In an attempt to reform university and college admission procedures, UCAS has announced it will scrap the 4,000-character personal statement that all students had to write. Instead, applicants will answer a series of short questions from the 2024 admissions cycle.
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) is making several changes to its admissions process from the 2024 cycle. Scrapping personal statements is one of the most significant changes.
UCAS announced in a report published 12 January, Future of Undergraduate Admissions, that students would answer a series of questions about their reasons for choosing a course instead of writing a personal statement.
The change comes after concerns that personal statements disadvantage students who do not have access to guidance and support when writing the essays, which some feel could “widen the gap” between applicants.
Whilst making the decision, UCAS consulted with 1,200 students, 170 teachers, and more than 100 universities and colleges, as reported by The Times.
According to UCAS, although 72% of respondents surveyed felt positive about the personal statement, 79% agreed that writing the statement is difficult to complete without support, and 83% said they found the process of writing a personal statement stressful.
The introduction of the structured questions aim to “bring focus and clarity for students, reducing the need for support”.
Kim Eccleston, Head of Strategy and Reform at UCAS, said: “We believe this will create a more supportive framework, which in turn will help guide students through their responses by removing the guesswork, as well as capturing the information universities and colleges have told us they really need to know from applicants when it comes to offer-making.”
What changes can we expect from the 2024/25 admissions cycle?
- The 4,000-character personal statement essay will be scrapped and replaced with a series of questions about the higher education course a student is applying for
- Several university admissions exams, including ENGAA (engineering) and TMUA (mathematical skills) tests, will be discontinued
So far there is some speculation on what format of testing will replace the exams that are being scrapped.
