New UCAS personal statement format for 2026 entry

If you’re thinking of applying to university for 2026 entry, you will probably have heard that the UCAS personal statement is changing.

From September 2025, instead of writing one long statement, you’ll answer three shorter questions about your motivation, your studies, and your experiences outside education. 

Read UCAS’s explanation of the new personal statement format

Each answer will have a minimum character count of 350 characters, and you will still have up to 4,000 characters across all three answers. 

What are the advantages of the new UCAS personal statement format?

One big advantage of the new UCAS personal statement format is that it gives you clear prompts so you can show admissions tutors the most relevant information.

This is your chance to highlight your strengths and experiences. By writing personal answers to the questions, you can set yourself apart from other applicants, allowing universities to learn more about you and why you’d be a great student on the course.

The new personal statement format means that rather than being faced with a blank sheet of paper, you should find that breaking the personal statement up in this way makes it easier to plan. You can tackle one part at a time and have a clearer idea what to include in each section. 

How can I write a good answer to the new UCAS personal statement questions?

We've collected some ideas of things to think about for each question so that you can best highlight your motivations, skills, achievements, and experiences.

Make sure you give different answers for each question - don’t waste your word count repeating information.

Q1. Why do you want to study this course or subject?

This section is all about your motivations - admissions tutors want to see what it was that sparked your interest in your intended course. It’s where you can show how passionate you are about your chosen subject area and explain to universities why the course is a good fit for you.

You might want to think about:

• a key moment in your life which inspired you to pursue this area
• any particular books, topics, podcasts, articles etc that sparked your interest
• your motivations for studying this course
• topics or themes that you are particularly excited to learn more about when you're studying
• particular areas you’ve researched yourself that you find interesting
• your plans for the future - perhaps there are careers you’ve already thought about, where you can show that this course is a good fit, either for a specific profession or skills that you want to develop
   

Q2. How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?

Here, you’ll think about the evidence you have to show that you are prepared for the course. You can highlight relevant or transferable skills from your formal education. 

You might include:

• how your current or previous subjects and topics relate to your chosen course
• coursework, essays, projects, or research you've done that link directly to the subject you are applying for
• specific skills that you have developed through your studies which will help you to succeed at university
• any reading, visits, or other activities that might have helped you to see your subject from a new angle

Don't waste your word count listing out qualifications here because there's a specific part of the form with space for these.

Q3. What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

This is your opportunity to highlight the activities, responsibilities, and achievements you’ve had outside your studies and explain how they have helped you to prepare for your chosen course. 

You might like to think about:

• hobbies and activities you do outside of school (e.g. sports, reading, summer schools, Young Enterprise, Duke of Edinburgh)
• work experience, employment, or volunteering, and the skills you’ve gained from it
• personal life experiences or responsibilities, such as caring for a family member, that have helped you develop essential qualities like resilience or empathy
• post-education activities if you’re no longer in full-time study - what you’ve been doing since and how it's given you relevant skills.

In addition to these more general points, the UCAS website also has guides which are specific to each academic subject. These guides explain what admissions tutors in that subject are looking for and give examples of the kinds of evidence you could include in your answers.

UCAS’s 2026 personal statement guides for subject-specific tips

What are some tips for creating strong answers to the UCAS questions? 

Our tips for writing strong answers include:

• start by creating bullet points or even mind maps for each question before drafting full answers
• use specific examples to illustrate your interests, skills and achievements
• avoid repeating the same evidence in more than one section
• watch the character counters to stay within the limit
• ask a teacher or adviser to review your answers before you submit them
• never copy material that you've found elsewhere - UCAS has a built-in plagiarism detector and will flag any statements that share similarities

Can you use AI to help write the UCAS personal statement?

Many applicants wonder whether it is acceptable to use AI in helping to craft their personal statement. 

UCAS' position is clear:

Whilst you can use AI to help brainstorm or to polish your statement, it must be in your own words to avoid any accusations of cheating. Additionally, if the software that UCAS uses detects any parts of a personal statement that are similar to others, the universities or colleges it is intended for may be notified and it will hinder your chances of success.

Learn more about the use of AI from UCAS

How the University of Dundee can help you prepare your UCAS application

We run regular online and in-person sessions to support your UCAS application. These include workshops on writing strong answers to the new UCAS questions, and understanding the application process.

Check our events listings below for upcoming sessions and book a place.