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Louise Thomas
Editor
The University and College Admissions Service (Ucas) has announced it is ditching the traditional personal statement and will ask students to respond to questions in a key change that will “level the playing field” for higher education applicants.
After a detailed consultation with students, universities and education experts, Ucas settled on the three questions so pupils from all backgrounds understand exactly what universities and colleges want to know about them when they apply.
The three questions are:
- 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 helpful?
The new personal statement format will be introduced in September 2025 for students applying to attend college or university in 2026. The character count will stay the same at 4,000 characters.
UCAS said 79 per cent of students previously surveyed thought writing their personal statement was difficult to do without support.
It said it has made the changes because data is showing university applications from students from disadvantaged backgrounds have started to stall. The application rate for these students went down by 0.4 percentage points in England in the past year.
Professor of social mobility at Exeter University, Lee Elliot Major, welcomed the changes, saying: “The love letter from a university applicant to their chosen university subject has increasingly become a barometer of middle-class privilege as so many personal statements are now co-created and polished by advisers, teachers and parents.”
He added: “It is a significant step in making the university admissions system a little bit fairer for all applicants.”
Sally Rutterford, head of admissions at Cardiff University, said the questions would help university hopefuls by directing them to the information required.
Dr Jo Saxton, chief executive of UCAS, said: “During my time in schools, I saw first-hand how the personal statement can help students really clarify and articulate their ambition, but also how challenging it can be for those with less support.
“The new approach with guided questions aims to give greater confidence to those students, as well as their teachers when advising on how to secure their dream course.”
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