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Penn Supplemental Essays
— The Class of 2026 Guide —
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Start your Supplemental Essay Success below by previewing this guide’s three sections:
Information ⋄ Inspiration ⋄ Innovation
Discover strategies designed by an Ivy Alum and over three hundred success stories!
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— Supplemental Essay Prompts —
Through Guide Section 1 of 3—Information—explore this college’s supplemental essay prompts for Class of 2026 applicants, along with this college’s Supplemental Styles to streamline your essay-building process!
Supplemental Length
200 Word Maximum
Supplemental Style
Unique & Uncommon
Supplemental Essay Prompt 1
— University of Pennsylvania —
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— Penn Supplemental Prompt 1 —
All Undergraduate Applicants:
Write a short thank-you note to someone you have not yet thanked and would like to acknowledge. (We encourage you to share this note with that person, if possible, and reflect on the experience!)— 200 Word Maximum —
Supplemental Length
200 Word Maximum
Supplemental Style
College & Curriculum
Supplemental Essay Prompt 2
— University of Pennsylvania —
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— Penn Supplemental Prompt 2 —
All Undergraduate Applicants:
How will you explore community at Penn? Consider how Penn will help shape your perspective, and how your experiences and perspective will help shape Penn.— 200 Word Maximum —
Supplemental Length
200 Word Maximum
Supplemental Style
Major & Missions
Supplemental Essay Prompt 3
— University of Pennsylvania —
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— Penn Supplemental Prompt 3 —
Penn’s Third Supplemental Essay is a Required Program-Specific Essay. These program-specific essays have a 200-word limit, and the Supplemental Essay Prompt is specific to a student’s desired undergraduate program. Below, explore all of the Program-Specific Supplemental Essay Prompts for each of Penn’s Undergraduate Programs!
College of Arts and Sciences
College of Arts and Sciences Essay Prompt: The flexible structure of The College of Arts and Sciences’ curriculum is designed to inspire exploration, foster connections, and help you create a path of study through general education courses and a major. What are you curious about and how would you take advantage of opportunities in the arts and sciences?
(150-200 words)School of Engineering & Applied Science
School of Engineering & Applied Science Essay Prompt: Penn Engineering prepares its students to become leaders in technology by combining a strong foundation in the natural sciences and mathematics with depth of study in focused disciplinary majors. Please share how you plan to pursue your engineering interests at Penn particularly within the intended major you selected.
(150-200 words)School of Nursing
School of Nursing Essay Prompt: Penn Nursing intends to meet the health needs of a global and multicultural society by preparing its students to advance science that impacts healthcare. Why have you decided to apply to Nursing? Where do you see yourself professionally in the future and how will you contribute to our mission of promoting equity in healthcare?
(150-200 words)The Wharton School
The Wharton School Essay Prompt: Wharton prepares its students to make an impact by applying business methods and economic theory to real-world problems, including economic, political, and social issues. Please reflect on a current issue of importance to you and share how you hope a Wharton education would help you to explore it.
(150-200 words)— 200 Word Maximum —
Supplemental Prompts
Specialized Programs
Supplemental Style
Unique & Uncommon
Specialized Program Prompts
— University of Pennsylvania —
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— Penn Special Program Prompts —
Students applying to Penn’s Dual-Degree Programs or Specialized Programs also complete 1 or 2 additional Program-Specific Supplemental Essays. These Supplemental Essay Prompts are specific to a student’s desired program, and each Program-Specific Essay requires the word limits shown below. Please note that several of Penn’s Specialized Programs require two specialized supplemental essays. Just below, you can review all of the Program-Specific Supplemental Essay Prompts for Penn’s Specialized and Dual-Degree Programs!
The Huntsman Program
The Huntsman Program in International Studies Prompt 1: Applicants to the Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business must select one of eleven target languages. Please select your target language below. Tell us about your background and interest in the target language you selected. (50-125 words)
The Huntsman Program in International Studies Prompt 2: The Huntsman Program supports the development of globally-minded scholars who become engaged citizens, creative innovators, and ethical leaders in the public, private, and non-profit sectors in the United States and around the world. What draws you to a dual-degree in international studies and business, and how would you use what you learn to address a global issue where these two domains intersect? (400-600 words)
The Jerome Fisher Program
The Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology (M&T) Essay Prompt 1: Explain how you will use the M&T program to explore your interest in business, engineering, and the intersection of the two. (400-650 words)
The Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology (M&T) Essay Prompt 2: Describe a problem that you solved that showed leadership and creativity. (250 words)
The Vagelos VIPER Program
The Roy and Diana Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER) Prompt 1: If you were to join the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER), which science major and which engineering major are most interesting to you at this time? (200 words)
The Roy and Diana Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER) Prompt 2: How do you envision your participation in the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER) furthering your interests in energy science and technology? Please include any past experiences (ex. academic, research, or extracurricular) that have led to your interest in the program. Additionally, please indicate why you are interested in pursuing dual degrees in science and engineering and which VIPER majors are most interesting to you at this time. (650 words)
The Vagelos LSM Program
The Roy and Diana Vagelos Program in Life Sciences & Management (LSM) Essay Prompt 1: The Vagelos Life Sciences & Management (LSM) program brings together two powerful modes of understanding—scientific inquiry and strategic thinking—to prepare students to engage thoughtfully and creatively with some of the most complex challenges of our time. Reflecting on this intersection, what questions, problems, or opportunities would you hope to explore through LSM? How might the integration of life sciences and management shape your approach to these challenges? Your response should go beyond how LSM might advance your career and instead focus on the ideas, values, or issues that animate your interest in the program. Please ensure that this essay is distinct from the response addressing your alternate school choice. (400–650 words)
The Singh NETS Program
The Rajendra and Neera Singh Program in Networked and Social Systems Engineering (NETS) Essay Prompt 1: Describe your interests in modern networked information systems and technologies, such as the Internet, and their impact on society, whether in terms of economics, communication, or the creation of beneficial content for society. Feel free to draw on examples from your own experiences as a user, developer, or student of technology. (400-650 words)
The Digital Media Design Program
Digital Media Design Program (DMD) Essay Prompt 1: Why are you interested in the Digital Media Design (DMD) program at the University of Pennsylvania? (400-650 words)
Nursing and Health Care Management
Nursing and Health Care Management (NHCM) Essay Prompt 1: Discuss your interest in nursing and health care management. How might Penn's coordinated dual-degree program in nursing and business help you meet your goals? (400-650 words)
— Specialized Program Essays —
Supplemental Essay Information
— University of Pennsylvania —
Supplemental Strategy
Class of 2026 Applicants
Supplemental Essay
Insider Information
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— Supplemental Essay Strategy —
Streamline your supplemental essay process with our Supplemental Strategy—and bring Penn within your reach!
Throughout our Supplemental Essay Guides, we provide clarity through our Supplemental Essay Styles. The Styles streamline the entire supplemental essay-building process—and create more success stories
Streamline your application process with the Supplemental Style Strategy—upgraded for Class of 2026 Students who dream of studying at Penn!
— Upgraded Class of 2026 Essentials —
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— Supplemental Essay Examples —
Through Guide Section 2 of 3—Inspiration—read Successful Supplemental Essays from our Accepted Alumni! Discover ideas that stand out to admissions at Penn, and find inspiration for your own success story.
Accepted Alumni
Essay Example
Supplemental Style
Major & Missions
Supplemental Essay Example
— University of Pennsylvania —
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Featured Supplemental Essay Prompt For University of Pennsylvania Applicants:
Considering the specific undergraduate school you have selected, how will you explore your academic and intellectual interests at the University of Pennsylvania? For students applying to the coordinated dual-degree and specialized programs, please answer these questions in regard to your single-degree school choice; your interest in the coordinated dual-degree or specialized program may be addressed through the program-specific essay. 450 Word Maximum.
Successful Supplemental Essay Example From Our Accepted Alumni Student:
If there's one thing I know about my home state of [State], it's that we love our barbecue. In a moment of uncertainty and division, nothing brings us together, nothing heals us, quite like a slathered-up stack of ribs. As I walk through downtown [City], I see an abundance of barbecue restaurants beneath the neon street lights lining [Street Name]. People queue up, just for the perfect fall-off-the-bone meat.
Sure—there may be too much of a good thing, but indulging in barbecue is part of our identity. However, we also suffer from high rates of heart disease and obesity, and diet is a key factor.
And, I have seen the consequences of such unsustainable diets during my shadowing at my local [City] hospitals. The prevalence of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity is clear and its rising trend has to be addressed. By leading [NPO Name] food drives, I strove to dissolve underlying inequities fueling the issue such as food deserts and ultra-processed foods. And through my current biochemistry research assistantship, I am investigating enzymes that have the potential to remedy such widespread issues, providing treatments for those suffering from chronic diseases.
At the University of Pennsylvania, I hope to be at the forefront of preventative care innovation and find ways to dissolve inequities that catalyze disease.
Penn’s innately interdisciplinary landscape would allow me to explore inequitable food access while majoring in biochemistry to further develop potential cures to such prevalent disease. During my food drives, I was drawn to dissolve difficulty in economic and physical nutrition access in my community. As such, I am eager to cross disciplinary boundaries through the College of Arts & Sciences’ sector requirements to take classes such as Spatial Statistics and Data Analytics to create efficient food collection and distribution methods, examining the underlying inequities to dissolve the entrenched barriers. Through the Share Food Program Fellowship, the Robert A. Fox Leadership program would equip me with the necessary resources to battle food insecurity in Philadelphia.
I also hope to engage in biomedical research and classes that will allow me to contribute to preventative care research present only at Penn. Through classes such as Drug Discovery and Development and Structural and Mechanistic Biochemistry, I hope to explore microscopic interactions—mutations and molecular interactions—with large-scale implications. At Penn’s Musunuru Laboratory, I look forward to exploring gene editing technology that introduces mutations in individuals prone to heart disease, paving a way to a “vaccine” for cardiovascular disease.
The researcher in me will determine how to change cardiovascular outcomes through community initiatives—in Philadelphia, [City], beyond. I hope not only to heal, but also to be a change agent—ensuring fewer face health struggles based on injustice.
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— Supplemental Essay Strategy —
Through Guide Section 3 of 3—Innovation—learn success-proven methods to streamline your entire supplemental essay process. Our methods are designed by an Ivy Alum and 300+ student success stories!
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— Penn Application Upgrade —
From guiding hundreds of students, we know that your success story takes much more than one essay—especially in 2025.
We are passionate about helping students master the process from start to submission—and to have clarity and confidence at every step. That’s why our innovative guides are curated for Class of 2026 students with big dreams.
A successful University of Pennsylvania Application requires shining Supplemental Essays, and much more. Below, learn what success looks like—from start to finish.
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— Start-To-Submission Success —
Embrace our success-proven methods to build your application essays—and find inspiration to help you at every step.
During the Upgraded Process, College Application Phase Five is the time to embark on some of the most challenging yet rewarding college application components—the specific Supplemental Essays essential for most colleges.
During this phase, learn to master the process of crafting successful College-Specific Supplemental Essays—and bring more colleges within your reach!
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— Upgraded Application Process —
Start your admissions success story with methods built by our Ivy League Founder and over 300 student success stories!
Our success-proven Five Phases Application Approach helps students streamline the entire college application process through success-shaping frameworks and more opportunities for aligned action.
We are passionate about guiding students through our start-to-submission application approach—because success stories require much more than one essay.
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— Supplemental Essay Strategy —
Streamline your supplemental essay process with our Supplemental Strategy—and bring Penn within your reach!
Throughout our Supplemental Essay Guides, we provide clarity through our Supplemental Essay Styles. The Styles streamline the entire supplemental essay-building process—and create more success stories
Streamline your application process with the Supplemental Style Strategy—upgraded for Class of 2026 Students who dream of studying at Penn!
