This summer, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Tulane University, the University of Georgia, and the University of Miami have all announced that they will no longer require supplemental essays as part of their application.
Which university is the latest to drop its supplemental essay requirement?
This past weekend, the University of North Carolina announced that it will no longer require two short essays that had previously been a part of its application. In recent years, UNC asked students to write one essay elaborating on how a personal quality has helped them contribute better to a community, and another discussing an academic topic they wish to explore more.
Why have colleges removed supplemental essay requirements?
The University of Georgia was well-known for its “book essay,” which asked students to write about a book that had a serious impact on them in high school. The admissions office stated that while they will miss the book essay (both as an insight into the students and for curating their own to read lists), they believe that the Common App essay is enough for them to get a sense of a student in the evaluation process. They also “hope that this decision takes some stress out of the admissions process for both students and parents.”
Another big reason behind removal of the supplemental essays is the increasing student reliance on AI. According to a survey conducted by College Board, college faculty believe AI is already transforming college student learning. The survey found that “74% of faculty report that students are using AI to write essays or papers, and 67% say students are using it to paraphrase or rewrite content.” Admissions officers may find it difficult to differentiate between human-written and AI-generated essays, and as a result find supplemental essays to be an additional layer of confusion rather than an authentic indicator of fit.
The University of Miami’s announcement arrived shortly after Tulane and Georgia’s. UNC’s came this past weekend. It will be interesting to keep an eye out on how the dominoes fall and see if other schools follow suit.
How does no longer requiring supplemental essays impact admissions data?
Tulane, UGA, and UMiami’s announcements come after the University of Virginia’s fall 2025 decision to remove supplemental essays from their application to all programs except to the School of Nursing. According to the Cavalier Daily, this decision was similarly made to “lighten the load and reduce stress and anxiety around the college application process.”
During the 2025-26 application cycle, UVA received 26,767 regular decision applications, compared to 17,568 last year—a 52.4% increase in applications. The total number of applications this cycle was 82,118, compared to 64,463 from last year. Dropping the supplemental essay will lead to the number of applications increasing at other schools too. Applicants targeting numerous selective schools often finalize their college lists with workload considerations in mind, especially when it comes to colleges that might not be their absolute “dream school.” If a prestigious university drops a labor-intensive supplement, applications almost invariably rise.
Changes at Wash U St. Louis
Another school that has reduced the number of supplemental requirements is Washington University in St. Louis. Alongside offering Early Action and introducing the consideration of demonstrated interest, WashU now only requires students to answer one supplemental essay—a 250-word response to the question “Please tell us what you are interested in studying at college and why.” This decision was paired with WashU’s announcement that they would start considering demonstrated interest as a part of their review process.
Given these changes, we can anticipate that WashU will see a significant increase in applications. Forbes predicts that, “WashU has quietly positioned itself to become one of the most strategically attractive schools in the country for high-achieving students navigating an increasingly unpredictable admissions landscape. And the likely result is clear: applications are about to soar.”
How should students prepare to apply to a school without a supplemental component?
Tulane, UNC, UMiami and UGA, like UVA last year, now join a growing list of colleges that don’t require supplemental essays. Other such schools include Case Western, Bates, Colby, Middlebury, Oberlin and others.
So how should you best prepare an application to a school that doesn’t ask “why this college?” or allow you to elaborate on an important extracurricular activity.
Like WashU, more schools might be tracking demonstrated interest to understand if students are genuinely interested. Moreover, admissions officers at these colleges will still review your main Common App essay as well as your transcript, letters of recommendation, and extracurriculars—so make sure those parts of your application are strong and demonstrate your fit for the college.
As UNC has stated, “The required Common Application essay, extracurricular activities, and additional information sections will continue to be spaces where students can share their voice and passions.” Admissions officers will therefore be paying more attention to how you’ve portrayed yourself through these components.
Because many students have strong grades and test scores, the Common App essay in particular will now matter more than ever—make sure you use your personal statement to convey why you’re a unique candidate and how you might contribute to a campus.
It will be interesting to see if other colleges remove supplemental essays or any other components of their application. If you already have some colleges you’re interested in applying to, keep an eye out for any supplemental essay news, whether that’s a decision similar to UMiami, Tulane and UGA’s or this year’s prompts.
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