The Ucas personal statement is to be replaced by a series of questions following concerns that it was too stressful for UK students.
The admissions service said it believes the change to the 4,000 character essay – which had previously been criticised for contributing to inequalities in higher education access – will create “a more supportive framework”.
Advocates of reform said the change will help “level the playing field” in university admissions.
The Future of Undergraduate Admissions report by Ucas also announced that academic references would become structured questions, and that students will be able to see a range of accepted entry grades for different courses to improve transparency.
