Ucas to reform university personal statements

Ucas is changing personal statements, long the bane of teenagers' final year at school, for university admissions.

Instead of a 4,000-character statement, from next year applicants will be asked to answer three questions on why they want to study their chosen course and how they are prepared for it.

The body says the change will encourage applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds to apply to higher education.

Last month, the application fee for students receiving free school meals was waived.

Ucas chief executive Jo Saxton said her aim was to ensure “the doors of opportunity stay open for as many students as possible so that they can benefit from a university education”.

“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,” she added.

The new structured questions will give these students “greater confidence” in applying to university, Mrs Saxton said.

According to Ucas, the gap between the number of applicants from the most and least disadvantaged remains "stubbornly persistent".

The body said the proportion of people from the most disadvantaged backgrounds who applied to university this year fell in England, Wales and Northern Ireland but rose in Scotland.

Lee Elliot Major, a professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, said he believed the reform was a “significant step in making the university admissions system a little bit fairer for all applicants”.

But Leesa Chester, who has helped her three children write their personal statements, thinks the questions do not make a difference.

"All three of those questions are what make up a personal statement anyway," she said, adding applicants who may not be able to get as much support will still need help answering them.

"I don't see that it's any different [or] see how that is going to help kids from disadvantaged backgrounds."

What are the new questions?

The three "structured questions" students will be asked from September 2025 are:

• Why do you want to study this course or subject?

Ucas says this question will be an opportunity for applicants to show their "passion for and knowledge of" their chosen course.

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

This is an opportunity to showcase relevant skills gained at school and how they will help in their chosen course.

• What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences helpful?

Applicants can use this question to explain how their personal experiences and extracurricular activities show why they are suitable for their chosen course.

The three questions will collectively have the same 4,000-character limit as the existing personal statement that can be split flexibly across the answers.