Writing your personal statement

You will need to write a personal statement for your UCAS application.

Your UCAS personal statement is your chance to tell us about your academic interests. It will help us to understand your potential as a Cambridge student.

How we use personal statements

We use personal statements to help us identify applicants with the most academic potential.

• We will read your personal statement in full.
• We don't give personal statements a formal score.
• We consider all the information in your application. Personal statements are only one part of the Cambridge application process.
• We do not expect your statement to be aimed at Cambridge alone.

If you have any information specifically for Cambridge, you can add this to the extra personal statement in My Cambridge Application.

Structuring your personal statement

Your UCAS personal statement will be divided into 3 sections. Find out more about the personal statement structure on the UCAS website.

We do not have a preference for how you split your personal statement between the 3 sections. But your statement should focus mostly on academic detail throughout.

Don't exaggerate. Write your statement in clear language and refer to evidence of your experiences of learning.

What not to include in your UCAS personal statement

The space you have in your personal statement is limited. So, it's important that you use that space to strengthen your application.

Don't include lots of information about non-academic activities that are not related to your chosen course. These activities will not increase your chances of receiving a Cambridge offer, but other universities may place importance on them. Information about non-academic activities should not take up more than 20% of the section that you mention them in.

You shouldn't include lots of information about your school curriculum. You could reference how your studies have led you to develop your interests outside of school or college. But you should not reflect on your classroom based learning at length.

What to include in your UCAS personal statement

Talk about your academic interests

Talk in detail about your academic interests and motivations. You can cover these in any section of your personal statement.

Don't focus on personal motivations that are not related to your subject. For example, don't use statements like 'I have always wanted to study this subject'. Instead, write about:

• why you're interested in your subject
• what skills you've enjoyed developing
• why the subject is a good fit for you

Tell us how you've explored your subject

We want to hear about how you are exploring your academic interests outside of school or college.

There are lots of ways that you can explore your academic interests. For example, you could read widely on a subject or engage with online content like videos and podcasts. The most important thing is to spend your own time engaging academically.

Give examples of academic activities you've done or resources you've used outside of your school curriculum but don't just list activities. Talk about what you took from the activities and how they expanded your interests. It is better to focus on a few activities in detail.

This will help you to:

• explain your academic reasons for wanting to study the subject
• show your enthusiasm for and commitment to your chosen course
• express any particular interests within the field
• talk about skills you've developed that are relevant to your chosen course

Tell us what you've learned

Crucially, we are interested in your thoughts. What have you learned from your subject exploration?

We want to know what you:

• have been thinking about
• found interesting and how you followed up on that interest
• learned from academic activities or materials beyond your school studies

Explain your thinking

The best personal statements show a pattern and logic in an applicant's academic engagement.

Write about:

• connections between your academic interests
• how one academic interest led you to another
• any connections you've found between subjects that seem disconnected at first

Extra personal statement for Cambridge

You will have the opportunity to write a Cambridge specific personal statement in My Cambridge Application. This is much shorter than your UCAS personal statement.

You don't have to add a personal statement to your My Cambridge Application. However, we recommend that you do if the course you're applying for is significantly different from other UCAS choices.

Find out what to include in a Cambridge specific personal statement.