Which one you need
Use the one your application asks for. A job advert or an employer’s form wants a CV; a UCAS application wants the UCAS statement.
| CV personal statement | UCAS personal statement | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is for | A job, apprenticeship or work placement | A university or college course applied for through UCAS |
| Length | Three or four lines, about 50 to 80 words | Three answers, each at least 350 characters, up to 4,000 characters in all (UCAS) |
| What it covers | Who you are, your best evidence and the job you want | Why this subject, how your studies prepared you, and what else you have done (UCAS) |
| Where it goes | At the top of your CV, under your name | In the UCAS application, typed or pasted into three boxes |
| Our help | 25 CV personal statement examples | The counter below |
Count your UCAS answers
Write or paste each answer in its box. Each count shows whether it has reached the 350-character minimum, and the total shows how much of the 4,000 you have left. The example is a made-up sixth former applying for adult nursing; write about your own subject and your own experience.
Example: Amara’s answers for adult nursing. Type over them or paste your own; the counts change as you go.
735 characters, which meets the 350 minimum
733 characters, which meets the 350 minimum
816 characters, which meets the 350 minimum
2,284 of 4,000 characters, 1,716 left
This counter counts spaces and line breaks; UCAS’s own boxes give the final count. Your answers stay on this page and are not saved, so copy or download them before you leave.
The three UCAS questions
These are the questions for 2026 entry onwards (UCAS: How to write your personal statement, checked 17 October 2026).
- Why do you want to study this course or subject? Your motivation, what you know about the subject and what you have explored beyond the classroom, and where you hope it leads (UCAS).
- How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject? Skills from your subjects, modules or projects such as an EPQ, and achievements like competitions. Your grades are elsewhere in the application, so do not spend characters on them (UCAS).
- What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful? Work, volunteering, caring or other responsibilities, and hobbies, each with what it taught you. If you are no longer in full-time education, use this answer for what you have done since leaving (UCAS).
Before you paste it into UCAS
Four last checks before the statement goes in.
- Admissions staff read your three answers as one statement, so do not repeat yourself (UCAS).
- You can share the 4,000 characters between the answers in any way; the amount for each can vary with your course and experience (UCAS).
- There is no wrong place for a piece of evidence: if it fits question 2 or 3, choose one and move on (UCAS).
- Write it in a document and keep a copy, and read it aloud once before you paste it in. The counter here does not save anything.
When to send it
For courses starting in 2027, the deadline for most courses is 18:00 (UK time) on 13 January 2027: a complete application, reference included, sent by then is guaranteed to be considered. The deadline for Oxford, Cambridge and most medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses was 15 October 2026 (UCAS: Dates and deadlines, checked 17 October 2026).
If you apply through your school or college, check their deadline: it comes earlier, so they have time to read your application, write your reference and send it (UCAS). If you apply on your own, ask your referee to write the reference well before the deadline.