Essay planning list

Supplemental essay word limits by college

Compare school-specific supplemental essay counts and listed word limits before deciding which college essays need the most drafting time.

  1. University of California, Berkeley

    Berkeley, CA · 8 supplemental essays

    8 prompts
    2800 total listed words, up to 350 words · 2026-2027

  2. University of Texas at Austin

    Austin, TX · 4 supplemental essays

    4 prompts
    1050 total listed words, up to 300 words · 2026-2027

  3. Carnegie Mellon University

    Pittsburgh, PA · 3 supplemental essays

    3 prompts
    900 total listed words, up to 300 words · 2026-2027

  4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

    Cambridge, MA · 4 supplemental essays

    4 prompts
    900 total listed words, up to 225 words · 2026-2027

  5. University of Michigan

    Ann Arbor, MI · 2 supplemental essays

    2 prompts
    850 total listed words, up to 550 words · 2026-2027

  6. University of Pennsylvania

    Philadelphia, PA · 2 supplemental essays

    2 prompts
    650 total listed words, up to 450 words · 2025-2026

  7. University of Wisconsin-Madison

    Madison, WI · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    650 listed words · 2026-2027

  8. Wake Forest University

    Winston-Salem, NC · 4 supplemental essays

    4 prompts
    650 total listed words, up to 300 words · 2026-2027

  9. California Institute of Technology

    Pasadena, CA · 3 supplemental essays

    3 prompts
    600 total listed words, up to 200 words · 2026-2027

  10. Barnard College

    New York, NY · 2 supplemental essays

    2 prompts
    550 total listed words, up to 300 words · 2026-2027

  11. Harvey Mudd College

    Claremont, CA · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    500 listed words · 2026-2027

  12. The Cooper Union

    New York, NY · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    500 listed words · 2026-2027

  13. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

    Chapel Hill, NC · 2 supplemental essays

    2 prompts
    500 total listed words, up to 250 words · 2026-2027

  14. University of Virginia

    Charlottesville, VA · 2 supplemental essays

    2 prompts
    500 total listed words, up to 250 words · 2026-2027

  15. Boston College

    Chestnut Hill, MA · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    400 listed words · 2026-2027

  16. New York University

    New York, NY · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    400 listed words · 2026-2027

  17. Tufts University

    Medford, MA · 2 supplemental essays

    2 prompts
    400 total listed words, up to 250 words · 2026-2027

  18. University of Notre Dame

    Notre Dame, IN · 2 supplemental essays

    2 prompts
    400 total listed words, up to 200 words · 2026-2027

  19. University of California, Davis

    Davis, CA · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    350 listed words · 2026-2027

  20. University of California, Irvine

    Irvine, CA · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    350 listed words · 2026-2027

  21. University of California, Los Angeles

    Los Angeles, CA · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    350 listed words · 2026-2027

  22. University of California, San Diego

    La Jolla, CA · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    350 listed words · 2026-2027

  23. University of California, Santa Barbara

    Santa Barbara, CA · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    350 listed words · 2026-2027

  24. Bates College

    Lewiston, ME · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    300 listed words · 2026-2027

  25. Boston University

    Boston, MA · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    300 listed words · 2026-2027

  26. Carleton College

    Northfield, MN · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    300 listed words · 2026-2027

  27. Case Western Reserve University

    Cleveland, OH · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    300 listed words · 2026-2027

  28. College of William & Mary

    Williamsburg, VA · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    300 listed words · 2026-2027

  29. Georgia Institute of Technology

    Atlanta, GA · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    300 listed words · 2026-2027

  30. Hamilton College

    Clinton, NY · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    300 listed words · 2026-2027

  31. Kenyon College

    Gambier, OH · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    300 listed words · 2026-2027

  32. Lehigh University

    Bethlehem, PA · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    300 listed words · 2026-2027

  33. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

    Troy, NY · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    300 listed words · 2026-2027

  34. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

    Terre Haute, IN · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    300 listed words · 2026-2027

  35. Tulane University

    New Orleans, LA · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    300 listed words · 2026-2027

  36. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

    Champaign, IL · 2 supplemental essays

    2 prompts
    300 total listed words, up to 150 words · 2026-2027

  37. Vassar College

    Poughkeepsie, NY · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    300 listed words · 2026-2027

  38. Washington and Lee University

    Lexington, VA · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    300 listed words · 2026-2027

  39. University of Southern California

    Los Angeles, CA · 3 supplemental essays

    3 prompts
    270 total listed words, up to 250 words · 2026-2027

  40. Brandeis University

    Waltham, MA · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    250 listed words · 2026-2027

  41. Bucknell University

    Lewisburg, PA · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    250 listed words · 2026-2027

  42. Claremont McKenna College

    Claremont, CA · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    250 listed words · 2026-2027

  43. Davidson College

    Davidson, NC · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    250 listed words · 2026-2027

  44. Grinnell College

    Grinnell, IA · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    250 listed words · 2026-2027

  45. Haverford College

    Haverford, PA · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    250 listed words · 2026-2027

  46. Olin College of Engineering

    Needham, MA · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    250 listed words · 2026-2027

  47. University of Florida

    Gainesville, FL · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    250 listed words · 2026-2027

  48. University of Rochester

    Rochester, NY · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    250 listed words · 2026-2027

  49. Washington University in St. Louis

    St. Louis, MO · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    250 listed words · 2026-2027

  50. Macalester College

    Saint Paul, MN · 1 supplemental essay

    1 prompt
    150 listed words · 2026-2027

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FAQ

How should I use supplemental essay word limits?

Use word limits to estimate workload. A 650-word supplement needs a different drafting plan than a 100-word answer, even if both count as one prompt.

Do word limits change during the application cycle?

They can, especially when application platforms refresh. Confirm the final limit in the official portal before submitting.