Understanding the Changes to the UCAS Personal Statement for 2026 Entry

The UCAS personal statement is an important part of the university application process and is your chance to stand out to the admissions tutors. It is a long-standing tradition that hasn’t changed very much even in the past 20 years. However, UCAS have announced that for the 2026 application cycle (the one you will complete for October 2025 or January 2026), there will be UCAS personal statement changes to the format. So, if you’re applying to university for next year’s entry, what should you expect?

❓What are the Changes to the UCAS Personal Statement in 2026?

In 2026, the UCAS personal statement will shift from a single long essay to three separate sections. Each section must be at least 350 characters long, but the overall 4,000-character limit remains unchanged.

🤔Why has the UCAS personal statement 2026 changed?

UCAS have stated that upon consultation with pervious student applicants, teachers and admissions tutors, they realised the daunting nature of having to write a personal statement with very little guidance.

However, this new change may come as a happy revision for students writing their personal statements this year, as the three sections (or questions) will help students to scaffold their answers and showcase their achievements. As the submission is electronic, there will also be a character counter so that you can keep track of how many characters you’ve got left.

📝UCAS New Personal Statement Format

The UCAS personal statement will now form three sections, each with a question for students to answer. These questions are:

1.        Why do you want to study this course or subject?

2.        How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?

3.        What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

As previously mentioned, there will be a minimum character count of 350 and a maximum character count of 4000, the same as in previous years. 

For some students, these changes to UCAS personal statement are a welcome relief to the prospect of staring at a blank page and wondering where to start. For others, the restrictive nature of the questions may mean that they will need to tweak their responses slightly more than they were expecting. Either way, UCAS have shared some top tips to support students in light of the UCAS personal statement changes for 2026 entry.

📌UCAS Personal Statement Breakdown: Top Questions

Question 1: Why do you want to study this course or subject?

This question is where you write about your passion for the subject or course that you have chosen to study at university and why you think it’s the right fit for you. You could talk about:

Your motivations for the subject: Maybe it was a person or a particular moment in your life that made you want to study this subject. Maybe you’re really passionate about it and have enjoyed studying it throughout school. Whatever it is, it is important to talk about your motivation to study this subject – after all, three or four years of your life is a long time to spend on a course that you’re not sure about! Just remember that when writing your personal statement, be sure to be genuine and don’t use too many clichés. Admissions tutors are looking for students that can demonstrate a genuine passion that will be sustained throughout the course.

Your understanding of the subject and interests: You may choose to showcase your understanding of the subject here by talking about areas that you find most interesting. You could mention a book that you read, that sparked your curiosity and how this led you to further develop you understanding of this topic. This is also a good place to talk about extra-curricular activities that have helped you to purse your passion. You might be applying for creative writing and have been the editor of the school newspaper, or maybe you have chosen politics and are in a debate team. Again, admissions tutors are looking for students that can demonstrate that they have researched and gone above and beyond the scope of the classroom curriculum. They need to be sure that students who are enrolled at the university are able to deal with the commitments of the course.

Your future: You may choose to talk about a particular field that you’re interested in pursuing and why you find that area interesting. It is good to be able to talk passionately about the future as it shows admissions teams that you have thought about the long-term prospects. However, do be mindful that they are not looking for students who have their future all figured out! And studying the subject at university will ultimately expose you to areas that you were unable to study in great depth (or at all) at school/college. You may find it more beneficial to talk more about the above two points that focus too much on this point.

Question 2: How have your qualifications and studies helped you prepare for this course or subject?

How do your studies relate to the course you have chosen: It is important for you to talk about the current subjects you are studying and how these relate to the course that you are applying for. You can mention the topics that you have found interesting and how they relate to the syllabus on the university courses (bearing in mind that you will be applying for multiple courses that could be slightly different so you will need to check with the individual courses here.) 

What transferrable skills have you learnt: If you are taking subjects that are not directly linked in terms of content to your chosen courses, you can talk about the transferrable skills that you have learnt. These can include time management, revision techniques, analysing and evaluating data, research, organisation, communication and public speaking – the list goes on!

Your educational achievements: You may also choose to talk about your academic achievements, like attending a debate competition or being part of a Mathletics club. These achievements show admissions tutors that you are interested in studying outside of your given timetable at school/college. It also demonstrates your commitment to furthering your knowledge and your dedication to your studies.

Remember that whatever you talk about, it is important to reflect and link these achievements or interests to how they are going to help you when you are studying your chosen course.

Question 3: What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

Work experience: For some courses that directly link to an end career, such as Medicine, Law and Engineering, universities may specify that it is a requirement to have conducted work experience before applying to the course. If this is not the case, it is a good idea to have undertaken some work experience, which can help demonstrate your commitment to studying the course. You can reflect on how this experience has supported your decision to study the course and what you have learnt during the experience. You might have spent time in an industry office or taken part in a work experience week – whatever it is, remember to REFLECT and not just tell the admissions tutors what you have done! Study Mind offers summer work experience in over 15 industries and you can find more by clicking on the link.

Personal experiences or responsibilities: It’s not just academic achievements that can showcase your skills and commitments. There might be an area of your personal life that you would like to highlight. This could be supporting your family with tasks that link to your course (e.g. fixing technology if you’re applying for engineering). You might also have a family member that works in the career that you aspire to have and you can reflect on your inspirations. 

Extracurricular activities and hobbies: If you attend any activities or have any hobbies outside of school, you can reflect on these. They don’t all need to be linked to the course you are applying for; admissions tutors like to see that you are well-rounded and have other interests. For example, you might be applying for history but you are an editor in your school newspaper. You can talk about the transferrable skills you have learnt, for example research, writing style and working to a deadline.

Achievements outside of school: You may also choose to talk about your achievements outside of school. This could be anything from awards earnt to volunteering in the local area. If you have something that you feel demonstrates skills and understanding, you can show the admissions tutors that you are building on these both in and out of school.

Post-Education activities: You may have already finished school, taken a gap year or be applying as a graduate. Here is where you can write about the activities that you have undertaken that relate to the course you’re applying for or the skills that you have gained since leaving school. Just remember to once again reflect on how these have inspired you or will help you when studying at university. 

💡Benefits of the New UCAS Personal Statement Format

While the new personal statement system seems like quite a change, the new format poses a few benefits. These include having more of a scaffold to your personal statement and targeted questions. Moreover, the length of the personal statement has not changed so you will have the same number of characters before, which does not put you at a disadvantage to those applying previously. 

🏆 Tips for Crafting a Standout UCAS Personal Statement

When you are writing your personal statement, there are some important points to remember:

1.        REFLECT, don’t tell

Reflecting on your experiences will show admissions tutors that you have thought about how they connect with the course and career that you are wanting to pursue. Instead of telling people what you have done, try demonstrating how this will support your studies.

2.        Avoid using cliches

Admissions tutors read hundreds, if not thousands of personal statements every year. They will have read everything. Try to avoid using phrases like “I have wanted to study law since I was very young”. While this is good to hear, it will likely be a thought that most of the other applicants have as well. 

3.        Be Succinct

While you have the same number of characters as previous years, you may struggle to talk about everything that you want the admissions tutors to know. With this in mind, try to be succinct and avoid unnecessary details. You are not writing a story, you are convincing admissions tutors that you will be an asset to the university and are committed to spending three or four years studying the subject of your choice.

4.        Answer the question

Following on from the last point, it can be easy to go off topic when you want to showcase all your talents. However, remember that this new format is designed to give you a format that you can easily follow. While you’re writing, have a think about whether you are still answering the question or whether it would be better placed elsewhere – or even maybe not at all!

5.        Have a plan

Planning out your personal statement and making a list of what you want to write about first will help you structure your answers. It can be very difficult to cut out or delete words or phrases because you’ve gone over the word count. If you plan out your responses first, you will have a clearer understanding of what you’re going to write about and there is less of a chance of you writing about something that may not be relevant.

Head of UCAS Admissions, Sally Rutterford shares some further advice alongside previous students about writing a personal statement: https://youtu.be/3fa6xGHrDtI

✅ Conclusion

There are plenty of resources and support available when you’re writing your personal statement. Have a look at the UCAS website, where there are more videos and advice for students writing their personal statement in the new format. 

Your teachers and UCAS advisors are also on hand to support you when writing your personal statement. They will be able to guide you on your content and writing style. Friends and family may also be able to do the same. Be wary of asking for too many people’s opinions though, as these may contradict each other and make you feel overwhelmed! There is no right or wrong way of writing a personal statement as it is exactly that – personal to you.

Furthermore, Study Mind can support you with your statement; we offer a proofreading service and advice from experts who will give you feedback on your first, second and even third drafts! You can do this via email or online face-to-face in a 1-1 session. 

While you may feel nervous about these new changes, remember to embrace the change and see these adaptations as positive. You now have more structure to the personal statement, which will support you in forming your response. Good luck with your UCAS application and don’t forget to reach out if you need support.