UCAS Personal statement advice and guidance

Your personal statement

As part of your application to UCA - or any university - you'll need to write a personal statement. 

This is a really crucial part of the process as it tells us so much about you and gives you a chance to show us why you'd be a great fit for your chosen course.

UCAS have changed how personal statements work for 2026 entry. Instead of one long statement, it's now split into three questions:

• Why do you want to study this course or subject?
• How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?
• What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

UCAS designed this new structure to make it clearer and easier for applicants to complete. These three questions are a great starting point to give examples and share achievements that reflect your passion for the subject.

You have up to 4,000 characters (about 700 words) to tell us about yourself and help you stand out. It's important to make sure every word counts. Each answer must be at least 350 characters (about 60 words), but try to balance your word count across all three questions.

We're not expecting perfection — we're looking read about your passion and potential.