It’s 2030. Your teenager has just finished school, and you’ve poured them a consolatory cup of tea after another UCAS login fails to load. Except… there is no UCAS. No endless forms. No panicked searches for exam certificates. And, perhaps most astonishingly, no 4,000-character personal statement filled with earnest enthusiasm for “lifelong learning.”

The process of applying to university is being reinvented faster than most of us realise, and by 2030 it will look, feel, and probably be completely different.

For decades, the personal statement has been the student’s one shot at individuality. A chance to tell the world how much they adore biology, volunteering, and the occasional late-night poetry session. But in the era of AI, that uniqueness has taken a hit.

Admissions tutors now know that a very convincing “I’ve always been fascinated by mitochondria” might not have come from the applicant’s mind at all, but from ChatGPT’s training data. Universities are already quietly trialling replacements: verified portfolios of evidence, skills-based assessments, and digital profiles that can be cross-checked in seconds.

The shift makes sense. As one head of admissions put it recently,

“We don’t want to read essays written by AI; we want to know what a student has done and can do.”

Before we get too misty-eyed about digital portfolios and blockchain verification, let’s take a moment to remember a true relic of the admissions past: the National Record of Achievement.

If you’re a Gen X or Millennial parent, you’ll remember it. A large burgundy (or sometimes blue) faux-leather folder, proudly embossed with your name, brimming with “evidence” of your budding brilliance. Inside were photocopied certificates, a dodgy reference from your work experience at WHSmith, and maybe a poem about environmental issues written in green gel pen.

It was, in its own way, an early attempt at the verified portfolio, except it relied entirely on sellotape and optimism. Most of us handed it to a slightly confused sixth-form tutor once, never saw it again, and have been carrying its spiritual equivalent in our lofts ever since.

So when we talk about the digital wallet of the future, perhaps we should think of it as the NRA 2.0: sleeker, smarter, and far less likely to fall apart on the bus.

One example of how this might work comes from Pearsana, a new digital "wallet" for verified academic and extracurricular achievements developed by Inspirus Global Education. The platform allows students to store and share verified records securely with universities around the world, a shift that could fundamentally change the admissions landscape.

Which Media, the parent company of WhichSchoolAdvisor.com, is now working in partnership with Inspirus and Pearsana to support the development and awareness of this technology. For families, it could finally mean the end of rummaging through drawers for a long-lost exam slip. For universities, it offers trust, a commodity that is becoming more valuable than ever.

But Pearsana is just one example of a much wider shift towards verification, transparency, and authenticity in education data, something the entire sector will need to grapple with over the next decade.

AI will not only write personal statements; it will also help read applications. Predictive analytics tools are already being used by some universities to identify the likelihood of student success. By 2030, algorithms could be assessing applicants based not only on grades but also on engagement data, digital learning portfolios, and even "learning potential" scores derived from coursework patterns.

That sounds futuristic, and a little unsettling, but advocates argue that it could make admissions fairer. Students who blossom later, or whose potential isn’t captured by exam performance alone, might finally get noticed.

Still, there are big questions. Who designs these algorithms? How do we prevent bias? And where does the human touch fit in? The consensus seems to be that, while AI will guide decision-making, final calls will still need people: compassionate, curious, slightly coffee-fuelled people who balance data with instinct.

This shift towards a more data-rich, verification-driven admissions landscape is already underway, says Gareth Maguire, CEO & Founder of Pearsana:

“The next decade will redefine how students present themselves to universities. Verification and digital identity will sit at the heart of that transformation. With Pearsana, our aim is to support families and institutions with a secure, global platform that brings authenticity and clarity back into the admissions process.

We’re proud to work with partners like Which Media to accelerate this shift. Together, we can build an ecosystem where universities can make confident decisions and students can showcase their real achievements — not just well-crafted statements. Trust will be the new currency of higher education, and verified records will underpin it.”

By 2030, applying to a university halfway across the world will be as seamless as applying to one down the road. Digital verification, global assessment frameworks, and virtual interviews are already blurring national boundaries. Students from Dubai to Durham will compete, and collaborate, on an international stage.

For schools, this will mean greater responsibility to guide families through an increasingly complex maze of options. For parents, it might mean a shift in focus from chasing prestige to finding the right personal fit. Rather than asking which university is the most famous, the question will become which one will help their child thrive. And for students, it’s a new kind of freedom: to match who they are with what’s out there, wherever “out there” happens to be.

When the dust settles, what will define the admissions process of 2030 will not be the latest piece of software or the cleverest algorithm. It will be trust. Trust in verified data, in fair assessment, and in universities that see beyond a personal statement.

Technology like Pearsana demonstrates that progress in admissions doesn’t have to come at the expense of humanity. By combining trust, transparency, and innovation, tools like this could help universities recognise not only achievement but also the curiosity and resilience that make each student unique.

By 2030, your teenager might not need to pour you that consolatory tea after all. Though, for everyone’s sanity, it’s probably best to keep the kettle on standby.