2026-27 Common App Supplements

Many schools utilize the Common App as their primary application form, and school-specific supplements allow every institution to customize this universal application in order to build a well-rounded first-year class. From asking about a student’s favorite snack to designing their dream seminars, many colleges are getting creative with their supplement questions so that admissions officers can learn as much about applicants as possible.

Common App Supplements for 2026-27

Many colleges and universities announce their supplemental essay prompts in the weeks leading up to the official opening of the Common Application on Aug. 1. The Common App essay prompts are already available for this cycle, allowing students applying to college this fall to get a head start on their personal statement.

It’s a good idea to get started on your supplements in the summer before your senior year if you have access to the prompts for the upcoming admissions cycle. It can be hard to keep up with, so we’re posting supplemental essay prompts as they are announced prior to Aug. 1.

Boston College

Please respond to one of the first four prompts below (400 word limit). Students applying to the Human Centered Engineering major should respond to Prompt #5 instead.

1. Strong communities are sustained by traditions. Boston College’s annual calendar is marked with both long-standing and newer traditions that help shape our community. Tell us about a meaningful tradition in your family or community. Why is it important to you, and how does it bring people together or strengthen the bonds of those who participate?

2. The late BC theology professor, Father Michael Himes, argued that a university is not a place to which you go, but instead, a “rigorous and sustained conversation about the great questions of human existence, among the widest possible circle of the best possible conversation partners.” Who has been your most meaningful conversation partner, and what profound questions have you considered together?

3. In her July 2009 Ted Talk,”The Danger of a Single Story,” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie warned viewers against assigning people a “single story” through assumptions about their nationality, appearance, or background. Discuss a time when someone defined you by a single story. What challenges did this present and how did you overcome them?

4. Boston College’s Jesuit mission highlights “the three Be’s”: be attentive, be reflective, be loving – core to Jesuit education (see “A Pocket Guide to Jesuit Education“). If you could add a fourth “Be,” what would it be and why? How would this new value support your personal development and enrich the BC community?

5. Human-Centered Engineering (HCE) Applicants only: One goal of a Jesuit education is to prepare students to serve the Common Good. Human-Centered Engineering at Boston College integrates technical knowledge, creativity, and a humanistic perspective to address societal challenges and opportunities. What societal problems are important to you and how will you use your HCE education to solve them?

Yale University

Short Answer Questions

All first-year applicants will respond to the following short answer questions:

Students at Yale have time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. Many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. As of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably? Please indicate up to three from the list provided.
Tell us about a topic or idea that excites you and is related to one or more academic areas you selected above. Why are you drawn to it? (200 words or fewer)

Short Takes

Common Application and Coalition Application only: respond to the following short answer questions, in no more than 200 characters (approximately 35 words):

If you could teach any college course, write a book, or create an original piece of art of any kind, what would it be?
What is one aspect of yourself that you hope to grow or develop during college?
What is something about you that is not included anywhere else in your application?

Essay

Common Application and Coalition Application only: respond to one of the following prompts in 400 words or fewer.

Reflect on a time you discussed an issue important to you with someone holding an opposing view. Why did you find the experience meaningful?
Reflect on your membership in a community to which you feel connected. Why is this community meaningful to you? You may define community however you like.
Reflect on an element of your personal experience that you feel will enrich your college. How has it shaped you?

University of Chicago

Question 1 (Required): How does the University of Chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future? Please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to UChicago.

Question 2: Extended Essay (Required, Choose one)

Food for thought: How do thoughts eat?
Inspired by Ernest Leong, Class of 2026

The James Webb Space Telescope, launched in 2021, utilized origami-inspired techniques to compactly store and deploy its sunshield in space. Choose an artistic practice and use its principles to propose an elegant solution to a problem.
Inspired by Akhil Korra, Class of 2028

Sometimes metaphors get mixed up. For one reason or another, one could say, “we’ll burn that bridge when we get there” or “the world is your china shop”. Make up your own mixed metaphor. Explain how it could make sense, be understood, or even applied.
Inspired by Julia Nieberg, Class of 2029

The Olympics have long celebrated the pinnacle of human athletic achievement. But what if they expanded to honor the mundane? Imagine a new Olympic event built around an everyday activity like speed dishwashing or competitive grocery bagging. How is it scored, officiated, and judged? Why is it a worthy addition?
Inspired by Ewan Smith, Class of 2028.

AI: Allen Iverson. NASA, or the North American Saxophone Alliance. Share a potentially confounding, comedic, or captivating example of MIA (Mistaken Identity of Acronym) and tell us its backstory.
Inspired by Jeeho Byun, Class of 2030

Texas A&M

Required Essay (750 words max):

Tell us your story. What unique opportunities or challenges have you experienced throughout your high school career that have shaped who you are today?

Required Short Answer Question (250 words max):

Describe a life event which you feel has prepared you to be successful in college.

Required Short Answer Questions (100 words max):

In a few words, what are some of your life goals and objectives?

In a few words, why have you chosen your academic major(s)?

We know you have a lot of options. In a few words, why did you choose to apply to Texas A&M?

Briefly describe any educational plans you have beyond earning your bachelor’s degree.

Optional Short Answer Question (250 words max):

Are there experiences or opportunities that have shaped or influenced your abilities or academic record, which you have not already written about?

Tufts University

Short Answer Prompts for the Class of 2031

Short Answer Prompt #1: Please describe how you have learned about and engaged with Tufts during your college search process (75-150 words).
Short Answer Prompt #2 is specific to your intended school/program at Tufts:
- Applicants to the School of Arts and Sciences are required to answer the following question in 100-200 words:
  - Tell us about one of your favorite school assignments in the past two years. What was the assignment and why did you enjoy it?
- Applicants to the School of Engineering are required to answer the following question in 100-200 words:
  - Tell us about an engineering-related project that you have helped build, design, create, or iterate in the past two years. What was the project and what was your role?
- Applicants to the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) program are required to answer the following question in 100-200 words:
  - Tell us more about a specific piece in your portfolio. What were the ideas you intended to explore, and how did those ideas inform the process of making the piece?
- Applicants to the Combined Degree (BFA+BA/BS) program are required to answer the following question in 100-200 words:
  - Tell us more about a specific piece in your portfolio. How did an academic course, project, or interest inspire the ideas that you explored in this piece? Or, how did making this piece influence your academic interests?

Villanova University

For the Villanova-specific essay, we hope to gain a deeper understanding of your thoughts, experiences, and opinions. Choose one of the five topics below and submit a written response in about 250 words.

Prompt One:
As Pope Leo XIV (Villanova Class of 1977) has said, “no one can single-handedly bear the weight of the challenges the world is facing, just as no one is so weak that they cannot play their part.” What have you done to play your part in advancing equity and justice in your community?

Prompt Two:
What is a lesson in life that you have learned that you would want to share with others at Villanova?

Prompt Three:
“Villanova” means “new home.” Why do you want to call Villanova your new home?

Prompt Four:
Villanova embraces Artificial Intelligence (AI) with a commitment to thoughtful, ethical use rooted in our Augustinian mission and values. How do you see technology helping you to lead, serve, and contribute to the common good?

Prompt Five:
At Villanova, we often say “each of us strengthens all of us.” Please detail a time when someone has borrowed some of your strength in their time of need.

University of Michigan

1. At the University of Michigan, we are focused on developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future. In your essay, share with us how you are prepared to contribute to these goals. This could include the people, places, experiences, or aspirations that have shaped your journey and future plans. (Required for all applicants; 100 word minimum; 300 word maximum.)

2. Describe the unique qualities that attract you to the specific undergraduate college or school (including preferred admission and dual degree programs) to which you are applying at the University of Michigan. How would that curriculum support your interests? (Required for all applicants; 100 word minimum; 550 word maximum.)

Colleges No Longer Requiring Supplements

Several colleges that have traditionally required supplemental essays have announced that they are not releasing prompts for the 2026-27 admissions cycle. These colleges are:

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Georgia
Tulane University
University of Miami
Washington University of St. Louis

Admissions Counseling

While answering additional essay questions might seem challenging, the supplements give students a chance to show a different side of themselves to admissions offices and emphasize their demonstrated interest. Since supplements are such an important component of the college application process, we always recommend that students start working on these essays early on to save themselves the stress of working down to the wire. If you’re looking for guidance on writing supplements — or with any other part of your college prep journey — our team of admissions experts is here to help you craft the most compelling and impactful applications.

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