What are the essay prompts for the 2025 college admissions cycle?

The Common App essay prompts for the 2025-2026 application cycle are staying the same as last year, so you can safely start brainstorming your main essay! Here's a quick list of the current Common App prompts:

1. Share your story about a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful your application would be incomplete without it.
2. Talk about a time you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. What did you learn from the experience and how did it shape you?
3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you, and what was the outcome?
4. Describe a problem you've solved or would like to solve. What steps did you take or could you take, and what did you learn?
5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you?
7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice, even one you've already written. It can be anything that helps admissions get to know you better.

For the Coalition App, the prompts are also broad and similar to the Common App, usually focusing on your background, a meaningful experience, or a challenge you've overcome. The Coalition App encourages you to tell your story in your own way, and you can choose from a set of prompts or even share something of your own.

As for supplemental essay questions from individual colleges, most big schools release those between June and August. Some universities keep their prompts the same year over year (like University of Michigan or the University of California system), but it's best to double-check each school's admissions website for updates. For instance, Stanford and the Ivies usually post their supplemental prompts during the summer, but they tend to be repeat themes, like "What matters to you and why?" or "How will you contribute to our campus community?"

A good first step is to start with the main personal statement (Common App or Coalition prompt) and make a list of your core values, formative experiences, and what makes you unique. Some people like to map out all the prompts for their top schools at once so they can spot overlaps. For example, if many of your target colleges ask "Why our school?" or "How will you pursue your academic interests here?" you might start researching the programs or clubs that excite you at each institution.

If you want an up-to-date, prompt-by-prompt list, sites like the official Common App website have current-year prompts, and university admissions pages are the most accurate source for supplementals.

Many applicants choose a topic by making a few bullet points about the most important moments or lessons from their life, then comparing those to the prompts to find a strong match. It's totally normal if you don't know your topic yet—brainstorming personal stories or even making a list of "10 moments that changed me" is a good place to start.

Happy writing! If you have a specific school or prompt in mind, feel free to ask for tips.