word limit of ucas personal statement

UCAS Personal Statement Length Checker

Please note: The line count may differ than the number of lines in the textbox above but when copy and pasted will match the line count on the UCAS application.

UCAS Personal Statement Requirements

• No longer than 4000 characters.
• No longer than 47 lines.
• Each line can be no longer than 94 characters. (Our character counter above already has a max line length of 94 characters unless otherwise noted.)
• Characters include spaces, carriage returns, and punctuation.

To see additional features including word count, paragraph count, space count and more use the character counter on our home page.

How to write your UCAS personal statement

The UCAS personal statement scares most high school students. Writing a perfect personal statement is a strenuous and unavoidable process. With roughly about 6 million university applications each year, officials need a method for filtering stronger applicants from everyone else.

As challenging as this task may appear, it is also your only chance to share your personality and eligibility for the degree program you have chosen. Follow our practices given, and you can absolutely make your personal statement up to the mark.

Start with a plan

Each year thousands of applications are received for the best degrees in the world and are best focused on the goal of making their application stand out from the rest.

Thus, planning out what you want to say prior to writing your UCAS statement makes it easy to write a convincing personal statement. Start off by making a rough draft, answering some questions like

• What subjects do you want to study?
• Why have you particularly chosen this path for yourself?
• What makes you think that you are best suited to study this degree program at the college?

Some of these points will form the backbone of your personal statement, so write them in a manner that makes sense to you.

Sometimes you want to create simple bullet points or use mind maps. No matter what you decide; your goal is the same. You want to clarify why the university should provide you with a spot.

Bigger Picture of the Degree

Talk about the course that you have applied to. How did you learn about it in the first place? What means did you use to deepen your interest and knowledge in this area?

It would be a huge plus to list the books you read and the meetings you have attended regarding the subject.

Please elaborate on your academic attitude towards the degree. What are your goals after graduating? What role will it play in helping you achieve your greatest ambitions? What sort of vocation plans do you have after graduation?

Write about your work experience and achievements

Your previous achievements are an essential part of your personal statement. Think about all the accolades you have received and the contests you have participated in. These can be in-school, national or international. Both academic and sports awards can greatly help emphasize your commitment.

Write about the important skills and experiences acquired elsewhere (such as hobbies) that can be chained to the degree of your choice.

Remember, you are searching for experience that shows why you need to study the subject that you have chosen. You are not just writing an essay about what you are doing in your high school syllabus.

Extracurricular Activities

Your extracurriculars ought to likewise be included in the personal statement. Whether it be a MUN or a cross country race, they pass on the message that you love participating in different events.

Likewise, it is really smart to discuss any expertise you have acquired through extracurriculars.

Discuss any leadership roles you could have held, as they improve your capacity to appreciate people on a profound level and put you across as a pioneer.

Community service is a plus in the UCAS statement as it shows a promise to a reason bigger than oneself.

You can link all these activities to your selected course in the best case. Be careful not to elaborate too much on extracurricular activities.

UCAS Character Count

There are some specific instructions for your personal statement that you can never ignore.

First, it must not exceed 4,000 characters or 47 lines of text (including blank lines), whichever comes first. If you do exceed this, the university will not get your entire statement.

So make sure your personal statement has a solid and decisive ending. It will look bad if you cut it off in the middle of a sentence after realizing that you have exceeded the text limit.

Instead, give each section proper attention, time, and character to plan your essay thoroughly.

However, while you are getting everything rolling, you ought to overlook these restrictions.

Tips for reducing the character count

From the get-go, you simply need to jot down all that you feel is significant. You will probably wind up with something very lengthy, but that is okay.

This is where you get to do some polishing and trimming. Maintain the focal point of your piece on the course you are applying for, why you want to do it and for what reason you are impeccably fit for it.

Glance through what you have composed until now - do you have the right balance? Cut off whatever continues a little to far, as you want to keep each point crisp and concise.

It is a difficult process to try to keep as much content as possible while keeping the character count low, so here are some simple ways to make it easier for you.

Avoid quotes

Read your personal statement and eliminate platitudes if there are any - for instance, 'I've wanted to study psychology since I was young'…The same goes for the quotations: except if they increase the value of your statement (which they don't most of the time!), it is really the best practice to remove them.

Make sure everything is concise

For each sentence in your piece, use the "so what?" rule. Does this sentence appear to be more reasonable for the course? If not, cutting it is best. This frequently happens when individuals write too much about their extracurriculars in a frantic endeavour to fit everything in. For extra analysis, feel free to use our sentence counter to calculate the average length of your sentences.

Colleges, notwithstanding, need to see a reflection and what you have extracted from your encounters; this implies it is normally better to simply discuss a few extracurriculars than to list many things that the reader is likely to skim.

Also, note that you don't have to use hospital or volunteer location names. This further allows you to remove the last few characters from the count.

Use colour coding

An easy way to see where you are losing most of your characters is to highlight the sections of your statement with different colours.

Check your language

We frequently invest a great deal of energy looking up big words with the expectation that it will make our work impressive. However, this isn't generally the best practice. It is, in many cases, best to cut these words for fundamental and engaging sentences.

I hope the process will now be transparent, and it will be more exciting for you as you embark on your writing.

How to use our UCAS personal statement checker

To use our tool simply copy and paste your personal statement into the text-box above.

At the top, you will see two metrics displayed. The first metric on the left is the total characters you've typed out of the limit of 4,000 characters.

The second metric on the right is the number of lines your text contains out of the max of 47 lines. The UCAS allows a maximum of 94 characters per line, which our line count feature already takes into consideration.

To make it easier you can click the green "copy text" button to copy the text in the text box. You can also click the red "clear text" button to delete all the text in the text-box.

Why use an online UCAS personal statement checker?

Reason number one: The character count feature in Microsoft Word will not give you an accurate reading. The reason is that Word does not count the carriage return (also known as the enter key) as a character while UCAS does count it as a character.

The problem is that this will cause Word to underestimate the character count. This could cause your essay not to be able to submit when you try to upload it. If anything it would be better to overestimate the word count on Word that way it will fit.

Our personal statement checker however will give you the same character count as UCAS unlike the Microsoft Word character count.

It can be helpful to see the character count in real-time as you are typing your personal statement. This way you are constantly reminded of how long your essay is.

If you are not paying attention it can be easy to lose track of how long your essay is and go over the limit.

Our tool makes it easier to be aware of the length and easy to cut back if necessary.

How many characters in a personal statement?

UCAS requires 4,000 characters in their personal statement. Use our personal statement checker above to see if your essay meets the requirements.

How many words in a UCAS personal statement

UCAS has a character limit of 4,000 characters. This equates to about 615 to 800 words.

How many words is 4000 characters?

4,000 characters is about 615 to 800 words. For more Characters to Words conversions, check out our Characters To Words Converter .

Does the personal statement character limit include spaces?

Yes, it does include spaces as well as carriage returns. Check your statement with our personal statement checker above.

Thanks for using our UCAS personal statement checker!

We appreciate you taking the time to check your personal statement using our webpage. As you know, this is a very important college application essay to get into British universities. UCAS stands for Universities and Colleges Admissions Service and is what the UK uses for the college application process. Good luck on your personal statement!

How to write a UCAS personal statement

Writing a great personal statement

Read our guide on what it is, what to include, how to start, length and what makes a good personal statement 

Once you've decided which universities and courses to apply for, completing your application is pretty simple – until it comes to how to write your UCAS personal statement.

This guide covers everything you need to know about how to write a personal statement for university. We look at what it is and how you can start your personal statement. We've also got questions to guide you and a suggested personal statement structure you can use so you know what to put in it.

If you'd like even more resources, support and UCAS personal statement examples, you can sign up to access our personal statement hub .

What is the UCAS personal statement?

How universities use your ucas personal statement, how to start a ucas personal statement.

• Get feedback on your UCAS personal statement

The personal statement is part of your UCAS application. It's how you show your chosen universities why you'll make a great student and why they should make you an offer.

Your personal statement also helps you think about your choice of course and your reasons for applying, so you know you’ve made the right decision.

Get feedback on your personal statement

Sign up to our personal statement hub to get feedback on your draft. You'll also get access to videos, help sheets and more tips.

Sign up now

UCAS personal statement word limit

Your personal statement length can be up to 4,000 characters long. 

This may sound a lot, but it's a word limit of around 550–1000 words with spaces and only about 1 side of typed A4 paper.

You need to keep it concise and make sure it's clear and easy to read.

Applying for multiple courses

Although you can apply for up to 5 courses on your UCAS application, you can only submit 1 personal statement. So it needs to cover all your course choices.

If you really want to show your commitment to applying for different courses, we will accept a second personal statement from you to reflect your application e.g. if you are applying for Law elsewhere, but Criminology and Criminal Justice with us.

Lots of students who apply to university have achieved the basic entry requirements and many more students apply than there are places available. Admissions teams can use your UCAS personal statement to get to know you and decide why you're more suitable than other applicants.

Some universities read every personal statement and score them. Then they use them alongside your qualifications and grades to decide whether to offer you a place or interview. Other universities put less emphasis on the personal statement and use it with students who have borderline entry requirements.

Universities might refer to your personal statement again on results day if you don't get the grades you need. So a good personal statement could clinch you a uni place even if your grades aren't what you hoped for.

Starting your personal statement can seem scary when you're staring at a blank screen. But, things will seem less daunting once you start.

• Set aside some time in a place where you're comfortable and won't be disturbed. Grab a notepad or computer.
• Write down anything and everything that's influenced your decision to go to university and study your chosen subject. Jot down your skills and experience too.
• Use the questions below to guide you. Don't worry about the personal statement length at this point – you can cut things out later.

When to start your UCAS personal statement

Ideally, you want to leave yourself plenty of time – a few weeks or even months – to plan and write your personal statement.

Try not to leave it to the last minute, as tempting as this may seem when you've got so many other things to think about.

Questions to guide you

Your motivation.

• Why do you want to study at university?
• Why do you want to study this subject?
• How did you become interested in this subject?
• What career do you have in mind after university?

Academic ability and potential

• How have your current studies affected your choice?
• What do you enjoy about your current studies?
• What skills have you gained from your current studies?
• How can you demonstrate you have the skills and qualities needed for the course?
• What qualities and attributes would you bring to the course and university?

Your experience

• What work experience (including part-time, charity and volunteer work) do you have and what have you learnt from it?
• What positions of responsibility have you held? (For example, prefect, captain of a team or member of a committee)
• What relevant hobbies or interests do you have and what skills have they helped you develop?
• What transferable skills do you have, such as self motivation, team working, public speaking, problem solving and analytical thinking?

Research and reading

• How do you keep up with current affairs or news in your chosen subject?
• What journals or publications relevant to your chosen subject do you read?
• Which people have influenced you, such as artists, authors, philosophers or scientists?

Now it's time to write your personal statement using your notes. It's best to draft it on a computer, and remember to save it regularly.

You can copy and paste it into your UCAS application when you're happy with it.

Personal statement structure

While there's no set template for a personal statement, you may find it useful to follow this personal statement structure when you decide what to put in your statement.

What to include in a personal statement

• Reasons for choosing this subject(s)
• Current studies and how these relate to your chosen subject(s)
• Experiences and how these relate to your chosen subject(s)
• Interests and responsibilities and how these relate to your chosen subject(s)
• Your future after university
• Summary including why you'll make a great student

Further tips for a good UCAS personal statement

• Use information on university websites and the UCAS website. This often includes the skills and qualities universities are looking for in applicants
• Ask friends, family and teachers to remind you of activities you've participated in. They might remember your successes better than you do
• Don’t include lists in your application, like a list of all your hobbies. Focus on 1 or 2 points and talk about them in depth to show their relevance to your application
• Explain and evidence everything. It’s easy to say you have a skill, but it's better to demonstrate it with an example of when and how you’ve used it
• Avoid clichéd lines such as ‘I've always wanted to be a teacher’ as it says nothing about your motivations or experiences
• If you’re applying for a joint degree or different subjects, give equal time to each area and try to find common aspects that show their similarities
• Never lie or plagiarise another statement – you'll be caught and it could result in your application being automatically rejected
• Proofread your personal statement by reading it out loud and ask friends, family or a teacher to check it for you

Sign up to our personal statement hub

Watch videos, get top tips and download our help sheets – that's what our personal statement hub is for. It's for you to write your story, so you can show your strengths, ideas and passion to your chosen universities.

You'll also be able send us your draft, so you can get feedback and feel confident about what you've written.

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2020 Undergraduate Application

Make sure your personal statement is your own work

We'll carry out checks to verify your personal statement is your own work.

Provided it is your own work, you can use your personal statement from your application last year. If it appears to have been copied from another source, we'll inform the universities and colleges to which you have applied. They will then take the action they consider appropriate. We'll also contact you by email to tell you this has happened.

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Preview of personal statement

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Personal statement length checker

Enter your personal statement below to check if it meets the UCAS Apply requirements for the number of lines and character length.

The requirements for teacher training personal statements are different for UCAS Apply so this checker won't produce the correct results.

Your personal statement will be shown formatted according to UCAS's requirements, and the length and character limit calculated to check it's length.

Please note that the results of our personal statement checker may differ slightly from the UCAS Apply length checker. If you notice any differences please email us with copy of your personal statement and we'll. investigate further

Personal statement tips

The personal statement is an important part of your UCAS application.

It helps admissions staff at the University decide whether to make you an offer. Some courses have many more applicants than places and there may be many students with good grades applying for the same course as you. 

What is it?

Your personal statement is a short written piece about you. It gives evidence of your skills, knowledge and experience. It’s your chance to tell us why you want to study a particular course and why you would make a great student. Read about:

How to write a UCAS undergraduate personal statement (UCAS website)

Top tips for writing the perfect personal statement (The Complete University Guide)

Maximum length

47 lines or 4,000 characters maximum – whichever comes first.

What to include

Your personal statement is your chance to stand out from the crowd. It is unique and individual to you, but some things to include are:

• Enthusiasm and motivation – your passion for the course should be clear and relate to you and your experiences (eg projects, field trips or experiences at school that sparked your interest in your subject). 
• Understanding of the subject – you need to show you have some knowledge and understanding, even if you have not studied the subject at high school or college. If you have done some reading about the subject, outside of school, mention this.
• Academic prizes or scholarships – this will help you stand out and show evidence of your potential.
• Career aspirations – even if you do not have clear career plans yet, you can show you have thought about your future career and how your chosen degree could help you achieve this.
• Relevant work experience/voluntary activities – explain what skills you have gained from the experience, including skills that would be useful in your university studies. 
• Non-academic interests – your hobbies (such as sports, baking or reading) show your personality and can be a chance to demonstrate different skills.
• What you will contribute to the university community – we want to know what you can bring to Leeds, as well as what you want to get out of university life.

International and EU students

If you are a non-UK student, you should also mention:

• Why you want to study in the UK.
• Why you want to be an international student, rather than study in your own country.

What to avoid

• Plagiarism (copying) – all statements will be checked for plagiarism. Your statement must be your own work so do not use templates. If you have applied before, check your personal statement is completely up to date and relevant to your current application.
• Skills without examples – show how you have developed the skills you think you will need, don't just list them.
• Listing subject knowledge – explain how your knowledge has helped you build career aspirations, choose your degree, or prepare for coming to university.
• Repeating qualifications – don't repeat information covered elsewhere on the application. This uses up valuable space in your personal statement.
• Short personal statement – make the most of the space you have. A short statement suggests you lack of passion or commitment to the course you are applying for.

Our top tips

• Write your personal statement in MS Word (or similar) first, so you can check your spelling and grammar before you add it into your application.
• Get someone else, like your tutor, family or friends, to read your statement to check for any errors and make suggestions before you submit it. You may need a few drafts before you are happy with the final version.
• If English is not your first language, you could mention any opportunities you have had to use English (eg an English-speaking school or work with a company that uses English).
• Use plain, clear English. Be careful with humour, quotes or anything unusual. The admissions tutor might not have the same sense of humour as you!
• Don’t exaggerate. If you get an interview, you might be asked for more detail about what you have written.
• Check the faculty or school website of your chosen course for guidance on your personal statement - especially important if you are applying for a course in medicine or dentistry. For example, see Leeds University Business School's 8 ways to perfect your UK university application .
• Check UCAS application deadlines  to make sure you apply before the closing date. For courses in medicine and dentistry, this is earlier than many other courses.

Related links

Writing a Personal Statement for UCAS: The 10 Big Mistakes Students Should Avoid

James is senior content marketing manager at BridgeU. He writes and directs content for BridgeU's university partners and our community of international schools

• Writing a UCAS Personal Statement for a subject that isn’t the right fit
• Spelling & grammar mistakes
• Avoid pointless cliches
• Endlessly listing extracurriculars
• Over-using quotes or taking them out of context
• Telling the reader something they already know 
• Ignoring word limits
• Unnecessary origin stories
• Making things up
• Controversy

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Writing a UCAS Personal Statement requires a student to convey a lot of information in a short space of time. Mistakes are easy to make. Read our run down of the most common ones and how to avoid them

Writing a Personal Statement for UCAS is, in many ways, like asking a student to tell the story of their life in 4,000 characters or less. 

And if that sounds hard, it’s because it is. 

The UCAS Personal Statement is the  cornerstone of a UK university application . Students need to write a genuine, authoritative and compelling account of who they are and what they want from a UK university degree. They need to quickly grab the attention of the university admissions officer reading their Personal Statement, and they need to make sure they stand out from the hundreds of other applications that will be crossing that admission officer’s desk. 

In order to do this, the Personal Statement will require a student to master form, structure and content in such a way that makes their writing stand out. 

Understandably, students might feel an inordinate amount of pressure to get their Personal Statement right first time. 

Indeed, more often than not, it’s not a case of students being lazy when writing their UCAS Personal Statements. The problem is often that students will have a lot to say and will have put a lot of thought into their Statement, but may make some simple stylistic mistakes that could cost them when they finally submit their application. 

But if these mistakes are easy to make, they’re also easy to avoid. 

So we’re going to take you through the 10 most common (and potentially costly) mistakes that a student might make in their UCAS Personal Statement, and give you some tips on how to help your students avoid them. 

Bonus Resource –  To help your students avoid any major mistakes before they begin, our Personal Statement worksheet helps them to plan and write a truly compelling account of themselves.  Click here to download

1. Writing a UCAS Personal Statement for a subject that isn’t the right fit 

If students have done their research carefully and considerately, then this shouldn’t be a problem. Ideally, in the year leading up to the submission of the Personal Statement, your students will have shortlisted their university and course preferences to the point where they’re applying for a subject area they’re truly passionate about. 

But this first, major mistake is the natural conclusion of a student being pressured into a subject or career path by family, parents or even school peers. Hopefully this won’t happen – but if a student is writing their UCAS Personal Statement for a subject they’re not truly passionate about, then this should set off alarm bells. It will ultimately affect the quality of the Personal Statement. 

And, most importantly, admissions staff will easily spot a Personal Statement where the student’s heart isn’t in it. 

Top tip:  We at BridgeU are big fans of students finding their best-fit universities and courses (after all, it’s why we built our platform!). Students need to put a lot of time into making sure the UK course they are applying for is right for them. Starting a Personal Statement without having thoroughly researched university and course options is one of the most fundamental mistakes a student could make. 

2. Spelling & Grammar Mistakes 

This may seem like a rather obvious mistake, and one your students hopefully shouldn’t be making. 

But the tight time frames associated with a UCAS Personal Statement will make spelling and grammar mistakes more likely, especially if your students aren’t taking the time to proof-read their personal statement before submitting it. 

Spelling and grammar mistakes can really count against students, and can make their writing appear sloppy or poorly thought through. It’s an especially bad look if your students are applying for humanities or social sciences courses, or indeed any degree that requires a lot of extended writing! 

Top tip:  Encourage your students to print out their Personal Statement. Whilst we know that a lot of students do more things digitally these days (and BridgeU is an online platform after all!), reading a UCAS Personal Statement back as a living, printed document can really help students hone their eye for detail! 

3. Avoid exuberant language and pointless cliches 

“My love of Physics began when I used to look up at the night sky as a child, and found it simultaneously breath-taking and awe-inspiring.” 

“I’ve been passionate about the works of William Shakespeare since seeing my first production on stage. I’m fascinated by how Shakespeare remains relevant for today.” 

Can you see what’s wrong with these two examples? 

Whilst they are very positive and well-worded statements about why a student might want to study astrophysics, or Shakespearian literature, both these Personal Statement examples tip very quickly into cliche and generalisation. 

We’re not suggesting you shouldn’t encourage your students to use positive language when writing a UCAS Personal Statement, but this positive language needs to be backed up with clear, specific examples and rigorous analysis. 

Remember – the key to an excellent Personal Statement is showing, not telling. 

So why is Shakespeare still relevant to today? What specific examples could a student writing about a 16th century author use to demonstrate their relevance to the 21st century? 

Likewise, proclaiming a love for the wonders of the night sky is all well and good, but why did it make our example student want to study Physics? 

Top tip:  Encourage students to set a limit on the number of adjectives or descriptive phrases they use in their writing. It’s important to remember a Personal Statement has to accomplish a lot in a relatively short number of words. If students over-use words like ‘passionate’, ‘breathtaking’ and ‘awe-inspiring’ they’re just going to end up repeating themselves. 

4. Endlessly listing extracurricular activities

Extracurricular activities are a vital part of any Personal Statement. If used in the right way, they can help a student to stand out, and seem like a more well-rounded person. Extracurriculars can also help to showcase valuable soft skills that universities value in their students. 

But there’s no point using extracurriculars like a grocery list. Students endlessly describing their extracurriculars will mean nothing if they don’t link them back to the overall narrative of the Personal Statement. 

Again, it’s about showing, not telling. Saying ‘I have captained my school football team for three years’ means nothing if the writer doesn’t explain this activity within the context of the Personal Statement. 

Top tip:  When planning their Personal Statement, students need to think about the extracurricular activities that can demonstrate soft skills. What did they learn from doing this particular extracurricular activity? Do they think it will set them apart in their overall application? If the answer is no, then it’s best not putting it in. 

5. Over-using quotes or taking them out of context

Remember what we said about exuberant language and cliches? 

It’s the same with the use of quotes. 

Quotes can be a powerful tool to back up any argument, be it in a UCAS Personal Statement or any other kind of essay. 

But quotes used clumsily can often have the opposite effect, and make the writer of a Personal Statement seem pretentious or just quoting for the sake of it. 

Many students may feel tempted to open their Personal Statement with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi, or Martin Luther King. A student who is submitting an application for psychology may feel it necessary to begin their Personal Statement with a quote from Sigmund Freud. 

The trouble is that many UK university admissions tutors have probably seen the same quotes again and again. Again, if quotes aren’t used in context, or don’t serve the overall narrative of the Personal Statement, then it may be worth not putting them in. 

It’s also important to remember that universities want to hear from the student, not Sigmund Freud! If in doubt, a student writing a Personal Statement should use their own thoughts and insights, not someone else’s. 

Top tip:  Encourage students to use less well-known quotes in their Personal Statement. Quotes from less well-known, specialist thinkers within a subject discipline are more likely to show that a student is widely read and has a deep and rich knowledge of the subject they’re applying for. 

6. Telling the reader something they already know 

Demonstrating subject knowledge and background reading is vital for a UCAS Personal Statement. But this must fit in with the student’s overall story of  why  they want to study that particular degree. 

What students shouldn’t do is explain academic or scientific theories at length, or regurgitate existing arguments that have already been made by other writers in their chosen field of study. 

Students writing a UCAS Personal Statement need to operate from the assumption that the person reading it is probably an expert in their field. It’s only worth students talking about their wider reading, or their take on another piece of academic writing, if they can demonstrate its relevance to them. 

Top tip:  Students should avoid going into depth about other academic or scientific theories unless they have a bearing on the student’s own worldview, and can tell the reader something about why they want to study for that particular course. 

Video: Tips from UCAS on starting a Personal Statement

7. not paying attention to word/character limits .

It’s pretty hard to literally ignore the word/character limit for the UCAS Personal Statement, as there will come a point where students will simply run out of space. 

But some students can fail to pay attention to word/character limits to the extent that they don’t plan the form and structure of their UCAS Personal Statement properly. 

Planning the overall structure and flow of the Personal Statement before writing it is absolutely essential if students are to make the most of the space that UCAS allocates. Half finished thoughts and hastily written conclusions will do more harm than good when someone reads the Personal Statement. 

Top tip:  Run one class/workshop with students where they brainstorm and plan the overall structure of their UCAS Personal Statement. Break the components of a good personal statement down into chunks, and get students thinking about the optimal structure for making their Personal Statements as good as they can be! 

8. Unnecessary origin stories 

Everyone loves an origin story (why else would film studios keep remaking Spiderman?). But origin stories in UCAS Personal Statements can sometimes be a waste of time (this is in sharp contrast to an application like the Common App in the USA), where they love to hear a student’s origin story)

Remember our physics student from Tip no.3 who loved to gaze at the night sky? Childhood anecdotes are great, and can certainly add character to a student’s application. But they’re not always necessary to showcase a student’s devotion to their chosen subject. 

In fact, it’s fair to say that admissions tutors at UK universities are more interested in an applicant’s more recent contributions or achievements in their chosen field of study than snippets of their biography. 

Yet it remains the case that students sometimes feel the need to profess their lifelong devotion to a subject they’re hoping to study at university. It’s really not necessary. 

In fact UCAS themselves once published a list of the  most commonly used opening lines in a Personal Statement . Three of the most frequent openings were 

“I have always been interested in…” (used 927 times)

“For as long as I can remember I have…” (used 1,451 times) 

“From a young age I have always been interested in/fascinated by…” (used 1,779 times) 

Not only does drawing on childhood memories risk losing sight of more relevant information, it’s also something that lots of universities have seen before. 

9. Making things up 

We hope that none of your students would ever lie in their Personal Statement. But if someone feels the pressure to stand out from the crowd and really impress a university, then it could happen. 

Even small, believable exaggerations could come back to haunt a student if they were hypothetically invited to an interview further down the road. It could be as small as pretending to have read a particular book, or quoting/discussing a piece of research in their chosen subject field and not having fully engaged with it. 

Top tip:  When it comes to putting anything untruthful in a Personal Statement, we can only offer you one piece of advice to give to your students. 

Don’t do it! It’s not worth it, students will probably get found out and there’s likely plenty of achievements and skills that students can talk about in their Personal Statement. They just need to think long and hard about what it is! 

10. Being controversial or contrarian for the sake of it 

Being controversial or argumentative can seem like a good way to sit up and get the reader’s attention – but it’s not worth a student doing it unless they’ve really got the evidence and the argument to back it up. 

For example, arguing against a famous essay or piece of research in a student’s chosen subject might seem like a good way to score some brownie points. But why does a student take issue with this particular piece of research? And is it really wise to try and tackle it in the space of a 4,000 character Personal Statement. 

Top tip:  Students should definitely be independent and analytical when discussing their degree subject in their Personal Statement – after all, it’s the most surefire way to stand out. But taking a contrarian position, or trying to make an explosive new contribution to academic discourse in the course of one Personal Statement probably isn’t a good idea. 

Writing a Personal Statement for UCAS – final tips to avoid mistakes

What do these mistakes all have in common? 

The answer is they are the natural consequence of students forgetting some of the core principles of UCAS Personal Statement writing. 

• Students need to ensure their Personal Statements are well-structured and well-planned – so as to avoid spelling mistakes and/or falling foul of the character limit. 
• Students need to keep their Personal Statements as unique to them as possible – this means staying truthful to their own ambitions and worldview, and avoiding generalisations or cliches. 
• A good Personal Statement needs to be rooted in strong analysis and writing that makes good use of evidence and specific examples to back up an argument. 
• A standout Personal Statement needs to be compelling account of a student’s suitability for a course with a good story at the heart of it – it needs to show, not tell. 

Our Personal Statement template is a great resource if you want to help your students plan and write a truly individual Personal Statement, and avoid some of the mistakes we’ve listed here. Download it below! 

Bonus Resource!

How to write a Personal Statement Worksheet & Template

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How to Write a Personal Statement

If you’re just starting to think about writing your personal statement, then you probably have a lot of questions. We’re here to answer your top questions so you can stop wondering and start writing!

1. When should you start a personal statement?

Each year, the UCAS deadline falls at the end of January.  So it’s a good idea to get started before Christmas so you can enjoy some time off and celebrate with your family without thinking about your personal statement.

Your school or college may even ask you to get your personal statement done early so they can check it and get it out of the way before January exams/mock exams begin.

Our student Ella advises to start early: “I had exams in January so it was important for me to complete my statement and send it off as early as possible!”

You can still apply through UCAS after the deadline, but some courses may be full.

2. How long should a personal statement be?

The personal statement should be one to two pages long. You have a maximum of 47 lines or 4,000 characters to work with so use short, concise sentences and delete any unnecessary words. This is all the space UCAS give you on their online application system to show off that you’re a great student – so don’t worry if it takes you a good few redrafts until you’re happy with it.

When you paste your personal statement into the UCAS application, be sure to check it hasn’t cut any words off the end!

3. How do you start the opening line in a personal statement?

The most effective opening sentences are simple, to the point and personal to you. Think about what made you pick the subject and what you enjoy the most about it. Remember, showing your interest and enthusiasm in the course is the most important thing.

Start with why you chose it, then try and summarise this in one or two sentences. But be careful, avoid overused opening sentences, quotes and clichés like ‘when I was young…’ They want to know about you now, not your childhood or Shakespeare!

Most common cliché opening lines:

• "From a young age I have (always) been…" and most of these continued "interested in" or "fascinated by". 1,779 applicants
• "For as long as I can remember I have..." 1,451 applicants
• "I am applying for this course because..." 1,370 applicants

(UCAS, 2016)

Here are some better lead sentences from our students:

“I am applying for a place to study social work because I have always wanted to be able to make a difference to people's lives. With social work I believe I can do this in a caring and supportive way.”

“When deciding what I should study at university, I came to, what was for me, a natural conclusion: History. I find myself constantly astounded and inspired by history and I have never found another subject as exhilarating and interesting. My personal interests lie mainly in Early Modern and Modern History.”

4. What should you include in a personal statement apart from your studies?

• Hobbies: Make a list of your hobbies, interests and social activities. Then think about how they demonstrate your personality, skills and abilities. Try to link them to the skills and experience required for your course(s). Make sure you include interests you have at school like extra-curricular activities. You’ll be surprised how relevant it all is.
• Experience: Get some experience in the field you want to go into, if you haven’t got direct experience than relate how your studies have increased your passion for the course. Make sure everything you write about is relevant to the course.
• Strengths: Concentrate on your strengths and what you’re good at. Do you run a successful blog and want to show off your skills for a marketing degree? Whatever it is, make sure you show off your achievements.

5. How do you structure a personal statement?

Make sure you structure your personal statement with an 80/20 percentage split: 80 per cent academic experience, work experience and extra-curriculars that relate to your chosen course, and 20 per cent related to your hobbies or other extra-curriculars.

A good way to structure your paragraphs is to use the ‘ABC’ method. When writing about each experience, use the ABC (action, benefit and course) structure. What is the activity, and what skills and qualities have come from it? and how does it relate to the course? Use this in each for each thing you talk about and before you know it, you’ll have a well-structured personal statement.

6. How do you end a personal statement?

In your conclusion, round up all the evidence you have given in your statement so far to show your knowledge, skills and experiences. Specify not only why you want to study the subject you’re applying for but also why it will help you succeed in the future. Make sure you don’t waffle and keep it simple.

Example from one of our students:

"Studying at university has been my ambition for many years. I find immense enjoyment in reading and researching History and believe that, in the future, I am confident that I will be very successful in inspiring and encouraging others to study the subject".

What should you do next?

Download your free personal statement guide.

Get even more advice on starting, writing and checking your personal statement. Plus, be inspired by real personal statement examples from our students!

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Personal statement

Your personal statement is a really important part of your UCAS application. 

It helps our admissions tutors get an insight into who you are and whether you'd be a good fit for the course you're applying to. 

You can only submit one personal statement for the five courses and universities you apply for. 

You're also limited to 4,000 characters (including spaces) or 47 lines, whichever comes first, so it's useful to make a plan of what you want to say before you start.

Tell us why you want to study the course you're applying for

We're looking for people with a genuine enthusiasm for the subject they're applying for – and that they understand what it involves – so it's useful to   highlight things that inspired your interest, including:

• books you have read
• work or voluntary experience you have undertaken
• lectures or courses you have attended
• any relevant extracurricular activities you’ve taken part in

This a really important part of your personal statement so make sure your passion really shines through.

This means avoid saying you want to study something just because it is interesting.

Instead, explain what you find interesting about it, for example, a particular topic you know you’ll be able to carry on studying at university or something related to it.

Don’t be afraid to use language which shows your enthusiasm for the course or life in general. Be positive and focus on things you thoroughly enjoy.

Skills and experiences

At Imperial, you'll have the freedom to take control of your learning, with options within many courses to customise what you learn and the experiences you have. 

As a research-led university, we'll encourage you to get hands-on in the process of discovery, innovation and learning through and from your own mistakes.

You will also learn to communicate your research findings and have the opportunity to work in teams, as well as on your own.

Think about the sort of skills that you have gained that are relevant to your chosen subject – you'll be able to find more detail about the style of learning for your chosen subject on our course pages .

Don't forget to provide evidence for the skills and knowledge you have. And remember to choose quality over quantity – we'd rather read about a smaller number of skills with evidence than a long list which doesn't explain how you've acquired each skill/quality and how it will help you be successful in your chosen course of study.  

Work experience

Work experience isn’t essential for most Imperial courses, but if it is a course requirement, make sure you get some and then tell us how it's helped to confirm your choice of subject.

You may also wish to use your personal statement to outline your career aspirations and motivation for the future.

Get the right balance

Imperial is not all work and no play. Our students have a huge range of interests – evidenced in our 350+ student-run clubs and societies.

Tell us about your passions and your hobbies, particularly how they have helped you develop skills and qualities that make you a strong candidate. Made you a better leader, for example. Made you more resilient. Or improved your teamwork and communication skills. 

Also tell us about something you do simply for the fun of it. You don't need to go into too much detail as you don’t have the space, but it helps us to get to know you and may be something we ask you more about if you're invited for an interview at a later stage.

Make it personal

Your personal statement should be about you so don't focus on what your friends are writing. Be clear about your own motivations and what you can bring to Imperial. 

Use it to create a unique picture for our admissions tutors of who you are and why you'll be successful in your chosen course of study. 

Also avoid the temptation to copy anyone else's. UCAS runs all personal statements through its similarity detection system, Copycatch, to compare them with previous statements.

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Writing a personal statement for university

The personal statement is your opportunity to shine in the UK university applications process. It's more than just a formality; it's a chance to show admissions staff who you are beyond grades and test scores. 

This guide will help you write a UCAS personal statement that captures your unique character and academic aspirations, making sure that you stand out in the crowded field of applicants.  

Starting your personal statement

• Writing style
• What to include

Drafting and revision

• Final checklist
• Additional resources
• Useful questions and answers

Come to an open day

When you start a personal statement, it's common to face blank page syndrome. Don't stress about crafting the perfect opening sentence right away. Begin with any idea, even a rough one, and refine it as you go. 

Organise your thoughts with bullet-point lists to cover all main points, ensuring nothing crucial is missed. These can then be written up in full to create your final statement.

While personal statement examples online can provide structure inspiration, remember to craft a statement that is authentically yours, avoiding plagiarism.

View the UCAS personal statement worksheet

Writing style: Clear, concise, and authentic 

Your writing style is an important part of your personal statement. Admissions tutors, who read many personal statements for different courses, appreciate clarity and conciseness.

Using an active voice will make your statement more engaging and direct, helping you to clearly articulate your thoughts. 

Authenticity is key. Your personal statement should reflect your true self, balancing your voice with the appropriate level of formality.

This balance demonstrates your readiness for university life and study. 

Timeline for writing a personal statement 

When applying for an undergraduate degree the journey of writing a personal statement begins well before the UCAS deadline, which for 2024 entry is 31 January 2024.

Start early, ideally when you return for your final year of school or a few months before the deadline if you're not in school. This allows ample time for drafting, receiving feedback and making revisions. 

Structuring your personal statement 

A well-structured personal statement includes a compelling introduction, a detailed body and a strong conclusion.

The introduction should grab the reader's attention, the body should elaborate on your academic and personal experiences relevant to the course you're applying for, and the conclusion should summarise your aspirations and show that you are ready for university study. 

What to include in your personal statement 

Your personal statement should highlight your suitability for the course and the university. Here are key elements to include: 

• academic studies and relevant work experience 
• extracurricular activities  
• skills, achievements and experiences relevant to your course 
• evidence of interest in the subject .

Academic studies and relevant work experience 

Around 80% of your statement should detail your academic studies and work experience, emphasising how they've shaped your interest in the course and your ability to succeed.

For example, if you are applying for a business course, mention any relevant skills, industry experience or participation in entrepreneurship competitions. 

Extracurricular activities 

The remaining 20% can cover activities that you have taken part in outside of school or college. Choose to talk about activities that complement your academic pursuits. Discuss how these activities have developed skills that are transferable to your chosen course. 

Skills, achievements, and experiences relevant to your course 

It helps if your skills and experiences relate to the qualification you're applying for.

For instance, if you're aiming for a journalism course, mention your blogging experience or media habits, demonstrating your active interest and engagement in the field, not just why you want to study the course.

Don't forget to also include other experiences too: maybe you have a part-time job, or you volunteer in your spare time.

Evidence of interest in the subject 

Admissions tutors seek candidates with a genuine interest in their subject. Discuss your experiences, like attending related talks or reading specific literature, that highlight your passion and understanding of the field.

Reflect on how these experiences have contributed to your skill set – such as leadership or time management – and how they fit with the course requirements. 

Evidence might include:

• attending seminars or lectures on the subject outside of school
• seeking out relevant work experience
• voluntary work
• reading journal papers or relevant books
• listening to podcasts (you could give an example of one which especially contributed to your interest or understanding of the subject)
• entering competitions, for example writing competitions or young enterprise schemes.

After drafting your statement, take a break before coming back to it. You'll get a fresh perspective that can help identify gaps or unnecessary details. Have friends, family or tutors proofread for errors. Stay true to your voice, avoiding overly complex language. 

Additional tips for writing a personal statement

• Ensure all information supports your application.
• Focus on recent activities and how they contribute to your application.
• Demonstrate your enthusiasm for the subject and your post-university aspirations.

Final checklist before submission

• Before submitting, make sure your statement is within the UCAS character limit (4,000 characters or 47 lines).
• Proofread for spelling and grammar errors and confirm alignment with course requirements.
• Once you are approaching a final draft you can get check your character limit by looking in Word or by entering it into the personal statement page on UCAS.
• UCAS software does not check for spelling or grammar errors so make sure that you do this before submitting it to UCAS.
• Remember, be yourself and avoid unnecessarily elaborate language. 

Remember: Be yourself

The tutors want to know about the real you, so don't try to be somebody else. Make your personal statement about you!

When writing a personal statement for university avoid unnecessarily elaborate language and long sentences. These can be hard to follow and could obscure your message. 

Additional resources 

For more guidance, visit the UCAS website and make good use of university support services. UCAS offers a personal statement worksheet and lots of helpful resources for writing an effective personal statement. 

Incorporating these tips and carefully considering each part of your application, from the personal statement to the UCAS form, will significantly enhance your chances of securing a place on the course of your choice. 

Remember, this is your opportunity to showcase your enthusiasm for the course and the subject, and to demonstrate why you deserve a place at the university. Good luck! 

Useful questions and answers about writing personal statements

What is the admission tutor looking for in a personal statement.

The admissions tutor is looking for a well-written personal statement that showcases your strengths, passion for the subject and suitability for the course. It’s also important to demonstrate relevant skills and experiences. 

Is it beneficial to redraft and edit my personal statement multiple times?

Yes, it’s highly beneficial to redraft and edit your personal statement multiple times. You'll be able to refine your writing, clarify your thoughts and ensure that your statement is impactful and error-free. 

What are the don’ts when writing a personal statement for university application?

Your personal statement should be truthful and authentic, it's about you. So, important things to avoid when writing a personal statement include copying from others, exaggerating your achievements and submitting a generic statement for multiple courses. 

How should I end my personal statement for a university application?

Your personal statement should end with a strong and memorable conclusion that reaffirms your passion for the subject and your suitability for the course. It should leave an impression on the admissions tutor. 

What are the key points to consider when writing a UCAS personal statement?

When writing your UCAS personal statement, make sure you’re clear and concise, and explain why you want to study your chosen subject. It's important to display relevant skills, experiences and qualifications that you may have and to demonstrate your passion for the subject.  

Can I use personal statement examples as a guide when writing mine?

While it’s okay to seek inspiration from personal statement examples, it’s essential to ensure that your personal statement remains original and reflects your own experiences, achievements and aspirations. 

How can I make my personal statement stand out from the crowd?

To make your personal statement stand out, focus on highlighting your unique experiences, achievements and what excites you about your chosen subject. Be authentic, compelling and ensure that your personal statement reflects your individuality. 

Can writing a good personal statement increase my chances of being admitted to a university?

Yes, a well-crafted personal statement can significantly improve your chances of being admitted to your chosen university. It gives you the opportunity to talk about your strengths and reasons for wanting to study the course, setting you apart from other applicants. 

Personal statements

The personal statement is an integral element of the UCAS application form and inevitably the section that can prove to be the most challenging.

It is an opportunity for students to demonstrate to Admissions Tutors their passion and enthusiasm for their chosen course and to highlight the transferable skills that they have that will make them successful when studying.

There isn’t one set formula for writing the perfect personal statement, each will require time, patience and several redrafts to ensure that the finished piece really is the best representation of a student’s capabilities.

It is recommended that student’s include a variety of examples to illustrate what fuels their ambition, where they have acquired their skills from and how their current studies will complement their Higher Education choices.

Wherever possible a personal statement should be structured through key paragraphs, the first should always outline the motivation behind an application – whether it is based on previous study in a related field, work experience or an extracurricular interest the reasoning should be clear.

Other paragraphs may include details surrounding current studies, part time and/or voluntary work and wider reading and research around the subject. If student’s wish to discuss hobbies and interests this should be towards the end of their statement and shouldn’t dominate too much space.

A strong statement is often one that can draw additional skills from these activities, for example, if a student is the captain of a sports team they can use this to showcase skills in leadership, motivation and team work.

How you can support students

As a teacher or Careers Advisor there are several ways in which you can support students with their statements.

Firstly, encouraging them to emphasise their strengths and to structure their sentences to incorporate examples as evidence. Secondly, ensuring the statement is free of any spelling or grammar errors and slang terminology. First impressions can make a real impact with Admissions teams.

Finally, students should be actively discouraged from “borrowing” sentences from any existing personal statements – including those that have been previously submitted or that can be found on the internet.

UCAS run each application through Similarity Detection Software and alert universities to any plagiarism that may have taken place. In order to reduce the risk of accidental plagiarism students should avoid including clichés and include content that reflects their own individual circumstances and ambitions as this is unique to them.

For further advice and guidance regarding personal statements please download our PowerPoint and handout.

Personal statement tips

Key points to be aware of.

• Must be written in size 12, Times New Roman font, you only have a maximum of 47 lines.
• You can't write the perfect personal statement first time  – be prepared to plan and redraft lots!
• Make sure there are no spelling and grammar mistakes.
• You can't use any bold, italics, underline or colour.
• Don't copy sentences from other personal statements.
• Write your draft in Word and then copy and paste your final version onto your UCAS application.
• 30% why that course/profession;
• 30% how your current studies have given you skills to help support you through university;
• 30% work experience and voluntary work  – drawing out additional skills;
• 10% extracurricular activities.

Writing tips and suggestions

• What/who has inspired HE choice? Where does the students motivation come from?
• Highlight key points with relevant examples.
• May choose to use wider reading and/or work experience to show commitment to subject area or further research into a profession.
• Make sure you refer to how all of your qualifications are supporting your transition into Higher Education, not just the one(s) with the most relevant subject content.
• Don't just list skills that you believe you have, make sure you can provide examples of how and when you have developed them.
• Work experience, part time employment and voluntary work can highlight additional skills that you may not be able to get from the classroom.
• Take advantage of local events and activities to broaden your understanding of your chosen subject/profession.
• Make sure you don't make any reference to your university choice.

Examples of things someone wanting to study English may consider

• Where does my inspiration come from?
• What motivates me to study further?
• What do I love most about literature?
• Who are my favourite authors and texts?
• A Level Psychology: team work, research, debate, analysis.
• A Level Maths: Problem solving, report writing.
• A Level English Literature: critical thinking, written communication.
• P/T job in Pharmacy: customer service, communication, time management, organisation, reliability.
• Involved in setting up and writing school blogs.
• Love reading outside the classroom.
• Part of the swim team  – compete regularly.
• Creative writing workshop during the summer  – great chance to learn more!