Personal statement and statement of purpose

A personal statement is likely to focus on how your personal motivations, experiences and values have contributed to why you are applying to the course.

A statement of purpose is likely to focus primarily on your research interests, academic background and career objectives and why you are applying to the course.

The suggestions above are for guidance only. It is not unusual for elements of a personal statement to be included in a statement of purpose and vice versa. Since the requirements will vary significantly between courses, you should check the instructions in the Completing your application section of the relevant course page.

Start by thinking about the skills, knowledge and interests you’ve acquired over time and how the course at Oxford will take them forward.

Your story

Your statement is the story you want to tell about yourself and your academic work to the department you are applying to.

Most of your application and its supporting documents communicate plain facts about your academic career so far. Your personal statement or statement of purpose is your best opportunity to put these facts into context and show assessors how you’ve progressed and excelled.

Make sure you highlight evidence of your achievements (a high grade in a relevant area, an award or scholarship, a research internship).

Presenting yourself

Make it easy for an assessor to see how you meet the entry requirements for the course (you can find these on each course page). Don’t make any assumptions about what Oxford is looking for!

Get to know your department

You want to study this particular subject and you want to study at Oxford, but why is Oxford the right place for you to study this subject? What interests or qualities of the academic department and its staff make it attractive to you?

Use your academic department’s website for an overview of their research, academic staff and course information (you'll find a link to the department's own website on each course page).

Talk it out

Talking to others about your statement can be a great way to gather your ideas and decide how you’d like to approach it. 

Know your format

Make sure you’ve read all the guidance on the Completing your application section of your course page, so you know what’s needed in terms of the word count of the final statement, what it should cover and what it will be assessed for. This should help you to visualise roughly what you want to end up with at the end of the process.

Make a start

When it comes to writing your personal statement or statement of purpose, just getting started can be the hardest part.

One good way to get around writer’s block is to just put it all down on the page.

You’ll be editing later anyway so don’t let the blank page intimidate you - try writing a little under each of the following headings to get started:

• areas of the course at Oxford that are the most interesting to you
• which areas you've already studied or had some experience in
• what you hope to use your Oxford course experience for afterwards. 

Get some feedback

Once you’ve got a draft of about the right length, ask for feedback on what you’ve written. It might take several drafts to get it right.

This could involve getting in touch with some of your undergraduate professors to ask them to read your draft and find any areas which needed strengthening.

You could also show it to people who know you well, like family or friends.

Be yourself

Finally - be genuine and be yourself. Make sure your personal statement or statement of purpose represents you, not your idea about what Oxford might be looking for.

We have thousands of students arriving every year to undertake study or research in a huge range of subjects, and they come from many backgrounds, institutions and countries.

If you have questions about the permitted content and length of your personal statement or statement of purpose, contact the relevant academic department using the contact details on the relevant course page.