How to write a UCAS personal statement

Personal Statement Writing

How to write a UCAS personal statement when applying
to study at a UK university.

UK University Application - the Personal Statement

Drafting a personal statement

The personal statement is a one-page document which outlines what you hope to do on the course, after the course and why you are applying to this particular university. Common personal statement errors can include:

  • The personal statement is too short/long
  • The personal statement does not include important information/includes negative information
  • The personal statement’s structure is confusing

How long should my personal statement be?

Length varies depending on the university, but generally, the average length for an undergraduate application is between 4000 characters including spaces, around one side of the A4 paper. Certain postgraduate degree courses may require 1000 words, but this will be clearly specified. A standard personal statement will be structured as follows:

  1. Your career aim
  2. How you became interested in this field
  3. What you have done to get closer to your aim
  4. Why you are applying to this university
  5. How you will use what you learn

Personal statement tips

  • Use a clear font such as Arial or Times New Roman
  • A maximum font size of 12
  • Maximum of five paragraphs
  • Include why you chose the university
  • No negative information
  • Don’t duplicate material from your resume

How we can help

Once you have completed your personal statement, visit SI-UK North America for a free consultation.

We will take your personal statement and professionally edit it to ensure the English is clear and grammatically correct. Once this process is complete, we will return your personal statement within 1-3 working days! 

Visit our Personal Statement Service page for more information on how SI-UK can help you. 

Example personal statement

Please see below for an example of a personal statement to a Development Studies course.

 

SI-UK works with an Editor to assist students who sign up for the Personal Statement Service. The Editor is based in Canada and has several years of experience assisting Canadian students with their personal statements.  

Editor Profile 

Taylor Zantingh is a Freelance Editor with SI-UK, she graduated from Sheridan College, Ontario in 2021 with a BA (Hons) degree in Creative Writing & Publishing. Taylor has 5 years of editing experience and 4 years of professional writing experience.

She has worked for Sheridan College, assisting students with their portfolios, personal statements, website content and project descriptions and also for a publishing house and university magazine. Taylor currently assists SI-UK students with editing Personal Statements, making sure that the statement best represents a student, and improving their chances of offers from UK universities.

Register for a free consultation if you would like to learn more.   

 

SI-UK's service is fast, reliable and efficient. My consultant improved my chances of getting into a top university.
Carla T.
International Business Economics at City University

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