Postgraduate Applications

How to write your personal statement

Our full guide to preparing for success on your postgraduate pathway by writing a personal statement that tells us what makes you, you.

Updated for 2026

Tell us your story

Your personal statement is your chance to show us what you’re made of – it’s not just about your academic background, but about who you are, what drives you, and why you're ready to take your next step in higher education.

We’re looking for more than just grades. Guided by the questions in the personal statement questionnaire, we want to hear why this postgraduate taught course matters to you, how your past experiences have shaped your path, and what you’re hoping to achieve in the future. Whether you’re moving forward from your undergraduate studies or making a career change, this is your opportunity to stand out and show us how you’ll contribute to our community.

For international students, your personal statement is also a key part of demonstrating your genuine intent to study in the UK. It’s an important assessment of your commitment and why this course is the right fit for you, especially when applying for a visa.

Ready to get started? Let’s make sure your personal statement reflects the future you’re about to build.

Cover the basics

Your personal statement should be around 1000-1500 words, with a maximum of 500 words allowed for each question. Keep your answers relevant and to the point, 1500 words is not a lot to really sell yourself.

The questions are as follows:

Make it easy to read

The best personal statements get to the point quickly. Don’t waste your time trying to think of a catchy opening.

Your personal statement is not a test of spelling or grammar – but your ability to get your point across will be the key to success throughout your degree, so the more you can demonstrate that here, the better. Remember, the tutor or funder reading your application may not necessarily be an expert in your field, so make sure you explain things carefully and write for your audience.

Be real

It may sound obvious, but it’s important to be truthful and honest throughout your personal statement. We need to know about all previous study you have attempted whether successful/completed or not. Tell us about any problems you encountered during your study and clearly demonstrate if your end result was for a different award from that expected (for example, if you gained a diploma when attempting a degree – or perhaps you gained a Postgraduate Diploma rather than the Masters you were aiming for).

Showing that you’ve been able to learn from previous experiences and mistakes is just as important as any successes you’ve had, so don’t try to hide anything.

And, it should go without saying, but make sure your personal statement is entirely your own work – it must not be written by an agent or other advisor or copied from another applicant.

Personal comes from you, not a bot

Nobody understands the power of artificial intelligence better than us. We embed AI throughout many of our courses for a reason. But it’s no substitute for you.

When it comes to your personal statement, it’s you we want to hear from. Your thoughts, your feelings, your ambitions. Consider using tools like ChatGPT to check your work or help organise your ideas, but don’t rely on in to create large amounts of text to use as your own.

Sell yourself

This is not your time to be humble. You should use your personal statement to explain why you think you’re the best fit for the course, and what knowledge, experience and skills would make you better suited to it than other candidates. In many respects, you should think of it how you would a job application.

And remember…

Postgraduate degrees can be a bit different to other levels of study, in that the requirements for an application can vary between courses. That means that, while this guide should give you all you need to know about the basics, there may be other requirements you need to consider including for your chosen degree. Make sure you check the information on the page for your chosen course carefully before completing your personal statement.