Personal Statement Timeline

Our personal statement timeline will help you organise the writing process, and make sure you have a final, polished draft ready to add to your application form in plenty of time so you don't miss the deadline.

May/June

  • Start thinking about the subject(s) you would like to study at university.
     
  • Take a look at our guide on choosing a degree.
     
  • Check out the Course Search at the UCAS website.
     
  • Read the entry requirements carefully for any course you like the look of.
     
  • Make sure you can realistically expect to achieve the grades they are asking for, and that you have any other skills and qualities the university are looking for.

June/July/August

  • Think about choosing the universities you are going to apply to.
     
  • Attend some university open days to see which ones you like most.
     
  • Take a look at our choosing a university guide for further advice.
     
  • Start thinking about what you are going to include in your personal statement.
     
  • When attending university open days, ask admissions tutors what they like to see in UCAS personal statements.
     
  • Make notes on what the admissions tutors from different universities want to see.
     
  • Check out our personal statement writing guide and free personal statement examples to help you get started with your first draft and more information on what to include.

Late August

  • By now you should have a complete first draft of your personal statement.
     
  • Show it to your friends and family, and also your teachers and careers advisor when you go back to school/college in early September.

Early to Mid September

  • Make changes to the first draft of your personal statement based on the feedback you’ve received.
     
  • Show your next draft to other people, and incorporate their comments.
     
  • Do this as many times as necessary until you feel 100% happy with you personal statement.

Mid October 

  • If you are applying for a degree in Medicine, Veterinary Science, Dentistry, or any course at either Oxford or Cambridge university, you need to have your personal statement completed and send it off on your UCAS form by 15th October.
     
  • Before you cut and paste your personal statement on to your UCAS application, check that it is no more than 47 lines long and no more than 4000 characters in total. Our Personal Statement Length Checker comes in handy for this.
     
  • Of course, if you are not applying for any of the degrees mentioned above, you have until 15th January to get your personal statement sorted for your UCAS application. If you do not submit your application by this date, the universities you have applied to do not have to consider your application.

Further information

For more tips and advice, please see:

Best of luck with your personal statement!