{"id":73591,"date":"2024-07-24T00:14:51","date_gmt":"2024-07-24T04:14:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=73591"},"modified":"2024-07-24T00:14:51","modified_gmt":"2024-07-24T04:14:51","slug":"will-replacing-personal-statements-with-application-questions-make-university-admissions-fairer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/will-replacing-personal-statements-with-application-questions-make-university-admissions-fairer\/","title":{"rendered":"Will replacing personal statements with application questions make university admissions fairer?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Prospective students will no longer be asked to write personal statements as part of their application to university in the UK, the admissions organisation Ucas\u00a0has announced<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Instead of writing a single 4,000 character personal statement, from 2026 applicants will instead have to answer three questions. These ask why they want to study a particular course, how their education has prepared them for it, and how their experiences beyond education have contributed to their preparation. In total, responses to the three questions will still add up to the same 4,000 character limit.<\/p>\n

The change is intended to make the application process fairer. Young people from less privileged backgrounds may not get\u00a0the same support<\/a>\u00a0in writing their statement \u2013 or be able to detail the same extensive extracurricular achievements \u2013 as their wealthier peers.<\/p>\n

As experts on student access and widening participation to higher education, we think the questions replacing the personal statement look sensible. They provide structure and should help students focus on what is important. But a more radical approach to admissions is required to create an equitable process for all students.<\/p>\n

Ucas has faced pressure for some time to make such a change. A 2022 report from\u00a0higher education think tank Hepi<\/a>\u00a0showed that students from backgrounds underrepresented in higher education found including academic discussion in their statement and structuring it challenging. They also felt unsure about how to impress admissions tutors.<\/p>\n

More generally,\u00a0persistent gaps remain<\/a>\u00a0between the educational opportunities afforded to the most privileged in society and those who have been systematically and institutionally disadvantaged.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more,\u00a0admission gaps<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 the difference in the proportion of students from advantaged and disadvantaged backgrounds \u2013 are often highest in the most prestigious and competitive courses and institutions. These gaps have\u00a0grown since 2018<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Writing about their rationale for selecting the course should help students clarify their own intentions, as well as demonstrating their commitment to the admissions tutors. The second question, focusing on a student\u2019s academic preparation for the course, should be straightforward to answer if they have studied a related set of prior qualifications. It may be trickier when a student is applying for a course which isn\u2019t directly related to their previous academic experience.<\/p>\n

The final question is probably the hardest for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, as it asks about preparation for the course outside the classroom. This may be less easy to answer if a student\u2019s financial or social situation has prevented them from engaging in extracurricular activities. This might be because of costs or caring responsibilities.<\/p>\n

While these changes are welcome, we believe a more radical approach to admissions is required if we are serious about creating a more equitable process for all students. Research analysis of personal statements has\u00a0shown that<\/a>\u00a0applicants from different backgrounds do not have the same level of preparation for this aspect of university entrance, and this is likely to also be true of the questions replacing the long personal statement.<\/p>\n

But rather than scrap the personal statement altogether, the response has been to improve the information and guidance provided to students. By making the process clearer, the changes announced by UCAS should lead to a reduction in the cultural and social advantages enjoyed by more privileged students. In addition, the approach using short answer questions aligns with inclusive recruitment processes now seem more widely in the world of work.<\/p>\n

Further change<\/strong><\/h4>\n

However further change is needed to make access to higher education truly fair. This would involve recognising that educational disadvantages prevent some students from reaching their academic potential, and that the intensive nature of private and elite education can exaggerate the academic strengths of other candidates.<\/p>\n

Ucas itself has led the way in this area. It produces a\u00a0\u201cmultiple equality measure\u201d<\/a>, which uses student data to categorise applicants into five groups. Students in each of these groups have similar levels of educational advantage, allowing for fairer comparison against their peers.<\/p>\n

This information allows universities to make\u00a0\u201ccontextual offers\u201d<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 perhaps giving students from more disadvantaged backgrounds more consideration, an offer with lower required grades or an unconditional offer.<\/p>\n

There is a growing acknowledgement within higher education that this process of contextualising admissions is important to make university admissions fairer. However, not all universities make contextual offers and some view the reduction in entry tariff \u2013 a common component of contextual admission policies \u2013 as\u00a0potentially risking<\/a>\u00a0the quality of the student intake and the university\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, universities\u00a0may use their own measures<\/a>\u00a0to determine their contextual admission policies. This maintains institutional autonomy and means universities can be responsive to their local context. But the added complexity can be a barrier to uptake if applicants can\u2019t easily understand where and how they qualify for such schemes, or what benefits they might receive as a result.<\/p>\n

The change to the personal statement is a good move. But higher education needs to be doing more. This includes improving and\u00a0potentially standardising current approaches<\/a>\u00a0to contextual admission policies. They need to be a major part of the admissions landscape if universities are to make real progress towards helping students from all backgrounds access higher education.<\/p>\n

Author Bios:<\/strong> Helena Gillespie is Associate Pro Vice Chancellor for Student Inclusion and Professor of Learning and Teaching in Higher Education and Mark Walmsley is a Lecturer in the Humanities and Widening Participation Academic Lead both at the University of East Anglia<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Prospective students will no longer be asked to write personal statements as part of their application to university in the UK, the admissions organisation Ucas\u00a0has announced. Instead of writing a single 4,000 character personal statement, from 2026 applicants will instead have to answer three questions. These ask why they want to study a particular course, […]\n… learn more→<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[435036],"coauthors":[11733],"class_list":["post-73591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-higher-education","tag-2026-applicants"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWill replacing personal statements with application questions make university admissions fairer? - World leading higher education information and services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/will-replacing-personal-statements-with-application-questions-make-university-admissions-fairer\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Will replacing personal statements with application questions make university admissions fairer? - World leading higher education information and services\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Prospective students will no longer be asked to write personal statements as part of their application to university in the UK, the admissions organisation Ucas\u00a0has announced. 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