UPenn Supplemental Essays 2026–27: Prompts & Tips

Every applicant to the University of Pennsylvania must write two core supplemental essays totalling about 400 words [1]. Your exact workload depends on your chosen college or program. This guide covers the two prompts every single applicant answers. UPenn may ask additional essays of applicants to particular specialized programs or colleges, which are listed at the end of this page.

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 words)

What this prompt is really asking: Admissions officers want to see how you will interact with the people around you on campus. They are looking for evidence of your past community engagement translated into future involvement at University of Pennsylvania.

A strong approach:

• Define your community. Be specific about what community means to you. It could be a cultural group, a robotics team, or a shared hobby.
• Show your track record. Briefly establish how you have contributed to this group in the past to prove you are an active participant.
• Connect to campus. Name specific UPenn student organizations, centers, or traditions where you plan to bring this same energy.
• Answer both directions. Explicitly state how your background will add value to UPenn and how its diverse environment will challenge your worldview.

Most common mistakes:

• Listing clubs without context. Naming five organizations without explaining why they matter to you reads as a generic checklist.
• Ignoring the second half. Failing to explain how UPenn will shape your perspective leaves the answer entirely one-sided.

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… (200 words)

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!)

What this prompt is really asking: This evaluates your character. Admissions officers want to see your humility and the values you appreciate in others. The recipient you select and the reasons you provide reveal what you notice and how you treat people.

A strong approach:

• Pick an unexpected recipient. Thanking a parent or teacher is common. Consider a coworker, a peer who challenged your thinking, or a younger sibling.
• Focus on one moment. Ground your gratitude in a distinct interaction or a quiet daily habit rather than a vague summary of their existence.
• Reveal your own growth. Use the note to subtly show how their action changed your behavior or mindset.
• Use your genuine voice. Adopt the actual tone you use with this person. A note to a close friend should sound different from a message to a mentor.

Most common mistakes:

• Hiding a humble brag. Using the note to thank a coach just to mention your state championship ruins the sincerity.
• Being overly abstract. Writing a letter to a historical figure reads as a gimmick instead of a genuine reflection of character.

Program-specific essays

University of Pennsylvania requires additional writing from applicants applying to specialized programs or specific undergraduate colleges. You only need to answer these prompts if you are applying to the exact program named in bold.

• Only for Visual and Interactive Computing: Visual and Interactive Computing Describe how your academic interests align with the Visual and Interactive Computing (VIC) program at the University of Pennsylvania. (Up to 400 words). To help inform your response, we encourage you to review the VIC curriculum. Reviewing this may help you identify specific courses or projects that connect to your interest in computing and design. Visual and Interactive Computing applicants are recommended to submit a portfolio. Please refer to Penn's guidance on supplementary materials for more information. (400 words)
• Only for VIPER (Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research): Describe your interest in the VIPER program, including how any past experiences (academic, research, extracurricular, etc.) have shaped your interest in energy science and technology, and how you envision participation in VIPER fitting into your future goals. (Up to 400 words) To help inform your response, we encourage you to review VIPER's research and program structure . Reviewing this may help you connect your past experiences to specific opportunities within the program. (400 words)
• Only for NHCM (Nursing and Health Care Management): Nursing and Health Care Management (NHCM) Describe your interest in nursing and health care management, and how Penn's coordinated dual-degree program in nursing and business would help you meet your goals. Please ensure that this essay is distinct from your single-degree application, if applicable. (Up to 400 words) To help inform your response, we encourage you to review the NHCM program's curriculum and structure . Reviewing this may help you see how the program combines nursing and business coursework to support your specific goals. (400 words)
• Only for HUNTSMAN (Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business): 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? (Up to 400 words) To help inform your response, we encourage you to review the Huntsman Program's curriculum and global focus . Reviewing this may help you connect a specific global issue to the program's approach to international studies and business. (400 words)
• Only for LSM (Roy and Diana Vagelos Program in Life Sciences and Management): The Roy and Diana Vagelos Program in Life Sciences & Management (LSM) 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. What questions, problems, or opportunities would you hope to explore through LSM, and how might the integration of life sciences and management shape your approach to them? Focus on the ideas, values, or questions that draw you to this intersection, rather than how LSM might advance your career, and make sure this essay is distinct from your single-degree application. (Up to 400 words) To help inform your response, we encourage you to review the LSM curriculum. Reviewing this may help you identify specific questions or challenges at the intersection of science and management that you'd want to explore. (400 words)
• Only for M & T (Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology): Explain how you will use the M&T program to pursue problems or opportunities that require both engineering and business perspectives. (Up to 400 words) To help inform your response, we encourage you to review the M&T program's curriculum . Reviewing this may help you identify how the program's structure supports problems that span engineering and business. (400 words)
• Only for M & T (Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology): Describe something you created, designed, improved, or built. What motivated you, and what did you learn from the process? (200 words)
• Only for School of Nursing: Penn Nursing intends to meet the health needs of society in a global and multicultural world by preparing its students to impact healthcare by advancing science. Why are you applying to Nursing, where do you see yourself professionally in the future, and how will you contribute to our mission of promoting equity in healthcare? (Up to 200 words) To help inform your response, we encourage you to review Penn Nursing's mission and approach to equity in healthcare . Reviewing this may help you connect your own professional goals to the specific ways Penn Nursing works to advance equity in healthcare. (200 words)
• Only for College of Arts & Sciences: The College of Arts and Sciences is designed to foster discovery and connection. Describe something you are curious about (something you'd like to learn more about or find a new approach to) and how you might pursue that curiosity in the College. (Up to 200 words) To help inform your response, we encourage you to look at the College's curriculum and academic offerings . Reviewing the College's departments and areas of study may help you identify where your curiosity could take shape. (200 words)
• Only for HUNTSMAN (Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business): Describe your experience with the target language you selected. You may wish to share the length of time you’ve studied or used this language, how you’ve learned it, the skills you’ve acquired, and/or the skills you still wish to develop. Please also explain why you are interested in studying this language and the region(s) of the world where it is spoken. (200 words)
• Only for The Wharton School: 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. Explain a current issue of importance to you and how you hope a Wharton education would help you explore it. (Up to 200 words) To help inform your response, we encourage you to review the foundations of a Wharton education . Reviewing this may help you see how a Wharton education could connect to the issue you choose to write about. (200 words)
• Only for VIPER (Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research): The Roy and Diana Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER) VIPER students pursue dual degrees in science or math and engineering. Which major combination(s) interest you most right now and why? (Up to 200 words) Your response to this prompt is not binding; students often shift majors as they learn more through the program. See available VIPER majors . (200 words)