Personal statements and motivation letters: rules, structure and the AI warning

Three different documents with the same purpose

A transcript shows what a student did in their courses. A written text explains why they want the program and how they prepared for it. The name and rules of this text change with the country and the level:

• Personal statement: Written for bachelor's applications made through UCAS in the United Kingdom.
• Common App personal essay: Written for bachelor's applications made through Common App in the US.
• Motivation letter or Statement of Purpose: Asked for in some bachelor's programs in Europe and in most master's applications.

Programs can use these terms in different meanings. We suggest you start by reading each program's own instructions.

United Kingdom: UCAS's three questions

Starting with 2026 entry, the UCAS personal statement is not an open text but the answers to three questions:

1. Why do you want to study this course or subject?
2. How have your courses and your education prepared you for this course?
3. What have you done outside school to prepare, and why are these experiences useful?

The three answers together cannot be more than 4,000 characters including spaces. Each answer must be at least 350 characters. Because the limit is short, every sentence needs to carry new information.

For the first question, we suggest you choose a concrete event that started your interest in the subject. In the third question, a book you read, a project you did or an internship only helps if you connect it to the subject.

US: the Common App personal essay

For the 2026/27 application period, Common App kept the essay prompts the same as the year before. Students choose one of seven prompts and write at most 650 words:

• Your background, identity, interest or talent
• A challenge, setback or failure you experienced
• A belief or idea you questioned
• How a kindness shown to you affected you
• An event that led to your personal growth
• A topic that interests you so much that you lose track of time
• A topic of your own choice

According to Common App, the most chosen prompt recently was the last one, the open topic. After you make your school list, we suggest you check whether each school also asks for a supplemental essay in Common App.

Master's: motivation letter and SOP

For a master's, the length and content of the text change from program to program. TU Delft's MSc Geomatics program is a good example. The program asks applicants for a long motivation letter (Extended Letter of Motivation) and looks for the following in the letter:

• That you show why you chose this master's and that you understand the program
• That you relate your earlier education to the program. This program specifically names calculus and linear algebra
• That you show your computer and programming skills
• That the letter is consistent with your CV, your grades and your references

This list shows that the letter should answer the program's requirements and not be a general statement of interest. We suggest you find the evaluation criteria of every program you apply to and build the letter around those points.

A skeleton for building the letter

The order below is a good start for most motivation letters:

1. Opening: A concrete memory or project that shows your interest in the field. For example, instead of “I have wanted to be an engineer since I was young,” you can describe the moment you studied the failure log of a drone that crashed in a competition for three nights.
2. Academic preparation: Project, competition, internship or research experience that does not show up in the transcript, and what it gave you.
3. Why this program: A specific course, lab or practice in the program. Instead of phrases like “a strong program” that could be written for any school, we suggest you name a course.
4. Goals: Your plan for the first few years after graduation.
5. Closing: A short, clear paragraph summing up what you will bring to the program.

Common mistakes

UCAS's personal statement guide names some mistakes clearly:

• Exaggerating: Everything you write can be asked about in an interview.
• Using quotes and clichés: Your own words are wanted, not famous sayings and stock phrases.
• Copying: Sections taken from another text cause problems.
• Leaving it to the last day: A text written in a hurry can miss important information.
• Relying only on spell check: You need to read the text yourself several times.

We add one more to this list: sending the same letter to every school. Instead of changing the school name and using the same text, we suggest you write a paragraph specific to each program.

When you use AI tools

UCAS asks applicants to declare that the text was not copied from another source, including AI. Sections that are not your own sentences can be flagged as fraud by UCAS, and offers can be withdrawn. UCAS also scans texts with a similarity detection system.

According to UCAS, the following uses are fine:

• Brainstorming to find topics and ideas
• Getting suggestions on how to order your answers
• Checking a finished draft for spelling and grammar mistakes

TU Delft also requires that, if AI was used in the application, you clearly state which parts it was used for. Because rules change from school to school, we suggest you read each program's AI policy.

From draft to final text

UCAS expects applicants to write several drafts and suggests getting feedback from people they trust. A plan like this can help:

1. Write the first draft without expecting it to be perfect.
2. Take a one-day break and read the text again.
3. Get feedback from a teacher or a consultant.
4. Leave the language check for the very end.
5. For each school, review the program-specific part separately.

You can find the UCAS and Common App application dates in our application calendar. We suggest you start writing at least two months before the final deadline.