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College Essay Prompts 2026-27

UChicago Supplemental Essay Prompts 2026-27

University of Chicago's published supplemental essay prompts for first-year applicants in the 2026-27 application year, quoted from the college's own website, with the limit for each and whether it is required.

Application
Common App or Coalition
Status
2026-27 prompts published
What to write
Every first-year applicant answers 2 prompts.
Last checked
September 26, 2026
Official source
UChicago College Admissions: Essay Questions

The 2026-27 prompts

Quoted word for word from University of Chicago. Limits are as the college states them. These are the first-year prompts the college publishes; transfer essays and questions that appear only inside the application portal are not listed.

Question 1

Required of all applicants

  1. 01

    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.

    No strict limitWhy us

Question 2: Extended Essay

Choose one of these six

  1. 02

    Food for thought: How do thoughts eat?

    No strict limitOther

  2. 03

    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.

    No strict limitOther

  3. 04

    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.

    No strict limitOther

  4. 05

    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?

    No strict limitOther

  5. 06

    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.

    No strict limitOther

  6. 07

    And, as always… the classic choose your own adventure option! In the spirit of adventurous inquiry, choose one of our past prompts (or create a question of your own). Be original, creative, thought provoking. Draw on your best qualities as a writer, thinker, visionary, social critic, sage, citizen of the world, or future citizen of the University of Chicago; take a little risk, and have fun!

    No strict limitOther

What these prompts are really asking

One line per prompt type, from our supplemental essay guide.

Why us
Have you done real research, and can you connect it to your actual path?

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Common Questions

How many supplemental essays does University of Chicago require for 2026-27?

Every first-year applicant answers 2 prompts. This page lists 7 prompts in all, including choices and optional prompts.

What are the word limits for UChicago's supplemental essays?

No strict limit. Each prompt above shows its own limit as the college states it.

Which application does University of Chicago use?

Common App or Coalition.

Where are these prompts from?

We copied them word for word from UChicago College Admissions: Essay Questions and last checked on September 26, 2026. The prompts inside your application portal are the final word.

Sources, last checked September 26, 2026

Prompts for other colleges

Search every prompt by type