How to Apply for a Postgraduate Degree in the UK in 2024 Entry

Putting together your Postgraduate application for a Master's programme in the UK is no mean feat. Aside from choosing your course and location of study, the challenge of writing a stellar Postgraduate personal statement is one that sets many potential students on edge, far before they have even begun. We have put together a guide for anyone making a UCAS Postgraduate application, guaranteed to help supply the answers for anyone with reservations about what is required of them. Apply for a Postgraduate degree today, and let this summary guide you on the way to success!

Apply for postgraduate

UCAS Postgraduate

Though not all Postgraduate application processes are identical throughout, they all begin in the same way: with potential students submitting an application, with a document attached, through UCAS. As a potential student, you will no doubt discover this process is very similar to your application for your Undergraduate degree. If you completed your Undergraduate studies outside of the UK, or if you need a refresher, the application process can be largely broken down into stages.

Postgraduate Application In 2024

  • Time & Your Application - One thing you cannot afford to underestimate when it comes to applying for UCAS Postgraduate courses is the amount of time it may take to perfect your application. Though UCAS sets a general deadline for when applications have to be turned in by, it is worth remembering there are exceptions to this rule; Oxford and Cambridge for example, have a deadline far earlier than the UK standard. Before even beginning to write your application or UCAS personal statement, make sure you are aware of the specific deadlines for all of the universities you are applying to, and that you leave yourself enough time to write, edit, and re draft your own statement and application before submission. Time is of the essence when it comes to turning in a Postgraduate personal statement that truly reflects the best that you can be

  • Personal Statement - Writing a Postgraduate personal statement is far from easy, but eminently achievable. Your statement is your chance to demonstrate everything brilliant about you that cannot be summed up through your grades, previous degree, or academic record. Investing time in crafting a well-balanced, unique and engaging document will certainly make all the difference when it comes to helping you stand out from the crowd. Remember, university admissions boards read thousands of statements every year; ensuring your personal statement is entirely unique is one way to ensure your application is noticed, and hopefully shortlisted, by ‘the powers that be’. One way to ensure uniqueness is to avoid some of the following phrases, popularly used in statements for applications:

    • ‘Since I can remember’

    • ‘Ever since I was a child’

    • ‘I have always been inspired by’

    • ‘It has always been my ambition to’

Hackneyed or overused phrases will be viewed as justifiably unoriginal by university admissions boards, particularly when it comes to Postgraduate personal statements — you will have done this once before, after all! Aim to make your statement as original as you are yourself, and remember that as long as your story and motivations are unique, so too can your statement be.

  • Interview - Most, if not all, applications that are shortlisted come with the expectation that you will be asked to interview, before being offered a place on a Master's course. This expectation is compounded if you are applying for a clinical field, teaching, or to a Russell Group university for your Master's. Preparing thoroughly for your interview will almost certainly help you succeed on the day. Your UCAS personal statement, and the work you undertook during your Undergraduate degree, will likely form a large part of the questioning admissions boards put in your way. Make sure you know your statement inside and out, and make sure you are geared up to speak enthusiastically on anything you included within it!

  • Calm - As far as it is possible, after submitting your application via UCAS, try not to read back over your document, or any part of your application. At a time when very little is within your control, the best thing to do is to focus on what you can control, and ensure that every aspect of your Postgraduate application is completed to the very best of your ability. No matter the increased pressure, and heightened expectations when it comes to applying for a Postgraduate degree, there is no reason why you cannot be successfully offered a place, provided you are fully prepared to put your best foot forward at every stage.

  • Aftermath - Depending on the course, and university, you have applied to, you should hope to hear back from UCAS regarding the results of your application from January. This will depend largely on what universities you have applied to, and at what point you applied, or were invited to interview. Approximate dates of interview and results are available via the UCAS website, and online, via the websites of individual universities.

Postgraduate application

Postgraduate Personal Statement

Gone are the days when you were required to write your UCAS Master's application with no assistance from any third party. Though we would highly recommend you have a friend, teacher or family member proofread your statement for you prior to submission, there is another option at your disposal. Our company is a leading UK-based service, focused on creating bespoke and original professional statements for your Postgraduate degree.

An infamously stressful and complicated process, writing your document can be even more anxiety-inducing when you are applying at Postgraduate level. Fitting decades of personal experience into a small character limit is no mean feat, the stress of which compounds further if you, like many applicants to courses in the UK, are a student whose first language is not English. Our service is designed to ensure you receive a professional statement that is entirely fit for purpose when it comes to UCAS applications, guaranteeing swift delivery, an exemplary standard of writing, and perfect spelling and grammar throughout. 

Our expert writers are all 2.1 graduates from the UK’s best universities, and are proud of their decades of combined industry, and educational, experience. If you are in need of a specialist service to produce a perfect statement on your behalf, look no further than our services tiered packages for application delivery.

Master's Personal Statement

If you have a draft of your Postgraduate personal statement already completed, our proofreading and editing package could be a perfect fit for your needs. We do not add additional content, meaning that control of your statement remains entirely in your hands. Nor do we submit documents on your behalf; rather, we provide the second pair of eyes that can make a real difference when it comes to ironing out any errors in your statement you may have overlooked. Swift, professional service is guaranteed, ensuring your statement is returned, complete, within 48 hours, or as quickly as 24 hours, if you choose to go with our Express Service.

For those who require a complete, bespoke professional statement written on their behalf, our Standard service provides the ideal solution. We provide you with a questionnaire, allowing you the opportunity to detail your academic history, course information, and anything else we should know, prior to beginning the writing process. Our writers will then produce for you a flawless statement, allowing you a chance to suggest edits or changes, before the final draft is returned to you in full. 

Lastly, there is our Elite service, highly recommended for applications to Oxford or Cambridge, Postgraduate degrees, and degrees in dentistry, medicine, law or veterinary science. This package not only guarantees you a bespoke professional statement written in full, but a week of unlimited editing time to return your statement to your writer and suggest changes. For courses that require a step up in terms of the quality of your statement, the Elite package has all the answers.

Where additional material is required to bolster your university application, our writers are happy to help here also. From cover letters to CVs or resumes, editing a letter of recommendation, or ensuring you have your statements of intent laid out perfectly before beginning an application through UCAS, our writers are ready to rise to the occasion. 

Keen to find out more about how we can help with your Master's personal statement, for applications from within or outside the UK? Please do not hesitate to get in touch!