Discover the big questions you’ll explore this year—and how innovation can supercharge your answers.
UIUC.
The upgraded way.
UIUC 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
Three 150-Word Essays
Supplemental Style
Major & Missions
Declared Supplemental Essays
— UIUC —
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— 2 To 3 Major-Specific Essays —
When applying to UIUC, applicants answer two or three short-answer Supplemental Essay Prompts. The questions each applicant answers depends on whether they are applying to a first-choice major, to a second-choice major, or to the undeclared program. Each short-answer Supplemental Essay has a 150 Word Maximum.
If Applying to a First-Choice Major:
Your First Two UIUC Short EssaysApplicants applying only to a First-Choice Major and not to a Second-Choice Major submit only two essays addressing the prompts just below!
UIUC Declared 1st-Choice Major Prompt 1: Explain, in detail, an experience you've had in the past 3 to 4 years related to your first-choice major. This can be an experience from an extracurricular activity, in a class you’ve taken, or through something else.
(150 Word Maximum)UIUC Declared 1st-Choice Major Prompt 2: Describe your personal and/or career goals after graduating from UIUC and how your selected first-choice major will help you achieve them. (150 Word Maximum)
If Applying to a Second-Choice Major:
Your Third UIUC Short EssayApplicants applying to a First-Choice Major and a Second-Choice Major (Including a Second-Choice Major of Undeclared) submit a total of three short essays—answering the two prompts shown above as well as the third prompt shown below!
UIUC Declared 2nd-Choice Major Prompt: You have selected a second-choice major. Please explain your interest in that major or your overall academic or career goals.
(150 Word Maximum)— Three 150-Word Essays —
Supplemental Length
Two 150-Word Essays
Supplemental Style
Major & Missions
Undeclared Supplemental Essays
— UIUC —
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— Two Undeclared Major Essays —
When applying to UIUC, applicants answer two or three short-answer Supplemental Essay Prompts. The questions each applicant answers depends on whether they are applying to a first-choice major, to a second-choice major, or to the undeclared program. Each short-answer Supplemental Essay has a 150 Word Maximum.
If Applying as an Undeclared Major:
Your Two UIUC Short EssaysPlease Note: Applicants applying to a First-Choice Major and/or to a Second-Choice Major submit two or three essays addressing the prompts shown in the section above. Applicants applying with Undeclared as their First-Choice Major submit only two essays addressing the prompts just below!
Undeclared Major Prompt 1: What are your academic interests? Please include 2-3 majors you’re considering at Illinois and why.
(150 Word Maximum)Undeclared Major Prompt 2: What are your future academic or career goals? You may include courses you took in high school and how these impacted your goals.
(150 Word Maximum)— Two 150-Word Essays —
Supplemental Length
Two 300-Word Essays
Supplemental Style
Unique & Uncommon
Optional Supplemental Essays
— UIUC —
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— UIUC Optional Essay Prompts —
Optional Essay 1:
Academic Challenges EssayExplain any challenges (outside of COVID-related) you have faced throughout your academic career, including the dates or timeline below. (300 Word Maximum)
Optional Essay 2:
Grade Explanation EssayIf you have a low grade or a drop in grades that you have not already explained, do so below. (300 Word Maximum)
— Two 300-Word Essays —
Supplemental Essay Information
— UIUC —
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 UIUC 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 entire college application process with the Supplemental Style Strategy—upgraded for Class of 2026 Students who dream of studying at UIUC!
— 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 UIUC, and find inspiration for your own success story.
Accepted Alumni
Essay Example
Supplemental Style
Major & Missions
Supplemental Essay Example
— UIUC —
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Featured Supplemental Essay Prompt For UIUC Applicants:
Briefly describe any of your In the past 3 to 4 years, what experience(s) have you had (inside or outside of the classroom) related to your selected first-choice major or academic interest? 150 Word Maximum.
Successful Supplemental Essay Example From Our Accepted Alumni Student:
Working at Code Ninjas taught me to spark CS curiosity through fostering student connections. Leading my nonprofit [Redacted] showed me that educational access isn’t promised to all. And developing [app name], a web-based audio/video transcriber, revealed that CS-based innovations are driven not just by technical knowledge—they are driven by empathy.
These endeavors made me curious about the inextricable interaction between CS and linguistics—and how we can make innovation more accessible.
Along with these experiences, I have acquired coding skills through advanced CS classes, a Website-Design summer program, and my school’s CS club. ML/NLP projects like [app] and [app] were born during collaborative hackathons. Designing data visualization portals as a software intern at [Redacted], Inc. nourished my web-development skills.
Only through UIUC’s unique CS + Linguistics program would I be able to integrate my CS passions with linguistics curiosity—to create tools that further enhance opportunities in education, innovation, and more.
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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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— UIUC 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 Illinois Application requires the Supplemental Essays you see above, 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 UIUC 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 entire college application process with the Supplemental Style Strategy—upgraded for Class of 2026 Students who dream of studying at UIUC!
