Planned reforms to the Ucas personal statement should be updated after a survey revealed that UK admissions professionals spend just two minutes reading them, according to a new report.
The admissions service announced earlier this year that it is to replace the controversial 4,000 character essay with a series of questions for students entering higher education from 2025 onwards.
A survey of more than 100 higher education admissions professionals – included in a policy note from the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) – found they spent an average of two minutes reading the essays.
Around four in 10 (39 per cent) of those surveyed – working across dozens of providers – said they spent one minute or less reading them.
