Your personal statement

Tell the universities and colleges why they should choose you

The personal statement is your opportunity to tell universities and colleges about your suitability for the course(s) that you hope to study. You need to demonstrate your enthusiasm and commitment, and above all, ensure that you stand out from the crowd.

Does it matter?

Some course tutors find personal statements crucial when making decisions, whereas others might not put as much emphasis on them. Since you do not know who will be looking at your statement, the safest thing is to do a good job. In many cases, applicants are not interviewed, so this may be your only chance to make the case for you to be offered a place. Remember that the person reading your statement is an expert in your chosen area of interest so they will want to know the reasons why you have chosen the subject.

Key points to consider

What to include

Dos and don'ts

Size and presentation

Similarity detection

Make sure that your personal statement is your own work

We will subject applications to similarity detection tests, designed to identify work copied from another source. Do not be tempted to copy another person's application materials, or download your personal statement off the web. There could be serious consequences to using other people's work. If we have cause to question your application, we will inform all the universities and colleges to which you have applied. They will then take the action they consider to be appropriate. We will also contact you by email. Click on the similarity detection link to find out more.