Tips for writing a UCAS personal statement

Source: https://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/apply/tips-for-sussex Parent: https://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/apply

A personal statement is a short, reflective piece of writing that you submit as part of your UCAS application to universities. We use it during the admissions process to decide if you’re suitable for the course you’re applying for – and so we can understand why you want to study your chosen subject.

Changes for 2026 entry

UCAS have changed the structure of the personal statement for students applying in 2026. See our updated guidance below and the UCAS website for more information.

Tips for writing your UCAS personal statement

Your personal statement

A good personal statement can mean the difference between receiving an offer and being unsuccessful, so it’s important you take the time to consider what you want to include in it.

Your personal statement is where you highlight you have what it takes to study on one of our undergraduate courses.

The personal statement is one of the most important parts of your UCAS application and gives you the chance to tell us how you stand out from other candidates.

For some of our courses you may be invited for interview, but for the majority the personal statement is the only opportunity that you will have to sell yourself.

Plan your personal statement

You can only submit one personal statement to the universities you apply to, so it's a good idea to plan out what you want to say before writing your personal statement. Here's some ways you can plan the content:

We're looking for evidence of your interest in, enthusiasm for, and understanding of your chosen course so make sure to include these in your application.
Look at books, podcasts, documentaries, lectures and TED Talks related to your subject of interest to give yourself plenty to write about in the personal statement.
Gain work experience in the area that you’re looking to study in – this is especially useful for vocational courses, as you're able to demonstrate an understanding of what is required from a career in that field.
When talking about extra-curricular activities such as sports or hobbies, make sure they're relevant and you demostrate their value to the application for your chosen course, or for university generally.
If you'd like to mention any personal circumstances that may have affected your education, include these in the Teachers’ Reference. If you'd rather not discuss that with your school or college, contact the universities that you’re applying to and ask how they'd to receive that information. If you're applying to us, send the information to ug.applicants@sussex.ac.uk and we'll add it to your record for consideration.

Structure your personal statement

UCAS has changed the structure of the personal statemet for students applying to start university in September 2026.

If you're applying for September 2025 entry you should follow the previous personal statement guidance.

The structure of the personal statement is now grouped 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?

Each question has a minimum character count of 350 characters, and you're limited to 4,000 characters total. You don't need to evenly spread the character count across the questions. The three questions will be read together to form one statement, so focus on the areas that you excel in.

Start and end your personal statement by highlighting your positivity and passion for the course and your future career options (if you have any at this stage).

When writing your personal statement, you should:

be honest and write in your own words – the best statements are always the most genuine
use clear language and avoid extravagant claims
be analytical rather than just descriptive – don’t just tell us what you’ve read or what you’ve done, we want to see what you gained from this, or how it changed your perception of your chosen subject
explain your motivations in choosing the degree you’re applying for and demonstrate your passion for the subject (whether that’s from studies in school or college or wider reading you’ve pursued)
where you're applying to courses linked to a particular profession (such as teaching or social work), reflect on your understanding of that vocation. For example, this could include what you gained from relevant work experience, or research you’ve undertaken which gave you an insight into that profession
draw on your other experiences – for example, are you a member of a society, have you won any awards, scholarships or prizes?
provide evidence of your transferable skills, including research, critical thinking, communication, organisation, planning and time-management
highlight any career aspirations and show how the course will help you achieve them
use accurate grammar, punctuation and spelling
proofread your statement and ask a friend or relative to read it.

Make sure you allow enough time to plan and structure your personal statement, ensuring you include everything you want to say. You may need to redraft your statement a number of times.

If you're invited to interview, go back to your statement to familiarise yourself with the information you've given us, as it will typically form the basis of discussion.

For more advice, see UCAS tips for writing a personal statement.

Use our UCAS personal statement checklist to make sure you haven’t missed anything.

Contact us

Undergraduate admissions \ ug.enquiries@sussex.ac.uk\ +44 (0)1273 678416