personal statement to be scrapped

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• UCAS Personal Statements Are Changing in 2025

Last Updated: 16th January 2023

Author: Matthew Amalfitano-Stroud

Table of Contents

It was announced by UCAS in January of 2023 that traditional Personal Statements will be removed from the university application process in the UK. 

Since 1993, UCAS has required university applicants in the UK to submit a 4,000-character Personal Statement during the application process, which would then be accessed by university admissions teams to assist in the shortlisting process. 

However, it has been confirmed by UCAS that this process will be changing as soon as 2025. Here, we dissect the announcement, discuss what we currently know about this change and explain how this could affect your university application. Let’s begin:  

In short, this is what you need to know:

• UCAS Personal Statements are being replaced by a multi-question survey that gives applicants the chance to explain various aspects of their application.
• This change could be implemented as early as the 2025 admissions cycle for 2026 Entry in the UK.
• This will affect all applicants, both home and internationals, looking to attend a UK university in 2026 and beyond.
• Students will need to learn how to take on these new questions rather than traditional Personal Statement writing.
• Teachers will need to be prepared to do research on this new system and provide support for students in order to maximise their chances of success.
• We at UniAdmissions are keeping a very close eye on the situation and will update this guide as new information surfaces. We will also ensure that our support systems are up-to-date and effective at helping students through these changes.

What are Personal Statements Being Replaced with?

With the announcement that the current system for UCAS Personal Statements will be getting replaced, it is only natural to be asking what will be replacing it. Thankfully, we have already been given some idea of what to expect. 

Unlike the other major shake-up to the 2024 admission process, the removal of various admissions tests including the BMAT , the official announcement has provided us with an explanation of what UCAS is seeking to implement instead of traditional Personal Statements. 

Put simply, the current format of providing a 4,000-character piece of writing will be replaced with a series of specific questions which applicants must answer. These questions will still allow you to write your answers out, but you will be answering set questions instead of having to plan and structure a full statement from scratch. 

The specifics of this system have not been announced yet, including the number of questions and the character limits. We also don’t know what the questions will be yet as they are still being developed. However, we do know the key areas that these questions will focus on (all points are taken directly from the UCAS report): 

• Motivation for Course – Why do you want to study these courses?
• Preparedness for Course – How has your learning so far helped you to be ready to succeed on these courses?
• Preparation through other experiences – What else have you done to help you prepare, and why are these experiences useful?
• Extenuating circumstances – Is there anything that the universities and colleges need to know about, to help them put your achievements and experiences so far into context?
• Preparedness for study – What have you done to prepare yourself for student life?
• Preferred Learning Styles – Which learning and assessment styles best suit you – how do your courses choices match that?

Of course, this is all subject to change as UCAS is still actively working with universities to determine what they want most from applicants. However, it seems that they are aiming to cover the same ground as traditional Personal Statements while also allowing applicants to discuss more personal factors such as motivation, preference and extenuating circumstances. 

At UniAdmissions, we ensure all of our students receive the most up-to-date support.

At UniAdmissions, we’re working tirelessly to ensure that our tutors, curriculum and resources are ready to get our students through these changes. You can join them today and ensure you get the support you need to make it through the 2024 admissions cycle . 

Discover our Oxbridge Premium Programmes below and find out how you can enrol and triple your chances of success .

When Are UCAS Personal Statements Being Replaced?

The initial announcement stated that these reforms to the Personal Statement system will be introduced in the 2024 admissions cycle for 2025 entry. However, UCAS have since gone back on this and delayed the change to as early as 2025 (for 2026 Entry). However, this change could also occur the following year for 2027 Entry. 

UniAdmissions contacted UCAS directly to confirm if a date had been set for the implementation of the new Personal Statement format. The representative stated the following: 

The current discussion around the Personal Statement changes are to improve the application process for all applicants. At the moment the earliest this change would take place is in the 2026 application cycle. There won't be any changes this year. UCAS Representative

It’s worth mentioning that these plans have been in place for a fair amount of time, with discussions of reforming the application process starting in April 2021. However, this change still won’t be implemented for another year, so applicants applying for 2025 (and potentially 2026) Entry will still need to submit a traditional Personal Statement. 

Why Are UCAS Personal Statements Being Removed?

The announcement of these reforms was made on January 12th 2023 via a blog post on the official HEPI website. This post highlights the amendments being made to the Personal Statement process and the research that was conducted to influence this change.  

Interestingly, the data quoted in this post states that the majority of applicants surveyed were happy with the current Personal Statement process, with 72% feeling positive about it. However, the same survey indicated that 83% of applicants found the process stressful and 79% felt unable to complete theirs without support. This is the data that most likely influenced the changes. 

The post’s writer, Kim Eccleston, states that they are aiming to provide better support for both applicants and universities, creating “a more supportive framework” that allows applicants to write about what the universities need to know in a less restrictive way. It is also stated in a more detailed outline of the announcement that both students and teachers preferred the use of specific questions instead of free-form writing. 

However, a previous post released in November 2022 provides even more insight into the reasoning behind this decision. Based on data featured in HEPI Debate Paper 31 , various industry professionals had commented on the challenges facing applicants of certain background when it comes to the current style of Personal Statement. 

Within the quotes featured here, the traditional UCAS Personal Statement was described as “ambiguous” , “unfair” and “barometers of middle-class privilege” . These comments may potentially be in reference to the current importance of work experience, which can be difficult to obtain without connections in certain industries, as well as additional experiences which may not be available to all applicants.  

Therefore, this new system should presumably reduce the barriers for disadvantaged applicants by shifting focus to each individual’s own interest and abilities within their chosen subjects. 

Other Changes being Made by UCAS

Personal Statements are only one of five key areas being altered by UCAS, as highlighted in the blog post. This is certainly the most significant action taking place, but other changes to the application process include: 

• Academic references are being reformed, moving from a free-text approach to a set of three questions, similar to the Personal Statement reforms.
• The 'Entry Grade Report' will be created, which allows applicants to see grade profiles that have been accepted for courses over a five year period.
• A 'Course Recommendation Tool' is being created to provide applicants with personalised suggestions for courses based on their current grades and preferences.
• A 'Fair Access Programme' is being created to encourage widening access and participation.

Overall, it seems these changes all have the same intent; to level the playing field and make university applications more achievable for everyone. 

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How will this affect my university application?

As previously stated, if you are applying to university this year for 2025 Entry, you will not be affected by these reforms and will need to submit a traditional Personal Statement to UCAS like previous years. 

For applicants applying for 2026/27 Entry and beyond, your application will follow this new process, meaning you won’t have to submit a full Personal Statement but will instead need to answer a series of questions relating to your application and abilities for your chosen course. 

When hearing that the whole process will be changing, this typically instils a feeling of dread as you’ll be treading new ground that no one else has experienced before. However, it’s important to understand that UCAS states these changes are being made for the benefit of both the applicants and the universities. 

As we’ve already discussed, a key part of the reason this change is being implemented is that a high percentage of applicants found writing a traditional Personal Statement stressful, which is counterintuitive to what UCAS is trying to achieve. By providing applicants with a strong framework, in the form of specific questions, this new process should allow more applicants to provide better quality statements for universities. 

This change is also set to be particularly beneficial to those from disadvantaged backgrounds, as the process will allow them to better express their ability regardless of any areas that may be lacking due to factors out of their control. Essentially, the new process should allow more people to stand a better chance of making a good impression despite limitations. 

How Can I Start Preparing?

If you’re starting your preparations early, the main barrier you’ll face at this stage of preparation is not knowing what the questions will be, as they have yet to be announced. There are no resources available currently that cover this system, so you’re going to have to be independent with your preparation here.

Since we have a rough outline of what the questions to focus on, you should still be able to practice your responses. Although they won’t be as relevant any more, it would still be helpful to check out Personal Statement guides and examples as these can help you pin down the language and writing style you use. 

With all this information now available to us, you should be able to get a sense of what to do for your application in the coming years. The initial introduction of this system in 2024 will act as a test of its effectiveness, so elements could be changed in the years following. However, the important thing is that you understand how things are changing from the current system and how you can make the most of the new system. 

If you are applying for university in 2023 for 2024 Entry, you will need to make sure you’re ready to write your Personal Statement. Thankfully, UniAdmissions have plenty of resources to help you through it, including our Ultimate UCAS Personal Statement Guide and our collection of successful Oxbridge Personal Statements . 

If you’re looking for more in-depth support that covers the whole application process for Medicine, Law and Oxbridge courses, them find out how you can enrol in one of our Premium Programmes .  

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UCAS ditching personal statement for university entry

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service ( Ucas ) will no longer require students to write a personal statement when applying for university .

The change comes amid claims that the personal statements favour middle-class students who may have better access to “high-quality advice and guidance”, according to Ucas.

The 4,000-character essay will be scrapped and replaced with a series of questions about the higher education course they are applying for.

Ucas announced in February 2022 that it was considering changes to university applications.

At the time, Michelle Donelan, the universities minister, said “I have always felt that personal statements in their current form favour the most advantaged students.

“So I’m pleased that Ucas have confirmed that reform of the personal statement is in their plans so that personal statements work to the benefit of all students.”

Ucas consulted with 1,200 students, 170 teachers, and more than 100 universities and colleges before making the reforms, as reported by The Times.

According to Ucas , although 72 per cent of respondents surveyed felt positive about the personal statement, 79 per cent agreed that writing the statement is difficult to complete without support, and 83 per cent said they found the process of writing a personal statement stressful.

The structured questions aim to  “bring focus and clarity for students, reducing the need for support”.

Students will be asked questions about their motivations for studying courses, what they have done to prepare, and any extenuating circumstances.

Kim Eccleston, head of strategy and reform at Ucas, said in a Higher Education Policy Institute blog post: “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.”

The changes to the admission process will be introduced no earlier than 2024 for students applying to begin university in 2025.

And in the future, Ucas said that it would consider moving away from written text to multimedia submissions.

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UCAS personal statements are changing: here’s what you need to know

Personal statements are set to become a thing of the past. The University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) has introduced a new process for university applications.

Personal statements are set to become a thing of the past. The University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) has introduced a new process for university applications from 2025, meaning that the process will change in 2024 ready for 2025 entrants.

Personal statements have always been an essential part of the university application process. However, UCAS has decided to scrap personal statements in their traditional form. They will now be replaced by a new three-question structure.

If you are preparing to apply for university right now, then you don’t need to worry too much. This new structure isn’t coming into play until 2025, when students are applying for 2026 entry.

What is the new application process?

The new application process differs from the original university application process. Initially, university students were required to write a personal statement, which would be uploaded to UCAS Hub . Universities would then read the personal statement as part of your original university application and make their offers from there.

Under the new process, it will work differently. Under the new university admissions policy, you will no longer be required to write a detailed personal statement but will need to answer questions related to three key areas.

Current key themes are:

• Motivation for course: Why do you want to study the course?
• Preparedness for course: How has your learning thus far helped you to be prepared for your course?
• Preparation through other experiences: What else have you done to help yourself prepare? How and why are these experiences so useful?
• Extenuating circumstances: Is there anything the university needs to know about you? (optional)

These questions allow students to present themselves in their own words but with more structure. Teacher references will also change, allowing for more objective comments.

Depending on user feedback, these questions may change in the future.

• Preparedness for study: What have you done to prepare yourself for student life?
• Preferred learning styles: Which learning and assessment styles suit you best?

Following extensive consultation, UCAS scrapped the latter three. This is because UCAS discovered that the themes would be too difficult to universities that have different teaching and assessment styles. The extenuating circumstances question will have a different section to be answered, but not everyone will need to answer it.

When does this new process start?

This new process will be introduced in 2025 and take effect for 2026 applicants. Those applying to university for 2023, 2024 or 2025 will still need to write a personal statement for their application in the current format.

This means the new process will be coming in after January 2025 (October 2024, if you are applying to Oxbridge ).

A personalised tool will also launch later this year. This tool will provide applicants with entry-grade reports that will give students a range of the profiles accepted onto similar courses over a five-year period, using UCAS data.

Why is the process changing?

UCAS has decided to change the university application process based on student feedback. This process will now offer greater support for applicants from different academic backgrounds.

UCAS has recently published their own report on current applications, called the Future of Undergraduate Admissions report. This research discovered that, out of 13,000 polled students, as many as 83% found writing a personal statement to be too stressful, while a further 79% found the statement too difficult to write without appropriate support.

Personal statements were not unpopular, however. 72% of students found that personal statements were essential parts of the university application process. Personal statements allowed students to stand out as more than just application numbers and their grades. However, the question format s will allow students to continue to stand out from other applicants.

How are teacher references changing?

Teacher references are changing to allow teachers to make more objective comments regarding students. Students can pick current or former academic referees, such as teachers, tutors or head teachers; these referees will then write a full reference to their career goals, work experience and predicted grades.

This process is set to change slightly for 2026 applicants. Under the new system, the referee will instead answer three structured questions. In these questions, teachers will include a general statement about the student’s school or college, any extenuating circumstances that could affect the student’s exam performances and any other circumstances the teacher feels the university should be aware of.

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UCAS to Scrap Personal Statements from Next Year | This Week in Admissions News

The world of college admissions is ever-changing and for students with top university ambitions, it’s important to stay up-to-date on the latest developments. This week, UCAS announced that it will be scrapping the long personal statement as part of its wider reforms to admissions testing, while Harvard Medical School pulled out of the US News rankings. Check back next week to see what’s new and noteworthy in university admissions!

Ucas to scrap personal statements from next year.

Applications to Cambridge are set to change from the 2024 admissions cycle as UCAS has announced they will be scrapping the personal statement. The 4,000-character essay will be scrapped and replaced with a series of questions about the higher education course a student is applying for. The change comes amid claims that the personal statements favour middle-class students who may have better access to “high-quality advice and guidance”, according to Ucas, the Evening Standard reported.

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.”

Cambridge had announced earlier in the year that they will be making some changes to their admissions testing as they were operationally unsustainable and “to deliver them affordably to students and higher education institutions.” The elite university has seen a drop in enrollment as well as applications over the last couple of years, owing to the Covid pandemic as well as an economic downturn in the UK.

Here are the changes we can expect in the UCAS 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 BMAT (medicine), ENGAA (engineering), NSAA (natural sciences) and TMUA (mathematical skills) tests, will be discontinued
• The seven UK medical schools that use BMAT tests as part of their admissions process (Brighton and Sussex, Imperial, Lancaster, UCL, Cambridge, Leeds and Oxford) as well as medical and healthcare schools in other countries will put alternative arrangements in place

It should be interesting to see how the spread of AI will affect the college essay and personal statements. All of these changes are set to take effect from the 2024 admissions cycle - the 2023 cycle will continue as before. 

Other top stories in admissions news this week:

• Harvard Medical School announced it will no longer submit data to U.S. News & World Report for its “best medical schools” rankings. The decision was made due to concerns that the rankings create incentives for institutions to report inaccurate data and that the suitability of a medical school for a student is too complex to be reflected in a ranked list. This move follows the withdrawal of Harvard and Yale law schools (among other top schools) from the rankings in November, and is a reflection of the growing trend of elite institutions devaluing the importance of these rankings, which have traditionally played a significant role in shaping the decisions of prospective students.
• According to Times Higher Education , the Biden administration is planning to publish a list of programs/degrees that are considered to have low financial value for students. However, there is currently a lack of consensus on how to determine the economic worth of these programs. Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield, managing director of policy and research at Higher Learning Advocates, suggests that the department should consider metrics such as job opportunities for graduates and whether they possess the skills sought by employers when determining the list of programs.
• The PIE News writes on a new report from the Conference Board of Canada that highlights the need for a comprehensive strategy for the immigration and settlement of international students. The report states that despite the priority of Canadian stakeholders to retain international students after their studies, the government currently lacks a plan to effectively coordinate the granting of permits and selection of international students for immigration. The current lack of strategy creates friction for international students, and this problem could worsen as the growth in international student enrollment surpasses the planned increase in permanent immigration.
• English-language skills in China have slipped, according to a global proficiency ranking , especially among young Chinese, and some are blaming rising nationalism. The 2022 English Proficiency Index ranked China at 62, a low proficiency nation, down from a moderate proficiency ranking of 49 in 2021 and 38 in 2020. China lagged behind Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia and Hong Kong, the latter of which has remained a high proficiency economy over the past three years. According to the report, education reforms in China over the past few years have led to a reduction in the time spent in schools teaching and speaking English.

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Ucas to scrap personal statements for student applicants

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Admissions body pitches reforms to make admissions process fairer

Students will no longer have to write an essay-style personal statement in their Ucas applications, after the admissions body announced an overhaul to the process.

Ucas said 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.

There have been concerns that the personal statements disadvantage students who do not have access to good guidance and support when writing the essays, which some feel could “widen the gap” between applicants.

The change comes after scrutiny from the Department for Education on the admissions process. The DfE carried out a consultation on whether to switch to a system of post-qualification admissions in 2021, although it ultimately decided not to continue with the changes.

Writing in a Higher Education Policy Institute blog on 12 January, Ucas head of strategy and reform Kim Eccleston said that “most students are in favour of personal statements” as it gives them the chance to “demonstrate achievements beyond their grades”.

But more than 80 per cent said they found the process of writing the statement stressful, and 79 per cent said the statement is difficult to complete with no support.

Eccleston said the replacement questions will prompt students to write about six areas, including their motivation and preparation for the course and for studying at a higher level, how other experiences have helped to prepare them for university, any extenuating circumstances and their preferred learning style.

“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,” she said.

Once the questions have been finalised, they will replace the personal statement from 2024-25.

The report also revealed that Ucas will introduce reports showing students the range of grades that have been accepted for their chosen course in the past, and it will replace the free text option for referees to comment on students with a series of questions.

It will try to offer students more personalised guidance on what their post-secondary options are, and will launch an Outreach Connection Service designed to help universities and employers in their efforts to improve access and participation.

Ucas consulted with 1,200 students, more than 170 teachers and advisers, 100 universities and colleges and government representatives when creating the report.

In her blog post, Eccleston stressed that “reform is an evolving process”, and she said that Ucas would “keep engaging with the sector to help us shape the delivery of these reforms”—particularly the changes to the personal statement.

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Ucas scraps personal statements for university hopefuls

A video message could soon replace the personal statement, the university admissions body said as it announced it was scrapping the written essay.

Candidates have a blank space on university application forms which they can fill with up to 4,000 characters. Ucas said that from 2024 they will instead respond to questions that will guide them to support their application in the right way.

Social mobility experts have campaigned for change and said personal statements were “barometers of middle-class privilege” because wealthier teenagers had tailored help. Numerous companies offer their services and private school sixth forms have specialists to help pupils.

Ucas is making the changes after a consultation with 1,200 students, 170 teachers and more than 100 universities and colleges. It said this paved

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Cambridge welcomes UCAS plan to scrap personal statements

Sam Lucy, Director of Admissions at the University, said the change will ‘mean that less well supported students can engage more effectively with the process’

by Nabiha Ahmed

This article is 1 year old

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Personal statements are to be replaced with a set of questions for university hopefuls, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) have announced this month.

The change will pave the way for bigger amendments to the application process such as multi-media submissions, says UCAS, with The Times reporting that video applications could be introduced.

Sam Lucy, Director of Admissions at the University, told Varsity that she welcomes the revisions, adding that “providing a more structured framework and better guidance to the expectations of universities will give Admissions Tutors more useful information, and will mean that less well supported students can engage more effectively with the process.”

The Future of Undergraduate Admissions report by UCAS, published on 12th January, detailed concerns over support for students writing personal statements being “not universal”. In the same report, UCAS acknowledged that the personal statement has been criticised “as a mechanism to ‘widen the gap’” between students.

The personal statement will be replaced by a series of questions covering six key areas: motivation for the course, preparedness for the course, preparation through other experiences, extenuating circumstances, preparedness for study, and preferred learning style.

UCAS hopes that the questions will “bring focus and clarity for students” and “reduce the need for support”.

The Future of Undergraduate Admissions report also revealed that 83% of students find the process of writing a personal statement stressful and 79% believe that the statement is difficult to complete without support.

Cambridge applications fall for second year in a row

These statistics are supported by a report by The Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) from November, which found that the task is an “unnecessary burden” on disadvantaged students and accused the 4,000 character essay of “contributing to inequalities in higher education access”.

Academic references will also be replaced with three structured questions for referees to answer. This comes after schools told UCAS that the ambiguous nature of the academic reference section – usually completed by an applicant’s form tutor or careers advisor – made it challenging to compare applicants against each other.

Alongside these changes, UCAS will introduce ‘Entry Grade Reports’ for applicants. This personalised tool will display the range of grade profiles that have been accepted for entry to courses over a five-year period, aiming to help students evaluate their options and consider courses they previously may not have.

Aside from Entry Grade Reports, which launches this year, all changes are set to be introduced in the 2024 application cycle, for those applying for 2025 entry onwards.

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Personal statements scrapped over growing ChatGPT use

Singapore management university provost timothy clark says reforms will push students away from using generative ai in admissions statements.

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A Singapore university is scrapping its use of personal statements in undergraduate admissions amid concerns about applicants’ growing use of ChatGPT.

Under new changes for this autumn’s entry, Singapore Management University (SMU) has abolished the essay used by applicants to explain their values, approach to learning and achievements beyond academia, and replaced it with shorter structured answers related to a potential student’s intended course.

The reforms are intended to reduce the use of ChatGPT and other generative artificial intelligence chatbots – some of which are expressly geared around creating personal statements – as the questions in the new format are “much easier for applicants to answer”, explained the university’s provost, Timothy Clark.

“There’s less of a temptation or need to go to AI for help,” said Professor Clark, a former pro vice-chancellor at Durham University . “In fact, it’s probably even faster for students to just come up with their own short response rather than having to think of the right prompt to input into ChatGPT in order for a plausibly useful response to be generated.”

Campus resource collection: AI transformers like ChatGPT are here, so what next?

However, the use of generative AI would not be banned when answering the new questions in the new format, said Professor Clark, who insisted that the university was “not against students using generative AI to spark ideas and for inspiration”.

“What we do want to see, however, is authenticity and a strong personal voice, which is hard to do with generative AI still in the early stages at this moment,” he said, adding that he hoped the answers would “provide a little glimpse into the applicant’s personality and potential fit for both the student and the university” ahead of an admissions interview.

SMU is one of the first universities to scrap the personal statement directly in response to the rise of artificial intelligence, although the UK’s admissions body, Ucas, is withdrawing the essay for 2025 entry onwards on the basis that the 4,000-character essay unfairly advantages middle-class students.

In the first admissions window since generative AI went mainstream last year, SMU’s clarification on how it will treat AI-generated admissions content remains unusual within higher education. Only a handful of US universities have publicly banned AI use by students in admissions, although Ucas currently advises that “generating…all or a large part of your personal statement from an AI tool such as ChatGPT, and presenting it as your own words, could be considered cheating by universities and colleges and could affect your chances of an offer”.

Conversely, university admissions teams are increasingly using AI to help select promising students despite concerns that algorithms might inadvertently discriminate against certain groups .

Reflecting on how SMU used AI, Professor Clark said an applicant’s academic performance was still the most important piece of data to assess “the applicant’s intellectual potential and readiness for university-level work”.

“This is the starting point for most selective universities around the world,” he said, adding that SMU also used individual and group interviews to gauge university readiness.

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UCAS set to replace Personal statements with video questionaires

January 13, 2023 //  by  ThomasPayne

Personal statements are set to become a thing of the past as UCAS look to replace them with video questionnaires. This allow applicants a more “personal” rather than “academic” form to express themselves in.

Backlash has rippled across the country, as the replacement for personal statements has been depicted to benefit more privileged and upper class students when applying for their chosen university.

Will Rodwell, a blogger and student at Bournemouth university had much to say about the decision made by UCAS. Will has previously created a blog post labelled “My advice for writing your personal statement.”

The student said he is not a fan of UCAS changing their procedures within the application as it can hinder those with “technological incapabilities” and that there are always people that would find it “unfair.”

He also stated that those with “learning difficulties” can struggle with adaptation to the video format.

On the other hand, Tracey Howard, Manager of 6th form had said that it “can only be beneficial” to the students applying.

She defended UCAS’s decisions wholeheartedly as she said: “What you can write about is limited, when doing a an interview it gives you more chance to express yourself.”

Although the issue, seems to be mainly that it can create a gap in social classes and can propose problems for those who suffer with issues such as social anxiety.

Tracey added: “The 6th form would prepare for these instances…that student will then feel confident that they have worked with their college to get that stuff out.”

The contrast is significant between a student that has recently applied for university and someone who is preparing students to apply for their next step into education.

Out with the old and in with the new seems to be the way forward, but what are your thoughts on this situation?

Liverpool students have their say on UCAS scrapping personal statements

The change comes under new plans to make applying for university more accessible and level the playing field

• 18:00, 17 JAN 2023

University lecturers and teachers have taken to Twitter to share their reactions to UCAS scrapping personal statements for university applicants.

As well as grades and predicted results, university applicants have traditionally had to write a 47-line personal statement as part of their application. The statement is designed to illustrate their interest in the course they're applying for and highlight non-academic achievements, but it has been criticised by some as a disadvantage to students from low income households.

UCAS has announced that the personal statement will be scrapped no earlier than in 2024 for 2025 applicants, and replaced with a questionnaire. The new plans could go further in a few years and scrap a written statement entirely to be replaced with a video submission.

READ MORE: Home behind private gates on a luxury 'sought after' road for sale

Personal statements have been criticised as some argue better-off students get more help from their families in writing the statement, while many private schools offer specialist assistance. However, one student called the change 'insane', and other criticised the new proposed questionnaire.

Charlotte Jones, an Environmental Sciences student at the University of Liverpool, said: "I didn't particularly like writing my personal statement, I don't think many people did. But in mine I referenced a lot of books I had read that were relevant to my course and stuff like that, which I wouldn't have been able to do otherwise. I think my personal statement is part of the reason I got the offers that I did."

Dan Walsh, a Geography student at the University of Liverpool, added: "I did a lot of work outside school to that was relevant to my course, which I put in my personal statement. It's going to be different for different people depending on what course they want to apply for.

"I do think it gives some people an unfair advantage though. My sister went to a school where they had a lot of support for people doing their UCAS applications and helped them write their personal statements, so I got her to help me with mine because my school didn't have anything like that."

Niamh Motley, a Maths student at the University of Liverpool, said: "I think if you got rid of the personal statement completely, a nobody would sign up to NCS or Duke of Edinburgh or anything like that, because loads of people sign up to that because they get told they can write about it in their personal statement.

"I don't think I would have liked doing the questionnaire instead, because I'm the type of person who likes to just have a blank screen and be able to write whatever I want, but some people like having a bit of guidance and stuff."

Stuart Wilks-Heeg, Professor of Politics at University of Liverpool, tweeted: "Replacing the almost universally disliked personal statement on UCAS forms with set questions sounds like a great idea, until you see the questions."

Replacing the almost universally disliked personal statement on UCAS forms with set questions sounds like a great idea, until you see the questions. https://t.co/h55hYsvLgG

— Stuart Wilks-Heeg (@StuartWilksHeeg)

Another student said: "so after hassling and fighting to get my personal statement done last year I wanna tell me they’re scrapping it off of UCAS. please this is insane."

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UCAS scraps personal statements

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.

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UCAS to scrap personal statement requirement for student applicants

T he Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) has said that students will no longer be required to write a personal statement when applying for higher education.

In a report titled Future of Undergraduate Admissions , which was published on 12 January, UCAS said that students would now answer a series of questions about their reasons for choosing a particular course.

Once the questions have been finalised, they will replace the statement from 2024-25.

It detailed concerns that support for students writing personal statements was “not universal”, and that it favoured privileged students. As a result, UCAS wrote that the personal statement has been criticised “as a mechanism to ‘widen the gap’” between students.

Analysis by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) in November last year found that writing a statement is an “unnecessary burden” on disadvantaged students, and it said that the 4,000-character essay was a factor “contributing to inequalities in higher education access”.

The personal statement will be replaced by a series of questions covering six key areas: motivation for the course, preparedness for the course, preparation through other experiences, extenuating circumstances, preparedness for study, and preferred learning style.

UCAS said that it hopes that the questions will “bring focus and clarity for students” and “reduce the need for support”.

The report found that 83% of students find the process of writing a personal statement to be stressful , and 79% believe that the statement is difficult to complete without institutional or external support.

UCAS consulted with 1,200 students, more than 170 teachers and advisers, 100 universities and colleges, and government representatives when creating the report.

In February 2022, UCAS announced that it was considering making changes to the application process.

Michelle Donelan, the Universities Minister at the time, said: “I have always felt that personal statements in their current form favour the most advantaged students.

“So I’m pleased that UCAS have confirmed that reform of the personal statement is in their plans so that personal statements work to the benefit of all students.”

The report also revealed that academic references are to be replaced with three structured questions for referees to answer, in order to make it easier to compare applicants against each other.

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UCAS set to replace personal statements from 2024

13th January 2023

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The university application landscape seems set for reform according to reports this morning. UCAS wants to replace a unified personal statement with a series of six questions. Admissions service are also making changes to teacher references, and plans to release details of grade profiles that were accepted onto specific courses. The changes may arrive for the cohort applying in the autumn of 2024.

This might be worth a read:

Five steps UCAS is taking to reform the undergraduate admissions process

The newly published UCAS report is available here

Initial reaction from Geoff Barton here

‘Breaking down the personal statement into specific questions feels to be a step towards a simplified, fairer application process,’ says @RealGeoffBarton of @ucas_online announcement https://t.co/kwseX9NSZQ — Tes (@tes) January 12, 2023

No doubt a huge amount will be said and written as the consultation process gathers momentum. The six question approach appears rather prescriptive and there will be plenty of discussion I feel about the last question on preferred learning styles!

And in a month when ChatGPT and other emerging AI tools have dominated the education headlines, what price that these AI bots will be able to generate convincing written responses in seconds?

• Higher education

Geoff Riley

Geoff Riley FRSA has been teaching Economics for over thirty years. He has over twenty years experience as Head of Economics at leading schools. He writes extensively and is a contributor and presenter on CPD conferences in the UK and overseas.

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Scrapping university personal statements is a mistake

• 13 January 2023, 5:22pm

William Atkinson

The decision to scrap personal statements shows up our university system for what it really is: the priority is no longer about educating students, or academic endeavour, but expansion for expansion’s sake.

Ucas (the Universities and College Admissions Service) plans to replace the current applicant essay with a survey. This will reportedly ask taxing questions such as why applicants are motivated to study a particular course, why they are ‘ready to succeed’ and any context for their academic achievements – or lack thereof – so far. The justification? That the status quo is unfair on those students without access to ‘high-quality advice and guidance’. Yet the decision to get rid of personal statements from the university application process will erode standards and only makes the case for total reform of the sector stronger.

It’s no surprise that  pupils at  leading private schools receive more application help than state school students from poorer homes. The private school I went to provided me with plenty of advice, and I wrote up seven or eight drafts of my personal statement before it was finalised. My Oxford contemporaries who got in without such help deserve more credit than me – even if being a public schoolboy at Oxford now looks to be an  increasing disadvantage . 

But just because the current personal statement system can be unfair, it doesn’t mean replacing it is wise. More than eight in ten university applicants  surveyed  by Ucas found the current application process stressful; 79 per cent found it difficult to complete. This should be welcomed: stress and difficulty are natural parts of a process designed to test candidates’ ability to communicate subject aptitude. That Ucas wants to get by without them shows how little importance our universities now place on studying and academics. 

This week’s announcement is the latest sorry symptom of a sick university system

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Alexander larman, the sad decline of oxford.

Tony Blair’s dream of more than 50 per cent of school leavers going to university  has now been realised . That represents a tenfold increase in the number of people taking degrees since the 1980s. This is  despite  English 16–24-year-olds being less likely to be numerate and literate than their parents and grandparents. It’s not higher academic standards, though, that are responsible for these increased student numbers over the decades, but a broken business model. 

Rampant grade inflation at school has bedded in over a number of years. Even before the pandemic, A and A* grades almost doubled at A-level, and more pupils than ever were receiving top grades. This has fed through into universities. By  last summer , four in ten graduates were receiving a first; in particular, the number doing so after achieving three Ds or lower at A-level had soared. This is hard to square with a generation struggling to read and write properly. Instead, it shows that what students learn at university has increasingly little bearing on the grades they are given. The so-called ‘graduate premium’ is  increasingly meaningless  in an over-saturated market. 

Who is responsible for the mess the university system finds itself in? Successive governments share the blame. Margaret Thatcher put universities on track to becoming businesses first and places of learning second. John Major renamed the polytechnics to create dozens more universities overnight; Tony Blair put numbers before standards. The coalition’s tuition fee hike meant more students racked up more debt doing courses of decreasing value. 

All this has done is create one big vicious cycle. An ever-expanding undergraduate population has forced universities to borrow money for increasing capacity years in advance. To attract students, they want to be as high up the league tables as possible. This incentivises them to provide the best grades possible – whatever the quality of work produced. The intellectual quality of students entering the system is becoming increasingly irrelevant. Who needs a personal statement when the logical outcome is that one day everyone will get firsts? 

This model cannot be sustained. Rising interest rates mean the university debt bubble will become harder to finance. With increasing numbers of graduates unlikely to ever pay off their tuition fee loans, this means a bigger burden on the taxpayer. By the 2040s, it has been predicted that this could cost the Treasury well above 10 per cent of GDP. This cost will only rise if undereducated graduates contribute less to the economy than government modellers expect. 

What, then, can be done about this? The university system has to be overhauled, grade inflation stamped out in school, underperforming universities closed. Personal statements should be retained and the application system made more rigorous. Undergraduate numbers must fall – draw a line: no university places for anyone receiving anything under a B or C. Those institutions that survive should be funded by central government, private donations or fees, rather than a debt mountain.

Neither the Conservative or Labour party wants to change the status quo. The Tories may rail against campus wokery, but they have no desire to reform a sector that provides one of the country’s few growing industries. A conveyer belt of arts graduates also conveniently provides Labour with a substantial chunk of their future voter base. 

This week’s announcement is the latest sorry symptom of a sick university system. Whether you believe a degree is worthwhile for its own sake, or just a necessary step towards a job, this constitutes a tragic waste of human potential. The university blob’s unwillingness to wake up to their delusion of a thriving university system means the problem of falling standards, meaningless grades and ballooning debts will only grow. It will be students – and the taxpayer – who pay the price.

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Changes to the UCAS Personal Statement in 2024

This month has brought the news that, as of 2024, UCAS is no longer going to require applicants to write a personal statement when applying for university.

***Please note this information is outdated; for more information please see our latest blog post here. ***

For years, the ucas personal statement has been a thorn in the side of applicants to uk universities everywhere - requiring students to spend the best part of several months reading, planning, and writing their magnum opus to impress their chosen universities. this month has brought the news that, as of 2024, ucas is no longer going to require applicants to write a personal statement when applying for university. in this blog, we’re going to take you through why this change is happening, how the personal statement’s going to be replaced, and how this is likely to affect you as an applicant..

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Why the change?

This change has been made in light of arguments by some that the existing personal statement system affords an advantage to more privileged students who have greater access to expert guidance and advice. with students from a greater variety of backgrounds attending university at a higher and higher rate every year, ucas have felt the need to reform the application process with the aim of widening access for all students, irrespective of their knowledge regarding the application process or whether they know someone who has made a successful application before. as reported by the times, ucas consulted with 1,200 students, 170 teachers, and over 100 universities and colleges before making these reforms, meaning that the new system is designed with not just universities but also applicants in mind, hopefully meaning that it suits the students applying as much as fitting the universities’ requirements., what is replacing the personal statement, as of 2024, rather than having an open response box in which to fill in their own, self-constructed personal statement of 4,000 characters, students will instead be asked to respond to a series of structured questions which focus on six key areas:, motivation for the course - why do you want to study these courses, preparedness for the course - how has your learning so far helped you to be ready to succeed on these courses, preparation through other experience - what else have you done to help you prepare, and why are these experiences useful, extenuating circumstances - is there anything that the universities and colleges need to know about, to help them put your achievements and experiences so far into context, preparedness for study - what have you done to prepare yourself for student life, preferred learning styles - which learning and assessment style best suit you, and how do your course choices match that, what does this mean for my application, in real terms, this shouldn’t change your personal statement process too much - in essence, the new system effectively de-constructs your personal statement so that it’s clearer what you should reflect upon and how to structure your answers. most of these questions focus around topics that you’re likely to be answering in your personal statement anyway, so there’s no need to go and completely scrap everything you’ve been thinking of already, private consultation.

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UCAS personal statements create inequality and should be replaced by short-response questions

• 24 November 2022

The UCAS personal statement is a 4,000 character / 47-line essay that applicants submit when applying for UK undergraduate programmes. There is growing recognition that the UCAS personal statement needs reform, including from UCAS itself and from the former Minister for Higher Education, Michelle Donelan.

However, we have a limited understanding of the challenges applicants face and what reforms may be most effective.  

A new paper from the Higher Education Policy Institute,  Reforming the UCAS personal statement: Making the case for a series of short questions  (HEPI Debate Paper 31), by Tom Fryer, Steve Westlake and Professor Steven Jones provides new evidence and analysis to address these gaps.  

The paper provides evidence of the challenges faced by applicants – analysing 164 personal statement drafts from 83 applicants from underrepresented backgrounds. It finds:

• 83% of drafts fail to supply an evidence-based opinion about a relevant academic topic;
• many applicants struggle to organise their statement effectively, with 35% failing to write with cohesive paragraphs in at least one of their drafts; and
• there is a huge toll arising from the personal statement, with some applicants spending 30-to-40 hours crafting their essay. 

These challenges stem from the long-form free-response nature of the personal statement. It is this format that creates inequalities, as more advantaged applicants are better supported to meet the challenge. The long-form free-response nature also places an unnecessary burden on applicants, and does little to aid decision-making.

In its current form, the UCAS personal statement is incompatible with Universities UK and GuildHE’s own  Fair admissions code of practice , which over 100 higher education providers have signed. 

The paper proposes that the personal statement should be reformed to a series of short-response questions. This would address inequalities, remove any unnecessary burden and increase transparency. Two short-response questions are proposed which focus on:

• an applicant’s interest in their course(s); and
• relevant skills.

These questions would assess whether applicants meet certain baseline competencies needed to complete a particular course, and they are compatible with the sector’s own  Fair admissions code of practice . 

The lead author of the report, Tom Fryer, said:

We know the UCAS personal statement is unfair. Our paper provides new evidence on the huge challenges applicants from under-represented backgrounds face. We place the blame on the format of the personal statement. Is it any wonder that an essay without a question, a ‘personal statement’ that’s more ‘academic’ than ‘personal’, generates an ambiguity which allows those with more support to thrive? ‘Universities are currently operating an admissions system that contradicts their own code of practice. The personal statement should be replaced by short-response questions.

Steven Jones, Professor of Higher Education at the University of Manchester and a co-author of the report, said:

Debates about the UCAS personal statement have been rumbling on for too long. The solution proposed here represents a compromise position and offers the first practical way forward for the sector. Baseline competencies would be assessed transparently, but no longer would more advantaged applicants be given free rein to catalogue prestigious work experience and extra-curricular opportunities, or to flex their other cultural and social capitals.

Lee Elliot Major, Professor of Social Mobility at the University of Exeter, who has called for reforms to statements, said: 

Personal statements have become little more than barometers of middle-class privilege and are no longer fair or fit for purpose in university admissions. This review adds to mounting evidence that reforms are now needed to ensure statements are an effective way of capturing a student’s passion for their subject and their academic potential.

Notes for Editors

• HEPI  was established in 2002 to influence the higher education debate with evidence. We are UK-wide, independent and non-partisan. We are funded by organisations and higher education institutions that wish to support vibrant policy discussions, as well as through our own events. HEPI is a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity. HEPI Debate Papers are designed to stimulate informed conversations about topical issues but do not represent a fixed HEPI position.
• Tom Fryer  is a postgraduate researcher at Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester, focussing on inequalities in graduate outcomes from higher education in the UK, and he is also the founder of Write on Point, which provides students from under-represented backgrounds with UCAS personal statement support.  Steve Westlake  is a postgraduate researcher and Careers Support Officer at the University of Bristol, working within the Department of History and Careers Service respectively, and he also worked as an educational consultant with Write on Point.  Professor Steven Jones  is Head of Manchester Institute of Education and is particularly interested in how the marketisation of English higher education impacts on staff and students. Professor Steven Jones’ is a leading expert on personal statements. His previous research on personal statements, commissioned by the Sutton Trust, can be found  here  and  here .
• The paper assesses draft personal statements from applicants that used Write on Point in 2021/22. This was a project that supported applicants from under-represented backgrounds with their UCAS personal statements by providing tailored feedback through an online platform. The project ran from 2015 to 2022, working with over 1,400 applicants.

Co-author of HEPI’s paper Tom Fryer and Prof Lee Elliot Major (quoted above) are among those who will be taking part in a debate (which I’ll be chairing) about whether personal statements should be scrapped at the forthcoming Engineering Professors’ Council Recruitment and Admissions Forum on 7th Dec hosted by Arden University in Leeds. Further details at https://epc.ac.uk/event/engineering-academics-network-recruitment-admissions-forum-2022/

The arguments put forward in their paper by Tom and his colleagues are compelling (and in the debate we will also hear from one university that often doesn’t even read the personal statements). There is good evidence that personal statements entrench inequalities.

On the other hand, many feel that the personal statement in its current form is a unique way of getting students to reflect on their motivations and their commitment that, even if it’s never read, it can be important to their development and preparation for study.

It is also true that the statement is a realistic analogue for writing covering letters for job applications and so may be a good preparation not only for the next few years of study, but for whole careers.

Perhaps, most importantly, personal statements allow HEIs to assess the whole individual and their potential rather than merely their qualifications. Would the compromise solution proposed in the paper do as as well or better? Perhaps more short-form questions are needed about challenges the applicant has faced in order to add context?

There are no simple solutions to keeping the best of personal statements while making them fairer, and also giving consideration about how they might improve admissions and access. I thoroughly welcome this paper driving forward this important discussion and embracing an issue which I know UCAS is already considering carefully. (I’m pleased to say UCAS’s Kim Ecclestone will also be participating in our debate.)

I wonder how many parents pay consultants to help write a ‘unique’ statement? Is there any evidence of how common this is?

https://personal-statement-services.co.uk/?msclkid=86e41dbb9ff416481be67e3a6e64ce47

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Ucas looking at replacing free form university personal statements with series of questions to boost fairness 

Ucas is looking at a more 'structured' approach to university personal statements to balance out the unfairness of middle class students receiving extra support from parents, teachers and tutors.

Ucas is looking at replacing open-ended university personal statements with a series of questions to level the playing field between applicants, i can reveal.

The planned shake-up by the university admissions body follows concerns that the current system gives an advantage to middle class students, who often receive support from parents, teachers and tutors when crafting their statements.

Currently, students from across the UK applying for university courses via Ucas complete a 4,000-character personal statement.

The process is designed to allow students to sell themselves to admissions tutors by conveying their suitability for their chosen course.

Last month, the higher education minister Michelle Donelan said she believed that “personal statements in their current form favour the most advantaged students and do a disservice to those whose strengths are better tested through other means” . Ms Donelan said that the UK Government was working with Ucas to “reform” the process.

Now, i can reveal that Ucas is looking at a more “structured” approach where applicants would be prompted to talk about certain things.

Clare Marchant, the chief executive of Ucas, said: “Personal statements are a key part of over two million applications each year for students to say why they are a good fit for their chosen course. Many employers will also ask for a form of personal statement when applying for an apprenticeship.”

Ms Marchant said that when Ucas asked students for their views, they made clear they valued “the opportunity the personal statement gives them to express their ambition, skills and experiences”.

But she went on: “We want to simplify the process though, offer greater guidance, and help students from all backgrounds have an equal level of support”.

“We are working with students, teachers, and admissions professionals in universities and colleges to consider what changes might improve both the supporting tools and the statement itself.

“Along with more support, we will consider moving away from the current free text box personal statement to a more structured statement with focused questions to help guide students more explicitly.”

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Ms Marchant said it would be “critical” to get a “balance between free text and structure” because “we do not want to limit opportunity for people to personalise their statement”.

“It is also important to remember that the personal statement is only one of a variety of pieces of evidence that admissions teams look at when considering a student’s application,” she added.

The news was welcomed as a “step in the right direction” by Lee Elliot Major , a professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, who has called for personal statements to be reformed or scrapped altogether.

Professor Elliot Major said that university admissions had to be seen from the perspective of a “candidate who comes to this who doesn’t have all that experience from their parents, teachers and tutors – is it fair for them?”.

“We still need to do a lot of work to make it fair for applicants that don’t have all that knowledge you need to navigate this quite complex admissions system that we have.”

Reforming the process could help reduce plagiarism and cases where students effectively enlist an adult to write their statement, he said.

“The idea of structured questions means there’s less room for manipulation, gaming and indeed cheating in this process.”

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Social mobility expert calls to scrap Ucas personal statements

Independent school applicants have more support writing ucas personal statements, says professor lee elliot major.

Using personal statements as part of university applications should be scrapped because it puts many state school applicants at a disadvantage, Britain’s first professor of social mobility has suggested – The Times reports .

Lee Elliot Major , from Exeter University, said the statements gave an advantage to teenagers from more privileged backgrounds and they were not a suitable way to judge candidates.

Thousands of young people will have been preparing their statements in recent weeks, as the deadline for standard applications draws to a close on January 26.

Elliot Major said in The Times: “There is growing scepticism of their [personal statements’] educational worth among admissions professionals in universities and the statements have become a systematic disadvantage to poorer students.”

The professor believes the statements should be scrapped and replaced with a series of questions and universities should publish clear criteria for what they want to see in candidates.

He added: “Studies of personal statements have revealed a chasm in quality and style between independent and state school applicants. Independent school applicants were more likely to have well-written statements, with fewer grammatical errors, while state school pupils struggled to draw on suitable work and life experiences. The time has come to ask fundamental questions about their educational worth and the unfairness they create.

“It is increasingly clear they are more a reflection of how much support candidates benefit from rather than genuinely indicating an individual’s passion for their subject.”

Clare Marchant, the chief executive of Ucas , said that reform of the personal statement was “absolutely in our plans” and more support would be provided to students from poor backgrounds.

Irena Barker

Irena Barker is the digital editor of School Management Plus. She also works as a freelance journalist and copywriter specialising in education.

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UCAS could scrap personal statements

• April 19, 2022
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UCAS is considering moving from the traditional personal statement to a structured set of questions application process.

The UK’s University and College Admissions Service (UCAS) is considering replacing the current personal statement based university application protest with a questions-based structure. The more structured series of questions would still allow students to show creativity but guide their answers with more specific criteria. This would affect applications for most UK higher education institutions.

This move was announced as part of wider changes in the way universities admit students to increase fairness between social groups. Other considerations included allowing students to apply to university after getting their grades, rather than pre-emptively. This is thought to increase pupils’ choices and expand them to horizons they had previously not considered. 

“ Other considerations included allowing students to apply to university after getting their grades, rather than pre-emptively.”

The current personal statement system is believed to be advantageous to more affluent students with a network of teachers, parents and tutors who can help them perfect their statements. This was expressed by Universities Minister Michelle Donelan at a recent speech for a UCAS event, where she stated that she believed: “Personal statements in their current form favour the most advantaged students.”

The head of UCAS, Clare Marchant expressed wishes to “simplify the process, offer greater guidance and help students from all backgrounds have an equal level of support”.

However, many in higher education still see the benefits of personal statements. In a government consultation, 28% of respondents in the higher education stakeholder group said they were not sure whether personal statements should be removed, with 53% believing they should stay. Further response analysis showed that while those consulted were concerned about disparities, they also highlighted the benefit personal statements give pupils. These included less stress, with pupils being judged holistically, and space to reflect on career goals and motivations, improving decision-making skills.

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The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced the adoption of amendments to Regulation S-P to modernize and enhance the rules that govern the treatment of consumers’ nonpublic personal information by certain financial institutions. The amendments update the rules’ requirements for broker-dealers (including funding portals), investment companies, registered investment advisers, and transfer agents (collectively, “covered institutions”) to address the expanded use of technology and corresponding risks that have emerged since the Commission originally adopted Regulation S-P in 2000. 

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Spirit and Frontier just scrapped some fees, but brace for extra charges on these 10 U.S. airlines

A irlines have made a billion-dollar business charging fees for seat selection, checked bags and other tiny conveniences — but some carriers are starting to overhaul these policies as the Biden administration cracks down on fees that it calls hidden and unnecessary.  

Budget carrier Spirit Airlines announced earlier this week that it would scrap change and cancellation fees, following a similar move by Frontier Airlines The airlines announced these changes amid increased regulatory scrutiny of the industry and its add-on charges.

Frontier’s new policy doesn’t apply to its lowest-tier “basic” fare. 

While major airlines have increasingly done away with change and cancellation fees in recent years, flying still comes with a number of other possible charges — including for redeeming flight miles, bringing a carry-on bag or picking a window seat.

Baggage fees across major U.S. airlines increased from $4.9 billion to $6.8 billion between 2018 and 2022, and seat-selection fees generated an estimated $4.2 billion in 2022, according to Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the Connecticut Democrat who chaired a subcommittee investigating these fees. 

The Biden administration is working to make what it calls hidden “junk fees” generally more transparent so that consumers know up front how much they will be charged for purchases like flight tickets. Such fees cost consumers extra on everything from concert tickets to rental applications , officials have said, while banking and credit-card fees have also been a target. 

This month, President Joe Biden signed into law a bill renewing the Federal Aviation Administration’s authority for five years. In addition to investing in air-travel infrastructure and safety improvements , the law prohibits airlines from charging fees for families to sit together, and requires them to offer automatic cash refunds when they cancel or significantly change flights.

In response, airlines are suing the Department of Transportation , claiming it has gone beyond its authority and that information on fees is already accessible. 

“Airlines already provide consumers with complete disclosure of all fees associated with air travel before they purchase a ticket,” a spokesperson for Airlines for America, an industry trade group involved in the lawsuit, said in a statement. The DOT’s new rule will “greatly confuse consumers” with additional information that will complicate their purchase, the statement said.

Read more: Airline passengers are now entitled to automatic cash refunds for canceled flights. Here’s how to get yours.

Airlines have been some of the worst offenders when it comes to surprise fees that can unexpectedly hike costs for customers, said Teresa Murray, director of the consumer watchdog office at U.S. PIRG, an advocacy group. 

Fees are often applied unevenly across ticketing tiers and policies can vary widely from airline to airline, she said, making it difficult to understand what fees might apply to your purchase. 

“A lot of people don’t fly that often, so it’s an even bigger challenge,” Murray said. “It’s a spin the wheel, close your eyes and guess how much the ticket is going to be [situation]. It’s a surprise.”

Even if airlines widely scrap various charges like change, cancellation and seat-selection fees, they might just end up making up the difference by increasing airfare, Murray added. “I would not be surprised if the crackdown on fee disclosure leads to higher ticket prices,” she said.

As the summer travel season kicks off, MarketWatch compiled a list of fees charged by the 10 largest U.S. airlines as of mid-May. This list focuses specifically on the lowest-cost tier of tickets, such as American Airlines’ Basic Economy fare or Alaska Airlines’ Saver tier. 

When MarketWatch reached out to the airlines for comment, spokespeople from several companies responded with links to the fees sections of their websites. Those sometimes involved navigating menus and tables and inputting information about the flight or the size and weight of bags, which travelers may not know until they have packed. The fee structures typically varied depending on the route, as well as the price tier of a ticket — with the least protection for low-cost or economy-class tickets.

For the most up-to-date information, it’s a good idea to contact your carrier.

Alaska Airlines

Change fee: Saver fares cannot be changed. Other tickets have no change fee. 

Cancellation fee: None.

Baggage fee: None for carry-on luggage, which includes one personal item and one carry-on bag.

Seat-selection fee: Purchasing a Saver fare means you won’t be able to pick your seat. Other tickets have no seat-selection fee.

Miles-redemption fee: A security charge of about $5.60 on domestic flights, plus an additional $12.50 per person each way if using Alaska award miles to book a flight on a partner airline (American Airlines, British Airways, etc.).

Allegiant Air

Change fee: Up to $75 per person each way for an Allegiant Air flight purchased without Trip Flex, a travel-insurance-like protection that can be purchased for an additional fee when you book the flight. For a non-Trip Flex trip, no changes are allowed within seven days of travel.

Cancellation fee: $25 for a booking canceled after 24 hours and purchased without Trip Flex.

Baggage fee: A personal item is free, but fees range from $10 to $75 for a carry-on bag. Checking a bag at the airport will cost you $75, though you can save up to half that amount if you pay to check a bag at the time you purchase your ticket, according to the airline’s online bag-fee calculator . 

Seat-selection fee: Ranges from $0 to $80. 

Miles-redemption fee : None.

American Airlines

Change fee: Basic Economy fares can’t be changed. No change fees for other ticket tiers.

Baggage fee: None for carry-on luggage. $40 for your first checked bag on a domestic flight.

Seat-selection fee: Ranges from $4 to $280, depending on the seat and flight . For Basic Economy fares, seats will automatically be assigned at check-in for passengers who don’t select a seat.

Miles-redemption fee: None.

Delta Air Lines

Change fee: Basic Economy tickets are nonchangeable on Delta flights. For main-cabin tickets and above, no change fee.

Cancellation fee: None for flights originating from the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.

Baggage fee: None for carry-on luggage. $35 for your first checked bag on a domestic flight.

Seat-selection fee: Averages $15 or more , depending on the flight and seat, according to NerdWallet.

Miles-redemption fee: At least $11.20 in U.S. government taxes and fees for domestic itineraries.

Frontier Airlines

Change fee: $49 to $99 for basic fares on Frontier if you change within 60 days of departure.

Cancellation fee: $99 for basic fares, or free if you cancel within 24 hours of booking and the trip is at least seven days away.

Baggage fee: There are fees for carry-ons and checked bags, and the cost varies by flight.

Seat-selection fee: Starts at $11.

Miles-redemption fee: Fees range from $15 to $75 if you book within 180 days before departure.

Hawaiian Airlines

Change fee: Main Cabin Basic tickets are nonchangeable on Hawaiian Airlines flights.

Cancellation fee: None if you cancel within 24 hours of booking and the trip is at least seven days away. After that, Main Cabin Basic tickets are nonrefundable.

Baggage fee: One carry-on bag is free. First checked bag is $15 to $40. 

Seat-selection fee: Not available for Main Cabin Basic passengers.

JetBlue Airways

Change fee: For Blue Basic passengers on JetBlue flights, changes (including same-day switches and standby) are not allowed.

Cancellation fee: For Blue Basic passengers, $100 (for routes in North America, Central America or the Caribbean) or $200 (for other routes). 

Baggage fee: For Blue Basic passengers, no carry-ons are allowed. The first checked bag is $35.

Seat-selection fee: Starts at $5.

Miles-redemption fee: None, but you can’t use miles toward Blue Basic fares.

Southwest Airlines

Change fee: None.

Cancellation fee: No refunds for Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away Plus passengers on Southwest flights. Credit will be issued if you cancel at least 10 minutes before scheduled departure.

Baggage fee: No fee for carry-on and first two checked bags up to 50 pounds.

Seat-selection fee: No assigned seating.

Spirit Airlines

Change fee: Changes can be made up to an hour before scheduled departure. Fare differences may apply.

Cancellation fee: Full refund in the original form of payment if canceled within 24 hours of booking for a flight that is seven or more days away. Those who are not entitled to a refund will get travel credit. 

Baggage fee: Starts at $39 for carry-ons and $34 for the first checked bag.

Miles-redemption fee: $50 for flights booked within 28 days of departure.

United Airlines

Change fee: Basic Economy passengers on United flights cannot make changes. No change fees for Economy, Economy Plus and Premium Plus passengers. 

Cancellation fee: Basic Economy tickets can be canceled and refunded within 24 hours of booking, as long as it’s one week or more before your scheduled departure.

Baggage fee: Basic Economy passengers cannot bring a carry-on except for flights to South America, across the Atlantic or across the Pacific. First checked bag is $40, or $35 if you prepay.

Seat-selection fee: Starts at $15 per person.

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What are paper bank statement fees?

• Cost of paper statements

Avoiding paper statement fees

Benefits of electronic statements, paper bank statement fees: what you need to know.

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• Many banks charge you a few dollars per month for mailing paper bank statements to your home.
• You can avoid paper statement fees by opting for paperless statements online.
• If you don't like banking online, paper statements could be worth the cost.

A bank statement is a document that shows your account activity. One statement shows the activity over a "statement period," which is typically one month.

Banks are required to provide bank statements to customers for checking and savings accounts for any period in which an electronic funds transfer was made. So if you swiped your debit card, made an ATM withdrawal, or paid a bill from your account, you should receive a statement.

For many years, banks would print and mail monthly bank statements to every customer.

In an effort to reduce costs and paper waste, many financial institutions have stopped sending paper statements in favor of electronic statements — or else charging customers a small fee if they still want to receive a physical copy each month.

How much are paper statement fees?

Paper statement fees range from $0 to $5 at most financial institutions, though some will waive the fee if a customer meets certain qualifications.

Here are the paper statement fees at banks with the most branches around the U.S., as well as online banks:

*At these banks, the paper statement fee may vary depending on which checking account you open.

Depending on the bank, you may automatically be enrolled in e-statements but not paper statements or vice-versa.

Speak with a customer service representative or check your online account settings to make sure you aren't paying for paper statements if you don't want to receive them.

With e-statements, otherwise known as paperless statements, you see your transaction history on the bank's website or mobile app. There should be a menu option specifically for statements where you can sort by month.

Most banks charge a few dollars per month for paper statements, so opting for paperless statements eliminates this fee.

It's also better for the environment to receive your monthly statement electronically because the bank won't have to print and mail the paper to your home.

Some banks may also offer benefits when you opt for paperless statements. For example, a bank may waive your monthly maintenance fee or offer a cash sign-up bonus.

Paper statement fee FAQs

It depends on the bank. Some will waive the fee for customers who meet certain qualifications, such as age or minimum balance requirements, but it's not common.

E-statements are better for the environment, more cost-effective for financial institutions, and can offer better protection against identity theft .

Use unique passwords for all of your accounts, enable two-factor authentication where available, and avoid downloading your e-statements on a public computer.

If you'd rather receive paper statements, ask your bank if there's a way to reduce your banking fee for paper statements. Alternatively, consider printing your e-statements and keeping a file of them at home.

Banks may charge anywhere from $0 to $5 for paper bank statements.

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Cooper Street at I-94 closed due to overturned semi hauling scrap metal

• Updated: May. 24, 2024, 11:06 p.m. |
• Published: May. 24, 2024, 2:48 p.m.

This file photo shows a traffic backup in Southeast Michigan MLive Media Group

• Nathan Clark | [email protected]

JACKSON, MI – A semi hauling scrap metal overturned on Cooper Street at the I-94 interchange, closing the roadway in both directions.

The crash was reported at 2:31 Friday, May 24, on southbound Cooper Steet where a semi hauling a load of scrap metal overturned, spilling its contents onto the roadway, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation.

A passenger car also crashed into the overturned truck, though damage appears to be minimal, officials said.

No injuries are being reported at this time, though there is a large amount of scrap spilled on the roadway that needs to be removed.

It is unclear how long the roadway will be shut down. Motorists are advised to seek alternative routes.

Want more Jackson-area news? Bookmark the local Jackson news page or sign up for the free “ 3@3 Jackson ” daily newsletter.

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• Man who strangled woman to death with pair of pantyhose sentenced to 26-50 years in prison

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