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Personal statement length checker

Do you want to know how long your personal statement is? You are in the right place.

**Important note – We don’t store or share your personal statement. It is 100% safe to use**

Benefits of using our personal statement checker:

• You don’t need to login to UCAS  and don’t need to use their tricky online form
• Our nifty checker uses their method of counting lines with 94 characters maximum per line
• It also uses their method of counting characters (including spaces etc.)
• Worried about the spelling, grammar and content of your statement? We offer an affordable personal statement editing service to improve the message of your personal statement.

Paste your personal statement below to check if it meets the UCAS Apply requirements for the number of lines and character length. Click “check length”.

NOTE : W e do not store your personal statement and you will not have problems with Turnitin. 

Make your personal statement stand out by removing grammar, spelling, punctuation and sentence errors: 

• We offer a personal statement editing service to improve the grammar, spelling and punctuation of your statement.  It only costs £30 and can really improve your personal statement before you send it to the institution you are applying for. Click on the order now button!

What is the UCAS personal statement word count?

UCAS does not specify a certain number of words. However, the personal statement is limited to 4,000 characters including spaces. You cannot use Word to check your statement length because they count words and spaces differently, hence why we have developed this tool for you.

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How to write a UCAS personal statement

Writing a great personal statement

Read our guide on what it is, what to include, how to start, length and what makes a good personal statement 

Once you've decided which universities and courses to apply for, completing your application is pretty simple – until it comes to how to write your UCAS personal statement.

This guide covers everything you need to know about how to write a personal statement for university. We look at what it is and how you can start your personal statement. We've also got questions to guide you and a suggested personal statement structure you can use so you know what to put in it.

If you'd like even more resources, support and UCAS personal statement examples, you can sign up to access our personal statement hub .

What is the UCAS personal statement?

How universities use your ucas personal statement, how to start a ucas personal statement.

• Get feedback on your UCAS personal statement

The personal statement is part of your UCAS application. It's how you show your chosen universities why you'll make a great student and why they should make you an offer.

Your personal statement also helps you think about your choice of course and your reasons for applying, so you know you’ve made the right decision.

Get feedback on your personal statement

Sign up to our personal statement hub to get feedback on your draft. You'll also get access to videos, help sheets and more tips.

Sign up now

UCAS personal statement word limit

Your personal statement length can be up to 4,000 characters long. 

This may sound a lot, but it's a word limit of around 550–1000 words with spaces and only about 1 side of typed A4 paper.

You need to keep it concise and make sure it's clear and easy to read.

Applying for multiple courses

Although you can apply for up to 5 courses on your UCAS application, you can only submit 1 personal statement. So it needs to cover all your course choices.

If you really want to show your commitment to applying for different courses, we will accept a second personal statement from you to reflect your application e.g. if you are applying for Law elsewhere, but Criminology and Criminal Justice with us.

Lots of students who apply to university have achieved the basic entry requirements and many more students apply than there are places available. Admissions teams can use your UCAS personal statement to get to know you and decide why you're more suitable than other applicants.

Some universities read every personal statement and score them. Then they use them alongside your qualifications and grades to decide whether to offer you a place or interview. Other universities put less emphasis on the personal statement and use it with students who have borderline entry requirements.

Universities might refer to your personal statement again on results day if you don't get the grades you need. So a good personal statement could clinch you a uni place even if your grades aren't what you hoped for.

Starting your personal statement can seem scary when you're staring at a blank screen. But, things will seem less daunting once you start.

• Set aside some time in a place where you're comfortable and won't be disturbed. Grab a notepad or computer.
• Write down anything and everything that's influenced your decision to go to university and study your chosen subject. Jot down your skills and experience too.
• Use the questions below to guide you. Don't worry about the personal statement length at this point – you can cut things out later.

When to start your UCAS personal statement

Ideally, you want to leave yourself plenty of time – a few weeks or even months – to plan and write your personal statement.

Try not to leave it to the last minute, as tempting as this may seem when you've got so many other things to think about.

Questions to guide you

Your motivation.

• Why do you want to study at university?
• Why do you want to study this subject?
• How did you become interested in this subject?
• What career do you have in mind after university?

Academic ability and potential

• How have your current studies affected your choice?
• What do you enjoy about your current studies?
• What skills have you gained from your current studies?
• How can you demonstrate you have the skills and qualities needed for the course?
• What qualities and attributes would you bring to the course and university?

Your experience

• What work experience (including part-time, charity and volunteer work) do you have and what have you learnt from it?
• What positions of responsibility have you held? (For example, prefect, captain of a team or member of a committee)
• What relevant hobbies or interests do you have and what skills have they helped you develop?
• What transferable skills do you have, such as self motivation, team working, public speaking, problem solving and analytical thinking?

Research and reading

• How do you keep up with current affairs or news in your chosen subject?
• What journals or publications relevant to your chosen subject do you read?
• Which people have influenced you, such as artists, authors, philosophers or scientists?

Now it's time to write your personal statement using your notes. It's best to draft it on a computer, and remember to save it regularly.

You can copy and paste it into your UCAS application when you're happy with it.

Personal statement structure

While there's no set template for a personal statement, you may find it useful to follow this personal statement structure when you decide what to put in your statement.

What to include in a personal statement

• Reasons for choosing this subject(s)
• Current studies and how these relate to your chosen subject(s)
• Experiences and how these relate to your chosen subject(s)
• Interests and responsibilities and how these relate to your chosen subject(s)
• Your future after university
• Summary including why you'll make a great student

Further tips for a good UCAS personal statement

• Use information on university websites and the UCAS website. This often includes the skills and qualities universities are looking for in applicants
• Ask friends, family and teachers to remind you of activities you've participated in. They might remember your successes better than you do
• Don’t include lists in your application, like a list of all your hobbies. Focus on 1 or 2 points and talk about them in depth to show their relevance to your application
• Explain and evidence everything. It’s easy to say you have a skill, but it's better to demonstrate it with an example of when and how you’ve used it
• Avoid clichéd lines such as ‘I've always wanted to be a teacher’ as it says nothing about your motivations or experiences
• If you’re applying for a joint degree or different subjects, give equal time to each area and try to find common aspects that show their similarities
• Never lie or plagiarise another statement – you'll be caught and it could result in your application being automatically rejected
• Proofread your personal statement by reading it out loud and ask friends, family or a teacher to check it for you

Sign up to our personal statement hub

Watch videos, get top tips and download our help sheets – that's what our personal statement hub is for. It's for you to write your story, so you can show your strengths, ideas and passion to your chosen universities.

You'll also be able send us your draft, so you can get feedback and feel confident about what you've written.

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Personal Statement for University Guidance

The approach of summer can be both an exciting and daunting time for many school and college students. It’s the time that you’ll be invited to lots of university open days, to see where you could be studying a subject you love. It’s also the time to sift through all those prospectuses you’ve collected to see what course interests you the most.

However, with UCAS applications opening in September, summer is certainly the time that you should be starting to prepare your applications, and that includes beginning to draft and write your personal statement.

If you’re not sure how to get started with preparing your personal statement for university, take a look at our helpful introduction below to learn more about the process. We’ll cover everything from what the UCAS personal statement word limit is, and what you should and shouldn’t include in your applications.

What is a UCAS personal statement?

A personal statement is a supporting piece of text, written by yourself, which describes your ambitions, skills, and experiences to prospective universities, colleges and conservatoires.

It’s a chance for you to show yourself off, to show these institutions why you would be a great student for them to have on their course, as demonstrated by your experience, skills and goals for the future.

Your personal statement is the first thing the admissions team will see when they receive your application, and it will help to determine the likelihood of an interview or even a place on the course you have applied for – so you need to make sure it’s the best it can be!

Is a personal statement 4000 characters with or without spaces?

Currently, the UCAS personal statement limit is 4000 characters, including spaces and blank lines.

What should be in a UCAS personal statement?

Your personal statement is all about you, and why you are a great candidate for the course you have chosen for further study.

As already mentioned, you should talk about your ambitions – why you want to study the subject you have selected and how you think it will benefit your future.

You should also talk about what your skills and strengths are, using evidence from school and extracurricular activities as to how these skills will transfer to university and help you to excel during your time there.

• ‘Look at course descriptions and identify the qualities, skills, and experience it requires – you can use these to help you decide what to write about.
• Tell the reader why you’re applying – include your ambitions, as well as what interests you about the subject, the course provider, and higher education.
• Think about what makes you suitable – this could be relevant experience, skills, or achievements you’ve gained from education, work, or other activities.
• Include any clubs or societies you belong to – sporting, creative, or musical.
• Mention any relevant employment experience or volunteering you’ve done, such as vInspired Awards, Step Together, or Project Trust.
• If you’ve developed skills through Duke of Edinburgh, ASDAN, National Citizen Service, the Crest Awards scheme, or young enterprise, tell them.
• If you took part in a higher education taster course, placement, or summer school, or something similar, include it.’

What should you not write in a personal statement?

<u> University names </u>

Despite students usually applying to more than one university on UCAS, you are only allowed to write one personal statement for all of your applications. Therefore, you should never include any universities, colleges or conservatoires by name in your application.

<u> Specific course names </u>

In addition, if the course you are applying for has a different name at different institutions, you shouldn’t include the exact name of the course in your personal statement. Instead, you should talk about the subject more broadly; why you are passionate about it, and what particular topic areas interest you.

<u> Pointless lists </u>

Student experience review site, Student Hut , recommends avoid listing things for the sake of trying to impress the reader. Instead, they recommend ‘make sure each point is relevant and backed up by evidence. Expand on statements in order to explain why you’re an ideal candidate.’

<u> Repeated application information </u>

Your personal statement is limited to 4000 characters, and so you shouldn’t waste any of those precious characters by repeating information that’s already covered on the application form. Study.com advises; ‘there’s no need to include your grade-point average…avoid repeating any answers that are requested on application forms.’ Instead, use your characters to show your personality, skills and ambition off.

<u> Any exaggeration </u>

From lying about secondary reading you have done, to bigging up a particular experience you have done, you should never exaggerate anything in your personal statement.

If you’re fortunate enough to be invited to an interview, the tutor will ask you questions about your personal statement and ask you to expand on points. If you’ve lied at any point, they’ll be able to see straight through you, and you could jeopardise gaining a place on the course.

For more advice on what you should and shouldn’t include in your personal statement for university, take a look at the official UCAS website for guidance.

Read to put pen to paper? Check out our blog on how to start writing your personal statement.

Alternatively, for further help and direction on how to write your personal statement and perfect your university applications, don’t forget to check out our online university guidance programme, Melio Guidance .

What is the purpose of a UCAS personal statement, and why is it a crucial element in the university application process?

A UCAS personal statement is a supporting piece of text written by the applicant to describe their ambitions, skills, and experiences to prospective universities, colleges, and conservatoires. It serves as an opportunity for the applicant to showcase themselves and explain why they would be an excellent student for the chosen course. The personal statement is a vital component of the application as it is the first thing the admissions team sees, influencing the likelihood of an interview or securing a place on the desired course.

What are the key elements to include in a UCAS personal statement, and where can applicants find additional tips for crafting an effective statement?

The UCAS personal statement should focus on the applicant's ambitions, reasons for choosing a particular subject, and how their skills and experiences make them an ideal candidate for the course. The UCAS website provides helpful tips, suggesting applicants look at course descriptions, identify required qualities, and discuss their ambitions and interests. It also recommends mentioning relevant experiences, clubs, societies, and any relevant employment or volunteering.

What are some things that applicants should avoid including in their UCAS personal statement?

Applicants should avoid including specific university or course names, as one personal statement is submitted for all applications. Additionally, they should refrain from including the exact name of the course if it varies between institutions. Pointless lists without relevance or evidence, repeated information already covered in the application form, and any form of exaggeration should be avoided. Lying or exaggerating can be detrimental during interviews and may jeopardize the chance of securing a place on the desired course. Applicants can find more guidance on what to avoid on the official UCAS website.

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Summer is the time to start your UCAS applications. Draft your personal statement (4000 characters with spaces) to showcase your ambitions, skills, and strengths. Avoid naming universities, pointless lists, and exaggeration. Get guidance from UCAS and Melio Guidance.

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CASPA Personal statement checker

Check your pa personal statement with our caspa character counter tool, personal statement guidelines and formatting.

• • CASPA personal statements must not exceed 5000 characters.
• • Characters can include spaces, carriage returns, symbols, numbers and punctuation.
• • Tabs, italics, multiple spaces and other styling are not allowed in the personal statement.
• • To delineate paragraphs, type a double return.

Note: If you check your character count in Microsoft Word it might be lower than the character count in CASPA because Word does not count a carriage return (the enter key) as a character. Our counter does count carriage returns to better comply with CASPA.

How to use our CASPA character counter

To use our CASPA character counter, start by typing into the text box above. Additionally, if you are using another source to type out your personal statement, you can copy and paste into our text box above.

As the text gets entered into the text box, you will notice the character count getting updated directly above the text box.

The character count on the top left represents the total characters typed so far out of 5000.

The character count on the top right represents the number of characters remaining.

If you go past the 5000 character limit, the two character counts will turn red. This is an indicator that you need to reduce the length of your personal statement.

When you are done typing in the text box, you can click the green Copy Text button to copy the text inside the text box. You can then paste this into the CASPA website.

Personal Statement FAQ

What is the caspa personal statement word limit, how long should your pa personal statement be.

CASPA has a character limit of 5000 characters. Paste your statement into our counter tool above to check your length.

How many words is 5000 characters?

Accoring to our Characters to Words Converter , 5000 characters is equal to an estimated 769 to 1000 words. Keep in mind that this estimate also includes spaces, periods etc.

Is the CASPA personal statement character limit with or without spaces?

It includes spaces. Also, spaces can include carriage returns (the enter key). However, tabs are not allowed. Keep in mind, Microsoft Word does not count carriage returns as a character and will give you a different character count than CASPA. Please use ours, as it will better comply with CASPA's formatting guidelines.

What is CASPA's personal statement prompt?

"Write a brief statement expressing why you are interested in being a Physician Assistant."

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5 Easy Ways to Make Your Personal Statement Fit the Character Count

Read our five tips for making your personal statement fit the character count!

One of the most frustrating parts of the university admissions process is cutting down the personal statement to less than 4000 characters and 47 lines. Trying to retain as much content as possible whilst remaining under this character count is a difficult process, so here are a few easy ways to make it slightly easier!

You’ve spent weeks refining your  personal statement – and there is now only one thing standing in the way of you and hitting send on your UCAS application: the UCAS character count. Here are the five proven way to make your personal statement fit the character count!

1. Avoid clichés and quotes

Every year, admissions tutors stress that there are a few personal statement mistakes to avoid , yet year after year, people continue to make them. Perhaps the most common of these mistakes are clichés and quotes.

Go through your personal statement and remove any clichés – for example, ‘I’ve wanted to do medicine since I was young’…

The same goes with quotes: unless they add true value to your personal statement (and most of the time they don’t!)  it is usually a good idea to remove them. You only have 4000 characters to let the admissions tutor know who you are, don’t waste it by giving them somebody else’s words!

Read exactly   how different medical schools use your personal statement

2. Make sure everything is relevant

A good way to cut words is to make sure you are never losing focus by using the “so what?” rule. For each sentence in your personal statement, ask “so what?”.

Does this sentence make me seem even more suitable for the course? If not, it is probably best to cut it. This often happens when people write long lists of their extracurriculars in a desperate attempt to fit everything in.

Universities, however, want to see reflection and what you have taken away from your experiences; this means it is usually better to just talk about a few extracurriculars and reflect on them, instead of listing a lot which someone reading it is likely to skim over.

Read   how to write about your exploration of medicine

Personal Statement Review

Get your Personal Statement reviewed by a Medical School Admissions Tutor or a high-flying Medic

3. Make use of colour coding

This is a quick tip, but an easy way to see where you are losing most of your characters is to highlight sections of your personal statement.

For example, if you put each of your sections – work experience, volunteering, extracurriculars and so on – in different colours, it is suddenly a lot easier to identify which section is particularly heavy in terms of characters.

If one section is much longer than the rest without there being a good reason for this, it is usually a good indication that you should start cutting there.

Read our  11-step checklist for your personal statement

4. Watch your language

We often spend a lot of time looking up big words on thesaurus.com in the hope that it will make our work sound more impressive. However, in light of the UCAS character count, this is not always the best approach.

Long, “impressive” words can often hinder meaning and make it more difficult for the person reading your work to follow, especially after they have already read many personal statements that day. It is often best to cut these words in favour of more simple and concise sentences using straightforward language.

If you are still looking to remove characters, it is helpful to look through your personal statement for adverbs and adjectives. Often, we use these words as filler words which do not add much value to our writing. Go through all the adverbs and adjectives you have used and check whether they actually add any value or are merely taking up unnecessary characters.

Read about  the writing style of medicine personal statements

5. Still need to shave off the last few characters?

Once it’s down to the last few characters, there are a few small things you can do to push your personal statement down to the 4000 character mark. Firstly, some ‘and’s can be removed in favour for full stops to make shorter, crisper sentences.

Another thing to note is that it is not necessary to use names, for example of hospitals or of places you volunteer, which can remove those final few characters from your count.

Don’t worry that cutting it down will make your personal statement worse – universities know that you can’t write about everything you want to in 4000 characters!

I hope these tips have been useful and good luck with your personal statements!

Written by: Cambridge Medicine Student

• How Medical Schools Use Your Personal Statement
• How to Structure a Personal Statement
• How to Write a Personal Statement

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UCAS Personal Statement Advice

The Personal Statement is the most important part of the UCAS application - one that you will probably stress most about. 

This is your time to show who you are and why you want to study the course. A good personal statement should reflect your individuality, show your enthusiasm and commitment to the course, show admissions tutors that you are worth offering a place to and explain why the university should want you as a student. 

WATCH OUR VIDEO GUIDE

Law student Dave and Law lecturer and Admissions Tutor Chaynee offer advice on how to write a winning Personal Statement.

The UCAS Personal Statement is a marketing tool for your interests, talents and accomplishments. If you’re not invited for an interview, admissions tutors (the people who decide on who gets a place on their courses) rely on your statement when making their decision. 

Every single personal statement is read! 

You are competing against many other applicants and have to sell yourself. It’s important to take care in considering what you want to say and how to say it. 

Writing your UCAS Personal Statement can only be done properly when you are sure about what you want to do and why, so don’t start before you do. Look at the subject and the course details to get a clearer picture of what studying those courses will involve and remember that you can always ring Admissions Tutors if you have any questions. 

Tutors like well-rounded, responsible individuals, with a range of interests and well-organised enough to cope with university-level study. They're looking for motivation and potential and expect the statement to relate to your choice of course. 

Tutors will read hundreds of personal statements, many of which are dull, so make yours interesting! 

When you're writing your UCAS personal statement you should explain why you want to study that subject and give specific reasons for your interest in the course. Show evidence of research and background reading and make it clear that you’re prepared for studying the course - especially if it is a vocational course or a subject that you haven't studied before. What are your career plans for when you finish the course? 

Include information about any relevant job, work placement or voluntary experience – especially if it’s helped you develop skills and give experience that you wouldn't get through school or college. Have you attended any summer schools or related lectures?  

If you’re applying for different subjects on the same form, you’ll need to explain why that is, otherwise the universities might feel that you haven’t made up your mind. 

Most admissions tutors want to know more about you than just your academic qualifications, they love students who put themselves out to achieve something and enjoy a life outside their studies - i.e. they want to see what makes you tick! 

Include any hobbies/interests you may have and, if possible, relate them to how they will make you a better student, and mention any involvement with any other extracurricular groups e.g., the Duke of Edinburgh Award. 

If possible, include anything which shows that you have an intelligent interest in the world. Mention any positions of responsibility, evidence of self-motivation and any hurdles you’ve had to overcome and use these to show your character and your strengths. If you’re planning to take a gap year, explain why. 

The maximum size of your UCAS personal statement is 47 lines – that’s around 500-550 words, size 12 font. The maximum number of characters is 4000, and this includes spaces. 

Your reason for wanting to study your chosen course is the first thing tutors will look for and will usually be the opening part of a statement. 

BUT - Don’t start with “I’ve always wanted to study…” 

It is important to hook the reader and grab the attention of the Admissions Tutor from the start.  If you have a unique selling point, this is where it should be mentioned. 

Be personal and positive - and don't be bland.

• Don’t start every sentence with “I” 
• Write what comes naturally 
• Tone should not be over-familiar nor over-formal 
• Be honest – don’t lie! 
• Finish on a high note 
• Make a few copies 
• Take your time, be patient and get it right 
• Re-read prospectuses and information about the subject/course before you start 
• Don’t mention a university by name 
• Check that each sentence adds something new 
• Use the most relevant and recent examples of hobbies and extra-curricular activities 
• Ask a friend or careers advisor to read through your statement and check for typos 

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