Personal statements for university applications 2025

Forming a key part of your university application, you should use the UCAS personal statement to showcase how your skills, experience and aspirations make you a good fit for the course

What is a university personal statement?

With two sides of A4 to work with, this is your opportunity to tell course tutors in your own words the reasons why you feel you'd be an asset to their university.

How long should a personal statement be?

There is no maximum word count, but you must remain within the 4,000-character limit (including spaces and punctuation) allowed in your UCAS application and keep the statement to 47 lines of text.

UCAS recommends that you write your personal statement in Microsoft Word before copying and pasting it into the online application form. This is because the application page times out after being inactive for 35 minutes. You'll still need to account for how individual characters are counted differently between Microsoft Word and the online form.

What do I write about?

When considering what to include in your personal statement, consider the reasons you're applying to university and what makes you a suitable candidate.

Examples of skills and achievements

To make this work for different courses and universities, you'll need to find some common ground by providing examples of why you'll be a success, demonstrating enthusiasm for the choices you've made and how they fit in with your career ambitions.

You'll need to discuss the relevant skills, experience and achievements you've gained through extra-curricular activities - whether sporting, musical or creative.

Super-curricular activities

While the interests and pursuits outside the classroom mentioned above are important in portraying yourself as a well-rounded candidate for university, super-curricular activities can set you apart from the competition.

Super-curricular activities relate to your academic and career development pursuits that extend beyond what you've learned through your school lessons, demonstrating initiative and a passion for your chosen field of study.

For instance, this may involve:

• attending university taster lectures and masterclasses - see university open days
• exploring academic interests and researching around the subject
• getting involved in student competitions in areas like art, photography, coding or essay writing
• reading academic books or journals not on school reading lists
• subscribing to industry magazines, e.g. New Scientist or The Engineer
• watching educational documentaries and YouTube videos on a relevant topic.

The skills you'll develop, such as independent research and learning, are key components of university-level study.

To make the most of these experiences when writing your UCAS personal statement:

• Focus on how it benefited you - as you discuss what you gained by doing these educational activities, relate them to yourself and what you learned. Explain how they have helped deepen your understanding of the subject.
• Note things down - by keeping a record of the super-curricular activities you undertake, you will not only benefit your personal statement, but you will also find it useful for university interviews.
• Show how you've used your initiative - let the university admissions team see how you've developed a proactive and self-motivated approach to learning. This proves to them that you're highly suited for undergraduate study, and it can give you an advantage over other candidates when applying for degree courses at competitive institutions such as Oxford and Cambridge.

Work experience and volunteering

As well as covering your academic record to date, your personal statement also gives you the opportunity to mention any work experience or volunteering you've undertaken, detailing what you've learned from it. For instance, you may have been involved with the Young Enterprise programme at school and have a better idea of how to manage your money.

It's never too late to demonstrate that you're actively preparing for higher education - consider getting a part-time job or volunteering for an organisation closely related to your proposed degree subject. Get some ideas about Year 12 work experience.

You could even complete a short online course or microcredential in a relevant subject through providers including:

• Coursera
• FutureLearn
• The Open University

International students

If you're an international student, you could discuss why the UK is your preferred study destination ahead of universities in your own country. Don't forget to mention the English language tests, courses and qualifications you've taken. Get the lowdown on studying and living in the UK.

Mitigating factors

Finally, if there are any personal or financial circumstances that have had a strong bearing on your performance at school or college, you can outline these in this statement.

How do I write a personal statement?

By breaking your personal statement down into sections, you can ensure you cover the most relevant points.

The overall structure should prioritise course-relevant skills and credentials. The course descriptions can help.

However, as you only have the one personal statement for all your choices, if you've selected a variety of subjects that aren't that similar, you'll need to focus on the transferable skills and common qualities typically valued by universities - for example, creativity or problem solving.

You should also consider the following points:

• Write your statement in a simple, concise, and natural style while still showing enthusiasm. Allow your personality to shine through.
• Allow plenty of time to write it properly and set yourself a schedule. It can often take several redrafts before the statement is ready.
• Get used to reading your statement aloud and ask for feedback from family, teachers and advisers before redrafting to make sure your writing flows well. You'll need to check for the correct punctuation, spelling and grammar and not just rely on a spellchecker.
• Save an up-to-date copy of your statement, so you can refer to it during the interview.

How do I start a personal statement?

At this point, think about why you're applying for the course and how you became interested in it in the first place. Was it through work experience or studying the subject at A-level?

Once you've noted down your reasons for choosing the course, you can move on to your skills and what makes you stand out positively from other applicants, providing evidence of where you've used particular attributes.

After you've written this down, condense it so it's less wordy. You can then attempt to write a punchy opening paragraph showcasing your excitement at the prospect of going to university and an understanding of what you're getting yourself into.

Get off to the best start by using the UCAS personal statement builder.

What should I avoid?

• As you'll only have the one statement, it's important not to mention universities by name - unless you plan on applying to just a single institution.
• Remember that admissions staff may not share your sense of humour, so avoid saying anything that might be misinterpreted.
• Refrain from using clichés or making arrogant or exaggerated statements.
• Resist temptation to use somebody else's work as your own. The UCAS Similarity Detection Service uses the Copycatch system, which will compare your statement against those stored within a comprehensive library of statements - those sent to UCAS and elsewhere (including paper publications).
• Be careful not to ramble. Structuring your work so you know how much space you have for each section will make it much easier to stick to your main points.

Do you have any university personal statement examples?

While you can find examples online, it's important to use your own words and not copy them directly.

Some good examples include:

• King's College London
• Reed.co.uk
• St Mary's University

Indeed, the UCAS personal statement worksheet can prove just as useful for helping you decide what to put in your own personal statement.

You can simply print out this personal statement template and jot down any ideas into the various sections as you think of them.

Find out more

• Read the full lowdown on how to apply for university.
• Get tips on preparing for a university interview.
• For further advice on writing a personal statement in 2025, visit UCAS.