Postgraduate Personal Statements

How do you write a postgraduate personal statement?

We recommend you follow these steps to help you write a great postgraduate personal statement:

1. Research the course you are applying for and see what information the university would like you to include (if any)
2. Think about why you want to study for a postgraduate course and how it will benefit you
3. How does the course fit your skills and experience?
4. What do you plan to do with your future career?
5. How will you contribute to the department/university over the next couple of years?

If you're applying for a subject that is in a different field to your undergraduate degree, think about:

• how your undergraduate degree will help you with your postgraduate studies
• the reasons for deciding to change your field of study
• how changing your direction of study will help you with your future career.  

What should I include in my postgraduate personal statement?

When writing your postgraduate statement, make sure you include:

• relevant study e.g. projects, dissertations, essays
• work experience
• skills and personal traits, such as research, critical thinking, communication, organisation, planning and time-management
• any appropriate hobbies or extracurricular activities
• provide strong reasons why you want to study this particular subject
• talk about what has influenced your decision and why
• mention your career plans and any other future ambitions
• demonstrate what makes you a great candidate and why you shoud be chosen over other applicants.

Remember that this is your opportunity to differentiate yourself from other candidates and explain why the university should offer you a place on their postgraduate course.

For more help on what to include in your posgtraduate personal statement, take a look at our postgraduate personal statement examples.

How should I structure my postgraduate personal statement?

Make sure your statement is focused and the paragraphs flow well together.

Generally, your personal statement should:

• have an eye-catching and interesting introduction, and an engaging middle part and conclusion
• have an introduction that acts as a framework for the rest of your statement, with the main part of your statement detailing your interests, experience and knowledge
• be between 250 and 500 words 
• have short sentences of no more than 25-30 words
• use headings (if you wish) to break up the content - for example, 'Why this university?' 'Why this subject?' 'Ability', 'Personal experience' and 'Career aspirations'
• back everything you say up with examples, using your personal traits, skills, hobbies/interests, and work experience.
• don't start sentences with over-used phrases such as "I have always wanted to be..." or "From a very young age..".
• write a solid conclusion that summarises your main points and mentions your ambitions once you have completed your postgraduate course.

For more tips and advice, read our personal statement writing guide.

How long should a postgraduate statement be?

A Masters personal statement should generally be around 500 words long.

This is around one side of A4, although some universities require more, often two sides.

Some institutions also set a character limit instead of a specific word count, so check the guidelines before starting to write your statement.