succeed in your studies (e.g., organisation, communication, teamwork, time management).
- Use concrete examples to demonstrate these skills.
Extracurricular Achievements:
- Include hobbies, sports, music, part-time work, or volunteering.
- Emphasise leadership roles, responsibility, or achievements and relate how these skills may support your studies.
Work and career experience:
- Provide evidence of experience in your chosen field (e.g., hospital visits, work shadowing, volunteering).
- Show general experience working with others (e.g., care settings, community projects).
- Reflect on what you learned, demonstrating empathy, teamwork, and professionalism.
UCAS Applications
The UCAS personal statement asks applicants to answer the following three questions:
- Why do you want to study this course?
- How have your qualifications and studies prepared you for this course or subject?
- What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?
For examples and detailed guidance on how to answer these questions, visit the
The Use of AI in Personal Statements
Your personal statement should be your own work and reflect your experiences, interests, and reasons for applying to your chosen course.
AI and digital tools can be useful for checking spelling, grammar, and clarity. However, the content of your statement should come from you. Admissions staff want to understand your individual experiences, skills, and motivations.
Using AI to write significant parts of your personal statement, or submitting AI-generated content as your own, may be viewed as plagiarism and could affect your application.
