Applying to ACU Guarantee

Wondering what to write in the Personal Statement section of your ACU Guarantee application? Not sure if what you want to write is relevant? We’ve put together some guidance to help you out.

Notice: Applications for the ACU Guarantee entry program will open on 22 July and close on 16 September 2024.

Your ACU Guarantee personal statement

Completing the personal statement can improve your entry score for this program. It is important to be succinct and honest in your statements and remember, the information you share goes no further than your application.

You can complete one, two or all three statement options, depending on how many are relevant to your experiences in life. This is our first chance to learn about you and reward you for your ability to make an impact.

Statement 1 – Impact through empathy

This is where you can tell us how you give back to others, whether that is on a big or small scale. You will be asked to complete the statement, ‘I am a good candidate for university because….’ In this section, you might choose to tell us about your:

• contributions to your local community activities while studying
• volunteer or charity work while studying
• work to improve the environment
• contribution to helping those in need, including fellow students
• contribution to your school community, perhaps as a captain or other representative position of note. Remember, holding the position is not enough. You must share additional information about the good you’ve achieved in the position.

For example…

Throughout Years 11 and 12, I have held the position of School Mission Leader. This role allowed me to further my ability in leadership, collaboration and coordination of events. As part of my role, I worked with a local aged care community group, organising visits from our Prep students…. This program has taught me the value of inclusivity and of personal contact between people, especially those suffering from loneliness…. I believe that my work has had a positive impact on the Prep students and the elderly folk in our community.

Statement 2 – Impact through adversity

Some of you have had many difficult situations and circumstances to overcome. This is where you can show us your resilience. In this section, you might choose to tell us how you have:

• overcome financial hardship to continue senior study with help from Centrelink benefits
• overcome homelessness, been displaced from your family or spent time in care during secondary school
• overcome significant personal illness/disability during senior studies
• experienced changes to your family structure during secondary study
• experienced the death or serious illness of a close family member during secondary school
• overcome disrupted/disadvantaged schooling.

For example…

1.

Throughout Years 10 and 11, I battled the lingering effects of chronic fatigue syndrome which has decreased my ability to attend school and focus my attention in the classroom. It has also affected my mental health due to the stress of the potential impact on my future. To combat this condition, I have worked with my teachers to develop individual timelines and schooling hours, engaging help from external counsellors and health professionals. I have had to admit that I will not achieve a 99.95 but with help and guidance I have been able to maintain the best, passing grades I can and I’ve learned that life is about hard work and managing expectations.

2.

At the start of my Year 11, my family was in conflict which ended in my parents divorcing. I sat my first round of exams shuffling between two new households, with different access to the space, quiet and Wi-Fi I needed to prepare for my exams. Around me, my parents continued to fight over me and my siblings, pushing and pulling us in various directions. The conflict affected my concentration ability as well as my mental health. I became aware of the value of quiet space at school or public libraries and the benefits of teachers willing to devote some time to re-cover material with me. I struggled but I focussed on my future and have maintained grades which should allow me to enter my chosen course.

Statement 3 – Impact through family

Our backgrounds shape us and then we shape our world. In section 3 you have a chance to tell us how the experiences you’ve come through are shaping the world you’re making. For example, you might have:

• significant family or caring responsibilities including responsibility for financial, emotional, or physical support of family members
• a refugee or asylum seeker background
• moved interstate or internationally during senior schooling
• experienced significant loss in a natural disaster such as fire, flood or drought
• experienced discrimination or bullying, or witnessed that of a close friend/family.

For example…

1.

Like ACU, I stand for impact, empathy and change. As a member of a marginalised refugee community, I plan to make an impact on behalf of people like me. Will I change the world? Maybe not. Will I change my world and the world of others like me? Definitely. By attending university, I become a role model for girls from my community. By becoming a teacher, I will be able to give a positive educational experience to others and be a representative of my culture in the Australia of the future. Having battled bullying and cultural isolation at school has motivated me to represent my family and my culture on the stage of my community. That impact starts with studying at a university that shares my vision.

2.

As I started Year 12 this year, I learned my sister had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I’ve spent my year so far doing my best to support her through her treatment and struggles. While her illness is not my own and her prognosis is good, the impact on our family and home life has helped me to understand the importance of your environment on your ability to achieve and how support and kindness can make an immense difference to an individual. This has set my goal to study social work and offer support and guidance to those who are struggling, like my sister and those in worse situations. My impact will be small in number but huge in scale to those I work with.

Writing tips

• Be concise and factual – you don’t have a lot of space to tell us what we need to know.
• This is not an English test. We are interested in what you are telling us, you won’t lose points for spelling or punctuation errors.
• Try writing a draft first and then copying this to the portal so that you can change your mind if you want to before you commit to the submit button.
• Have a friend, family member or teacher read your draft statement. Two heads are better than one – they may pick up something you have overlooked.

Don’t forget

• Use a personal email address, like Gmail, when you apply. Don't use your school email address.
• Use a password you’ll remember easily.

Need help? Contact us

You can get in touch with AskACU or student support if you have any questions about the ACU Guarantee.

Email AskACU
Search our FAQ knowledge database
Call us on 1300 275 228.