Which colleges don't have an essay requirement for their application?
I'm working on my college list, and I'm trying to figure out which schools don't need an essay for the application. It's starting to get pretty overwhelming keeping track of all the different essay prompts and word counts.
Does anyone know of colleges (especially larger public universities or in the Midwest) that don't require any sort of personal statement or supplement for their first-year application? I want to focus more on schools where my grades and test scores will speak for themselves, so skipping essays would be helpful for time management.
Would be awesome to hear if anyone has a list or personal experiences applying to these no-essay schools!
Does anyone know of colleges (especially larger public universities or in the Midwest) that don't require any sort of personal statement or supplement for their first-year application? I want to focus more on schools where my grades and test scores will speak for themselves, so skipping essays would be helpful for time management.
Would be awesome to hear if anyone has a list or personal experiences applying to these no-essay schools!
4 months ago
•
47 views
Camille Luong
• 4 months ago
Advisor
It definitely can get overwhelming trying to keep track of all the different essays for every application, so your strategy makes a lot of sense. There are quite a few colleges, especially larger public universities, that don’t require a personal statement or essay for the main application—often because they use their own application systems separate from the Common App. Many focus mainly on your high school transcript, test scores (if required), and extracurricular info.
Some examples of schools without essay requirements for first-year applicants (as of recent cycles) include:
- University of Minnesota Twin Cities: No personal statement needed for their main app, and no supplements either.
- University of Wisconsin–Madison: Does require an essay for the Common App, but if you use their UW System Application, you can skip the longer personal statement (although a short text box may still be present).
- Iowa State University and University of Iowa: No required essay on their main applications for first-year students. University of Iowa in particular is popular for a no-essay process and is in the Midwest.
- University of Missouri (Mizzou): Usually there's no required essay for first-year admission if you’re applying with grades and test scores.
- Some Indiana schools like Ball State, Indiana State University, and Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) have straightforward, no-essay applications.
- Several regional public universities in Ohio, Michigan, and Kansas often don’t require essays if you meet minimum admission criteria.
A personal experience: one student I worked with applied to University of Iowa and Iowa State in the same afternoon—no essays needed, just a transcript upload. The process was super streamlined, and it freed up time to work on essay-heavy schools elsewhere on her list.
Be sure to double-check each school’s application page for the year you’re applying, since requirements do change. Some might add optional essays for scholarships or honors programs, but you can skip those if you’re mainly interested in base admission. If you’re looking at specific schools, review their admissions pages or email the admissions office, and you’ll get a solid answer about essays pretty quickly.
Lining up a few of these no-essay options can definitely save you time and help balance your application workload!
Some examples of schools without essay requirements for first-year applicants (as of recent cycles) include:
- University of Minnesota Twin Cities: No personal statement needed for their main app, and no supplements either.
- University of Wisconsin–Madison: Does require an essay for the Common App, but if you use their UW System Application, you can skip the longer personal statement (although a short text box may still be present).
- Iowa State University and University of Iowa: No required essay on their main applications for first-year students. University of Iowa in particular is popular for a no-essay process and is in the Midwest.
- University of Missouri (Mizzou): Usually there's no required essay for first-year admission if you’re applying with grades and test scores.
- Some Indiana schools like Ball State, Indiana State University, and Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) have straightforward, no-essay applications.
- Several regional public universities in Ohio, Michigan, and Kansas often don’t require essays if you meet minimum admission criteria.
A personal experience: one student I worked with applied to University of Iowa and Iowa State in the same afternoon—no essays needed, just a transcript upload. The process was super streamlined, and it freed up time to work on essay-heavy schools elsewhere on her list.
Be sure to double-check each school’s application page for the year you’re applying, since requirements do change. Some might add optional essays for scholarships or honors programs, but you can skip those if you’re mainly interested in base admission. If you’re looking at specific schools, review their admissions pages or email the admissions office, and you’ll get a solid answer about essays pretty quickly.
Lining up a few of these no-essay options can definitely save you time and help balance your application workload!
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Camille Luong
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Stanford University, BAH in Urban Studies
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