Prompt database · 2026-27 cycle
Northwestern University
Deadlines
source| Early Decision | November 1, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Regular Decision | January 4, 2027 |
Essay prompts (8)
1 required · 5 optional · 2 transfer only
The 5 optional prompts carry one instruction from Northwestern University: “Optional — answer at least one and no more than two of the five options (fewer than 200 words each)”
- communityRequired for all Common Application…2026-27300 words
Source details
Required for all Common Application and Coalition with Scoir applicants; optional for QuestBridge applicants
We want to be sure we're considering your application in the context of your personal experiences: What aspects of your background (your identity, your school setting, your community, your household, etc.) have most shaped how you see yourself engaging in Northwestern's community, be it academically, extracurricularly, culturally, politically, socially, or otherwise?
- weirdOptional2026-27200 words
Source details
Optional — answer at least one and no more than two of the five options (fewer than 200 words each)
Painting “The Rock” is a tradition at Northwestern that invites all forms of expression—students promote campus events or extracurricular groups, support social or activist causes, show their Wildcat spirit (what we call “Purple Pride”), celebrate their culture, and more. What would you paint on The Rock, and why?
- academic interestOptional2026-27200 words
Source details
Optional — answer at least one and no more than two of the five options (fewer than 200 words each)
Northwestern fosters a distinctively interdisciplinary culture. We believe discovery and innovation thrive at the intersection of diverse ideas, perspectives, and academic interests. Within this setting, if you could dream up an undergraduate class, research project, or creative effort (a start-up, a design prototype, a performance, etc.), what would it be? Who might be some ideal classmates or collaborators?
- communityOptional2026-27200 words
Source details
Optional — answer at least one and no more than two of the five options (fewer than 200 words each)
Community and belonging matter at Northwestern. Tell us about one or more communities, networks, or student groups you see yourself connecting with on campus.
- why usOptional2026-27200 words
Source details
Optional — answer at least one and no more than two of the five options (fewer than 200 words each)
Northwestern's location is special: on the shore of Lake Michigan, steps from downtown Evanston, just a few miles from Chicago. What aspects of our location are most compelling to you, and why?
- communityOptional2026-27200 words
Source details
Optional — answer at least one and no more than two of the five options (fewer than 200 words each)
Northwestern is a place where people with diverse backgrounds from all over the world can study, live, and talk with one another. This range of experiences and viewpoints immeasurably enriches learning. How might your individual background contribute to this diversity of perspectives in Northwestern's classrooms and around our campus?
- communityTransfer applicants (required)2026-27300 words
We want to be sure we're considering your application in the context of your personal experiences: What aspects of your background, your identity, or your school, community, and/or household settings have most shaped how you see yourself engaging in Northwestern's community, be it academically, extracurricularly, culturally, politically, socially, or otherwise?
- why usTransfer applicants (required)2026-27300 words
Please share with us why you would like to transfer to Northwestern.
The school's published AI policy
The expectation on Northwestern's campus is to produce original work, and, as such, we expect your portion of the application will reflect your own work. [...] Just as you wouldn't ask another person to write your essays for you, we expect you won't ask AI to do that work on your behalf. [...] Constructive Uses of Generative AI: Researching colleges and admission terms; Building a college tour itinerary (even a virtual college tour itinerary!); Exploring how your academic interests and goals connect to fields of study; Brainstorming essay topics; Reviewing the grammar, punctuation, and spelling of your completed essays. [...] Problematic Uses of Generative AI: Using generative AI to write your personal statement or supplemental essays by inputting prompts and submitting the output as your own writing; Translating an essay written in another language; Providing generative AI with an essay outline and submitting AI's completed piece of writing; Using generative AI to rework a supplemental essay that was written for one school for another school.
the school’s published policyChecked Sep 8, 2026
Our reading
Northwestern lists "Constructive Uses of Generative AI" - including brainstorming essay topics and reviewing the grammar, punctuation, and spelling of completed essays - against "Problematic Uses" that reach only AI generating, rewriting, or translating the prose, requiring the application to reflect the applicant's own work.
How reviews use this page
When you request a review for a Northwestern University supplement, the feedback is grounded in exactly what you see here: the prompt itself, its word limit, and what the school publishes about its values and programs. That's the whole claim — calibrated to the prompt and the school's own published guidance, scored against a consistent rubric. Not insider knowledge, and never a rewrite: Second Read is a coach, not a ghostwriter. It flags weaknesses and tells you what to fix and why; it never writes a sentence of your essay.
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Prompts move mid-season
Every Friday: what changed in this week’s prompts. Nothing else. See what changed.