The personal statement has long been a part of the UCAS university application process, with 1000s of students completing it each year. However, the UCAS consortium have announced that there will be changes to the personal statement for the 2026 entry, which will affect any students applying for Oxbridge in October 2025. So, what are these changes and how will they affect you if you are applying to university for 2026 entry?
The New UCAS Personal Statement Format
Rather than one single essay of 4000 characters, the new personal statement will take the form of three distinct questions. Students will still have the same number of characters (4000) but these will now be split across the three questions. There is a minimum character count of 350 for each question.
The personal statement will be split into questions as follows:
1. Why do you want to study this course or subject?
2. How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?
3. What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?
Why has the UCAS Personal Statement Changed?
After consultations with students, teachers and admissions tutors, the consortium realised that the former personal statement format may not be as inclusive as it could be. Many that were questioned felt that the single essay format was too broad and didn’t provide enough scaffolding. The new format, in the form of specific questions allows all students to include the same information in a more direct way.
If you would like to know more about the UCAS personal statement changes, you can read more in this comprehensive article, including tips for each section.
