2026-27 Essay Season

College Supplemental
Essay Guides

180 schools covered. Exact prompts, admitted student stats, failure modes, and AI score benchmarks — all free.

180 guides available

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A supplemental essay is the school-specific writing a college asks for in addition to your Common App personal statement — the “why us,” “why this major,” and community prompts that change from one school to the next, and from one year to the next.

They are where most applications are actually won or lost, because they are the only part of your application written for one school alone.

  • Exact promptsTranscribed from the Common App, never paraphrased.
  • Admitted student statsGPA and test score ranges for admitted applicants.
  • What each prompt is testingThe read behind the question, and the failure mode readers see most.
  • Score benchmarksWeak and strong answers, scored side by side.

Verified for 2026-27. We re-check every school’s prompts against its live application each cycle. If a school hasn’t posted its 2026-27 questions yet, we say so on the page instead of showing you last year’s. See everything that changed this cycle →

🏛️ Ivy League Supplemental Essay Guides

Brown University

Providence, RI

Read Guide → Columbia University

New York, NY

Read Guide → Cornell University

Ithaca, NY

Read Guide → Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH

Read Guide → Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

Read Guide → Princeton University

Princeton, NJ

Read Guide → University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

Read Guide → Yale University

New Haven, CT

Read Guide →

⭐ Elite Research University Essay Guides

Caltech

Pasadena, CA

Read Guide → Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA

Read Guide → Duke University

Durham, NC

Read Guide → Emory University

Atlanta, GA

Read Guide → Georgetown University

Washington, D.C.

Read Guide → Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

Read Guide → MIT

Cambridge, MA

Read Guide → Northeastern University

Boston, MA

Read Guide → Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Read Guide → Rice University

Houston, TX

Read Guide → Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Read Guide → Tufts University

Medford, MA

Read Guide → University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

Read Guide → University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN

Read Guide → Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN

Read Guide → Washington University in St. Louis

St. Louis, MO

Read Guide →

📚 Liberal Arts College Essay Guides

Amherst College

Amherst, MA

Read Guide → Bard College

Annandale-on-Hudson, NY

Read Guide → Barnard College

New York, NY

Read Guide → Bates College

Lewiston, ME

Read Guide → Bowdoin College

Brunswick, ME

Read Guide → Bryn Mawr College

Bryn Mawr, PA

Read Guide → Bucknell University

Lewisburg, PA

Read Guide → Carleton College

Northfield, MN

Read Guide → Claremont McKenna

Claremont, CA

Read Guide → Colby College

Waterville, ME

Read Guide → Colgate University

Hamilton, NY

Read Guide → College of the Holy Cross

Worcester, MA

Read Guide → Colorado College

Colorado Springs, CO

Read Guide → Connecticut College

New London, CT

Read Guide → Cornell College

Mount Vernon, IA

Read Guide → Davidson College

Davidson, NC

Read Guide → Denison University

Granville, OH

Read Guide → Dickinson College

Carlisle, PA

Read Guide → Elon University

Elon, NC

Read Guide → Franklin & Marshall College

Lancaster, PA

Read Guide → Grinnell College

Grinnell, IA

Read Guide → Hamilton College

Clinton, NY

Read Guide → Harvey Mudd College

Claremont, CA

Read Guide → Haverford College

Haverford, PA

Read Guide → Kenyon College

Gambier, OH

Read Guide → Lafayette College

Easton, PA

Read Guide → Macalester College

St. Paul, MN

Read Guide → Middlebury College

Middlebury, VT

Read Guide → Mount Holyoke College

South Hadley, MA

Read Guide → Oberlin College

Oberlin, OH

Read Guide → Occidental College

Los Angeles, CA

Read Guide → Pitzer College

Claremont, CA

Read Guide → Pomona College

Claremont, CA

Read Guide → Reed College

Portland, OR

Read Guide → Scripps College

Claremont, CA

Read Guide → Skidmore College

Saratoga Springs, NY

Read Guide → Smith College

Northampton, MA

Read Guide → St. Lawrence University

Canton, NY

Read Guide → Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, PA

Read Guide → Trinity College (CT)

Hartford, CT

Read Guide → University of Richmond

Richmond, VA

Read Guide → Vassar College

Poughkeepsie, NY

Read Guide → Washington and Lee University

Lexington, VA

Read Guide → Wesleyan University

Middletown, CT

Read Guide → Williams College

Williamstown, MA

Read Guide →

🏫 Public University Essay Guides

Arizona State University

Tempe, AZ

Read Guide → Auburn University

Auburn, AL

Read Guide → Binghamton University (SUNY)

Binghamton, NY

Read Guide → Clemson University

Clemson, SC

Read Guide → Georgia Tech

Atlanta, GA

Read Guide → Indiana University Bloomington

Bloomington, IN

Read Guide → Louisiana State University

Baton Rouge, LA

Read Guide → Miami University

Oxford, OH

Read Guide → Ohio State University

Columbus, OH

Read Guide → Penn State University

University Park, PA

Read Guide → Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN

Read Guide → Temple University

Philadelphia, PA

Read Guide → UC Berkeley

Berkeley, CA

Read Guide → UC Davis

Davis, CA

Read Guide → UC Irvine

Irvine, CA

Read Guide → UC Merced

Merced, CA

Read Guide → UC Riverside

Riverside, CA

Read Guide → UC San Diego

La Jolla, CA

Read Guide → UC Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, CA

Read Guide → UC Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, CA

Read Guide → UCLA

Los Angeles, CA

Read Guide → UNC Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC

Read Guide → University at Buffalo (SUNY)

Buffalo, NY

Read Guide → University of Alabama

Tuscaloosa, AL

Read Guide → University of Cincinnati

Cincinnati, OH

Read Guide → University of Delaware

Newark, DE

Read Guide → University of Houston

Houston, TX

Read Guide → University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

Read Guide → University of Kentucky

Lexington, KY

Read Guide → University of Michigan

Ann Arbor, MI

Read Guide → University of Missouri

Columbia, MO

Read Guide → University of Oklahoma

Norman, OK

Read Guide → University of Oregon

Eugene, OR

Read Guide → University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA

Read Guide → University of South Carolina

Columbia, SC

Read Guide → University of Tennessee

Knoxville, TN

Read Guide → University of Utah

Salt Lake City, UT

Read Guide → University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA

Read Guide → UT Austin

Austin, TX

Read Guide → William & Mary

Williamsburg, VA

Read Guide →

🌆 Private University Essay Guides

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA

Read Guide → Boston University

Boston, MA

Read Guide → Case Western Reserve University

Cleveland, OH

Read Guide → Chapman University

Orange, CA

Read Guide → Fordham University

New York, NY

Read Guide → Lehigh University

Bethlehem, PA

Read Guide → New York University

New York, NY

Read Guide → Rochester Institute of Technology

Rochester, NY

Read Guide → Southern Methodist University

Dallas, TX

Read Guide → Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY

Read Guide → Tulane University

New Orleans, LA

Read Guide → University of Miami

Coral Gables, FL

Read Guide → University of Rochester

Rochester, NY

Read Guide → University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA

Read Guide → Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, NC

Read Guide →

✝️ Catholic & Jesuit University Essay Guides

Baylor University

Waco, TX

Read Guide → Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA

Read Guide → Brigham Young University

Provo, UT

Read Guide → Fordham University

New York, NY

Read Guide → Georgetown University

Washington, D.C.

Read Guide → Gonzaga University

Spokane, WA

Read Guide → Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA

Read Guide → Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, IL

Read Guide → Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI

Read Guide → Pepperdine University

Malibu, CA

Read Guide → Saint Louis University

St. Louis, MO

Read Guide → Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, CA

Read Guide → Texas Christian University

Fort Worth, TX

Read Guide → Univ. of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA

Read Guide → University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN

Read Guide → University of San Diego

San Diego, CA

Read Guide → Villanova University

Villanova, PA

Read Guide →

🖤 HBCU Supplemental Essay Guides

Florida A&M University

Tallahassee, FL

Read Guide → Hampton University

Hampton, VA

Read Guide → Howard University

Washington, DC

Read Guide → Morehouse College

Atlanta, GA

Read Guide → Morgan State University

Baltimore, MD

Read Guide → North Carolina A&T

Greensboro, NC

Read Guide → Spelman College

Atlanta, GA

Read Guide → Xavier University of Louisiana

New Orleans, LA

Read Guide →

🎓 More College Essay Guides

American University

Washington, D.C.

Read Guide → Babson College

Babson Park, MA

Read Guide → Brandeis University

Waltham, MA

Read Guide → Colorado School of Mines

Golden, CO

Read Guide → CU Boulder

Boulder, CO

Read Guide → Drexel University

Philadelphia, PA

Read Guide → Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL

Read Guide → George Washington University

Washington, D.C.

Read Guide → Ithaca College

Ithaca, NY

Read Guide → Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI

Read Guide → NC State University

Raleigh, NC

Read Guide → RPI

Troy, NY

Read Guide → Rutgers University

New Brunswick, NJ

Read Guide → Stevens Institute of Technology

Hoboken, NJ

Read Guide → Stony Brook University

Stony Brook, NY

Read Guide → Texas A&M University

College Station, TX

Read Guide → U Illinois Chicago

Chicago, IL

Read Guide → U Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL

Read Guide → UMass Amherst

Amherst, MA

Read Guide → University of Arizona

Tucson, AZ

Read Guide → University of Connecticut

Storrs, CT

Read Guide → University of Denver

Denver, CO

Read Guide → University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

Read Guide → University of Georgia

Athens, GA

Read Guide → University of Maryland

College Park, MD

Read Guide → University of Minnesota

Minneapolis, MN

Read Guide → University of Vermont

Burlington, VT

Read Guide → University of Washington

Seattle, WA

Read Guide → University of Wisconsin

Madison, WI

Read Guide → US Air Force Academy

Colorado Springs, CO

Read Guide → US Naval Academy

Annapolis, MD

Read Guide → Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

Read Guide → Wellesley College

Wellesley, MA

Read Guide → West Point

West Point, NY

Read Guide → Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, MA

Read Guide →

Supplemental Essay FAQ

Do all colleges require supplemental essays?

No. Plenty of schools ask for nothing beyond the Common App personal statement — among the guides here, that includes schools like Temple, Franklin & Marshall, and Saint Louis University. Others ask for anywhere from one short answer to seven separate essays. Each guide states exactly what its school requires, including prompts that only appear if you apply to a specific college, honors program, or second-choice major.

When are the 2026-27 supplemental essay prompts released?

Most colleges post their new prompts to the Common App between mid-August and September 1, when the application opens for the cycle. A few publish earlier on their own admissions sites, and a handful run late. Every guide on this page has been checked against its school's live 2026-27 application.

How long should a supplemental essay be?

Follow the stated limit — it is the assignment, not a suggestion. In practice the range runs from 25-word short answers up to 650 words, with 150 and 250 words being the most common. Short prompts are the hardest: a 150-word answer has no room for an introduction, so the specific detail has to arrive in the first sentence.

Can I reuse the same supplemental essay for more than one school?

Structure and material, yes. The finished essay, rarely. A useful test: if you could swap in a different school's name and the essay would still make sense, it is not doing its job. The strongest “why us” answers name a specific course, lab, program, or requirement that exists at one school and nowhere else.

What makes a supplemental essay fail?

Almost always the same thing: writing about the school instead of about yourself. Praising a university's reputation, ranking, or beautiful campus tells an admissions reader nothing they do not already know. Each guide lists the specific failure mode readers see most often for that school, alongside weak and strong examples scored side by side.

Is it cheating to have AI review my essay?

Reviewing is not the same as writing. Our scoring tool is built to coach — it points at what is vague, what is unsupported, and what is off-prompt, and it deliberately gives fill-in-the-blank suggestions rather than paste-ready sentences. The words that end up in your application need to be yours, both because colleges screen for AI-written text and because an essay in someone else's voice is a weaker essay.

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