Prospective students have been completing a free-response essay, with a maximum character count of 4,000, as part of the present system.
However, the essay will be replaced with three required questions as of September 2025, due to concerns that the work benefits privileged individuals who can receive support.
These are the queries:
- What makes you desire to learn about this subject or course?
- In what ways have your training and education equipped you for this particular course or subject?
- Apart from schooling, what other preparations have you made, and why are these experiences useful?
The updated application form, which permits the same amount of writing as the essay, will be available to applicants for admission to universities for the first time in 2026.
The decision was made in response to UCAS data that indicates the disparity in university application rates between kids from the most and least advantaged backgrounds has grown over the past year.
According to data, the percentage of applications in England from the most disadvantaged backgrounds has decreased slightly to 25.4%, while the percentage of applications from the most advantaged backgrounds has marginally grown to 60.7%.
When UCAS polled prospective applicants who were about to begin writing their personal statements, they discovered that over 75% of them preferred the new format of three questions.
