Students hoping to apply to study in the UK for the 2026/2027 academic year need to know about the changes to the Ucas personal statement.
In previous years, the personal statement has taken the form of a free-form essay – in which students write about the reasons for their choice of course. The structure and content are mostly left to the student to decide on, although it is recommended they stick to academic achievements rather than personal anecdotes.
However, for this year and beyond, the essay will be replaced by three questions that students will have to answer:
1. Why do you want to study this course or subject?
This is where students can share their motivations for their subject choice. In the UK, students choose to study just one or two subjects in-depth at university, so this question will help admissions officers understand why you have picked this specific area.
You may also talk about your career aspirations and how this subject area will prepare you for this job.
2. How have your qualifications or studies helped you prepare for this course or subject?
In this answer, students can outline any qualifications or how their current studies are contributing towards their understanding of their chosen subject.
Students can also include any educational achievements, awards or training and classes from previous schools that are relevant to the chosen subject.
3. What else have you done to prepare for university outside school, and why are these experiences useful?
This section is for students to outline any activities they have done or clubs they are part of outside school that relate to their subject. This can include work experience, volunteering, hobbies or extracurricular activities. Students can also include any personal experiences or responsibilities that may have developed skills that could apply to their chosen field.
Students must write a minimum of 350 characters per answer and there is a limit of 4,000 characters for all three answers combined.
Students can find more guidance on how to fill out the questions here.
It is important to note that the focus and aim of the personal statement have not changed. It is still the part of the application where students can outline their reasons for applying to their course and provide evidence to back up their commitment to learning more about their chosen subject.
It acts as a complement to information that you have already provided in the application, such as your grades and where you went to school. These do not need to be repeated in your answers to the questions.
If you’d like more guidance on what to include in your answers, you can find examples here.
If you are still deciding where to study, you can find a list of the top universities in the UK here.
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