All applicants applying to an undergraduate course via UCAS at the University of Warwick will need to write a personal statement to submit with their application. UCAS have made changes to the personal statement for applicants applying from September 2025.
The personal statement is your chance to explain why you are applying to study your course, and what makes you suitable for that course.
Split into three separate questions.
Each answer must be a minimum of 350 characters with an overall limit of 4000 characters.
Answers to each question may be different lengths depending on your circumstances and what you choose to include.
UCAS Personal Statement Questions
You may wish to think about the suggestions under each heading when writing your statement. These are just examples or starting points – you do not need to include every point:
This is your opportunity to demonstrate your passion for your chosen course.
What aspects of the course do you think you will enjoy? What is it that really interests you about this subject?
Are there particular areas of the subject that really grab your attention and make you want to study it in more depth? You could provide examples of wider reading which has helped focus your interest, such as books, podcasts, or documentaries, and how they’ve developed your thinking.
Do you have any plans for a future career, or skills which you hope to gain from your degree?
If you have applied for a joint or interdisciplinary degree, can you show your interest in the different subjects included, and have you made connections between the interrelated areas of study?
This shows us how your formal education has helped you reach a decision to study your chosen subject at university.
If you have studied your chosen subject previously, what topics have you enjoyed the most and how did these inspire you to look into the subject further?
Have you completed any online courses or additional qualifications such as an EPQ in a related area?
What skills or knowledge have you gained during your studies that will relate to your chosen degree?
This is your opportunity to talk about how your experiences outside of school link to your chosen degree.
What wider experience do you have that relates to your chosen subject? You might want to tell us about paid or voluntary work experience including what this taught you and how it has added to your skillset.
This is a great place to tell us more about any further wider reading too. Don’t just list examples; be specific about how what you have read, seen, or listened to has influenced your decision to attend university. How has it helped you prepare to study at a higher level?
If you are applying for deferred entry, you might want to briefly explain why you are taking a gap year and outline your plans for this period, particularly if its relevant to your course.
UCAS provide prompts for each question to help you get started. They also have personal statement guidesLink opens in a new window for a wide range of subjects which give further advice and guidance on how you can relate each of the questions to your interests and experiences.
Remember that your personal statement should be your own work – statements with a high degree of similarity to others are flagged to us by the UCAS similarity detection system, and are likely to result in an application being rejected.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most important aspect of our assessment of applications is your academic performance, including both achieved and predicted grades.
Personal statements are unlikely to be the single most important factor in deciding whether you receive an offer. However, personal statements may be used alongside other factors as an additional way of ensuring you are well prepared for your chosen course. We may use personal statements for the following reasons:
For applicants returning to study, or with non-standard qualifications, to ensure depth and breadth of subject knowledge and interest.
To select between similarly qualified applicants, either when you apply or after the results of your qualifications are released.
For Joint Honours courses, to ensure applicants demonstrate an interest in each of the subjects they are planning to study. For courses with three subjects we expect you to demonstrate an interest in at least two of the three subject areas.
For courses with interviews (see below), applicants may be asked questions on topics discussed in their personal statement.
Admissions Tests
For some of our most competitive courses, we also use additional Admissions Tests as part of our admissions process – see further details on our Admissions Tests webpage.
Interviews
Interviews are used as part of the application process for Theatre and Performance Studies (W440), English and Theatre Studies (QW34), and WBS Foundation Years (N4N4, N40J, N29A, N20J and N20A).
We also take into account contextual information about each applicant’s school and background – see our Contextual offer webpages for further details.
You might realise that there is overlap between what each UCAS question covers. You don’t need to repeat something for more than one question, and there is no right or wrong for what goes in which answer.
You might need to draft your personal statement several times to make sure that your ideas are expressed clearly and intelligently.
Be clear and concise – you only have limited space
Get someone to proofread your statement for spelling and grammar before submitting your application.
Focus mostly on recent experiences rather than things you did a long time ago
If your course requires an interview, be prepared to talk more about anything you include in your statement.
You should avoid the following when writing your personal statement:
Copying from another personal statement – statements with a high degree of similarity to other personal statements are flagged to us by the UCAS similarity detection system, and are likely to result in an application being rejected.
Simply listing things (e.g. activities you have undertaken or books you have read). Instead, concentrate on a few topics in greater depth, focusing on how these have contributed to your decision to study your chosen course.
Focussing too much on transferrable skills (e.g. communication, time management, team work). If you do mention transferrable skills, then make sure you take time to explain how you have acquired them and why these are important for your course of study.
You can only submit one personal statement with your UCAS application. For most subjects, we do not usually ask or allow applicants to submit an additional personal statement.
If you are applying for different but related courses, consider how they might link together, and how your interest has evolved in this way.
Your academic progress and attainment may sometimes be affected by circumstances beyond your control. As space in your personal statement is limited, we suggest you either ask your teacher to include this information in their reference, or alternatively you can complete an Extenuating Circumstances form.
