Do all colleges require essays for their applications?

Not every college requires essays as part of the application process, so you're not alone in wondering about this. Many large public universities, especially those that accept applications through their own state-wide systems, either make essays optional or don’t require them at all. For example, the University of Alabama and Iowa State University generally don’t require essays for general admission. Some schools in the California State University (CSU) system also don't require a personal statement or essay for admission.

Smaller private schools and more selective public universities are more likely to require at least one essay, and some have several supplemental prompts. However, lots of less-selective or open-admission colleges focus mainly on your grades, test scores (if required), and personal information.

If writing is a stress point, you might consider searching for colleges known to have straightforward applications. When you use the Common App, you’ll notice that although there is a main essay, some individual colleges can allow you to skip it if you meet certain conditions (for example, if you’re only applying to a college that doesn’t require essays through the Common App, you can often submit without writing the main essay).

A helpful tip is to visit each college’s admissions page or search “Does [School Name] require essays for admission?” to find the most accurate info. Examples of essay-optional or no-essay schools include University of Arkansas, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and some community colleges.

Even if you target mostly no-essay schools, it's a good idea to be prepared to write at least one short essay, since some scholarships and honors programs may still ask for one. But there are definitely choices out there if you want to minimize essay writing!