From 2026, personal statements are changing. In place of one long piece of text, you will now answer three questions. These will help to shape your answers and include everything your college or university will want to see.
Read our top tips for nailing your personal statement and how to talk about your DofE Award.
1. Understand the new structure
Your personal statement now consists of three questions:
- Why do you want to study this course or subject?
- How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?
- What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?
Each of these questions are designed for you to showcase your skills, passion and knowledge. All your answers will be reviewed as one so make sure you’re not repeating information and ensure your evidence is relevant and specific. For more information on the new structure, check out the official guidance from UCAS.
2. Remember the word count
It’s important that you pay attention to the word count for your answers. Each of your answers will have a minimum word count of 350 characters and an overall character count of 4,000 characters. This is here as a guideline so make sure you’re clearly answering the questions in detail and make the most of the character count limit, the amount you write for each question is up to you.
3. Shout about skills
Question three is a great opportunity to discuss your technical and soft skills. This is where you can highlight the skills you learned through your DofE and how you still apply them in your everyday life. Here’s an example:
“For my DofE Skills section, I developed my photography skills by learning how to use a camera manually and improving my composition and editing techniques. This required regular practice and self-discipline, and it helped me become more confident, organised, and creative.”
4. Highlight your personal qualities
As well as academic achievements, skills and relevant experience, you should be prepared to highlight your own personal qualities. A lot of the time universities want to know about you as a person so make sure you discuss your traits, like resilience and teamwork. All things you may have learned or strengthened through your DofE.
5. Talk about extra-curricular activities
Question three is another good time to mention your DofE or other relevant extra-curricular activities. Employers have told us that when recruiting they look at extra-curricular activities, which develop your soft skills, just as much as academic achievements. So make sure you talk about the key things you learned during your DofE, like working as a team on your Expedition or how you improved your communication skills during your Volunteering section. The skills you gained volunteering are transferrable to your career.
6. Mention any relevant experience
This is a great opportunity for you to shout about your DofE Volunteering section, to show that you’ve given up your spare time to support others, want to contribute to your community and can demonstrate empathy and compassion. If your volunteering has some connection to your chosen course, make sure that you draw this out. For example, if you’re applying to study medicine you can talk about how you’ve volunteered at a hospital for your DofE.
