Admitted Student Profile
GPA (Unweighted)
3.30-3.90
SAT Range (Middle 50%)
1150-1340
ERW: 570-660 · Math: 580-680
ACT Range (Middle 50%)
22-28
📌 The University of Houston requires a short admissions essay (via the Common App — prompts 1, 2, 3, or 5 — or the ApplyTexas essay) and has no separate supplement. Note: the Honors College requires a 3–5 page LITERARY ANALYSIS (of a book, play, poem, or speech), NOT a personal essay.
Application Deadlines
Scholarship / Admission PriorityNov 2
Regular DecisionMay 31
Essay Overview
For 2026-27, the University of Houston requires a short admissions essay — via the Common App (a choice of prompts 1, 2, 3, or 5) or the ApplyTexas essay — and has no school-specific supplement. It's used in holistic review, especially if you don't meet assured-admission thresholds. Separately, UH's Honors College requires something unusual: a 3–5 page literary analysis (a thesis-driven analysis of a book, play, short story, poem, or speech) — personal essays are not accepted for Honors.
Admissions Essay Required (Common App prompt 1/2/3/5 or ApplyTexas)
250–650 words
Required
Supplemental Essay None for 2026-27
—
Not required
Honors College — Literary Analysis Honors applicants; NOT a personal essay
3–5 pages
Optional
What They're Really Looking For
1
Your admissions essay is the whole personal read. With no supplement, the essay UH requires is where it meets you. Tell one specific, true story — not a résumé recap.
2
Apply by Nov 2 for priority + scholarships. UH's scholarship and admission priority hinges on the early-November deadline. Same essay, earlier submission, more on the table.
3
Honors is a different genre — a literary analysis. If you're applying to the Honors College, don't submit a personal essay. Reuse a strong, thesis-driven English paper analyzing a text (3–5 pages).
The Official Prompts — 2026-27
A response to one of Common App prompts 1, 2, 3, or 5 (or the ApplyTexas essay). Required for holistic review; there is no UH-specific supplement.
A 3–5 page literary analysis with a central thesis and supporting arguments (a book, play, short story, poem, or speech). Personal essays and research papers are NOT accepted. UH suggests reusing a paper written for an English class.
The #1 Failure Mode
Submitting a generic personal statement late. With no supplement and a priority deadline, applicants coast on a résumé-style essay and miss the Nov 2 window — losing scholarships. And for Honors, the classic mistake is submitting a personal essay when Houston specifically wants a literary analysis.
Weak vs. Strong: Score Benchmarks
"Ever since I was young, I have been passionate about helping others and pursuing my goals. Throughout high school I challenged myself with rigorous courses and leadership roles that taught me responsibility and perseverance. I am confident these qualities will help me succeed at the University of Houston and beyond."
"My uncle drives for a rideshare app twelve hours a day and can't tell you what a good week looks like until it's over — the app decides. I started logging his trips in a spreadsheet, and we found patterns the app hid: which airport runs actually paid, which 'surge' was a trap. I want to study data science because I watched a number tell a person how to spend his life, and I want to hand that power back to the driver."