The seven prompts
The seven Common App prompts for 2026-27 are the same as last year. In 2025-26, prompt 7, any topic of your choice, was the most popular at 28%, followed by prompt 2, a challenge or setback, at 23%.
| # | What the prompt asks, in short | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A background, identity, interest or talent so central that your application would feel incomplete without it | 18% |
| 2 | A challenge, setback or failure, and what you learned from it | 23% |
| 3 | A time you questioned or challenged a belief or idea | 3% |
| 4 | Something someone did for you that made you thankful in a surprising way | 3% |
| 5 | An accomplishment, event or realization that led to personal growth | 20% |
| 6 | A topic or idea so engaging that you lose track of time | 5% |
| 7 | Any topic of your choice | 28% |
The shares are Common App figures for the 2025-26 cycle, published on 27 February 2026. Read the full wording on the Common App prompts page before you choose.
How to choose a prompt
Choose your story first and the prompt second. A good story usually fits more than one of the seven prompts, and prompt 7, the open topic that 28% of students picked in 2025-26, takes any story.
- Start with the story, not the prompt. A good story fits more than one prompt, and prompt 7 takes any story.
- Adversity is common. Almost 1 in 4 students choose prompt 2. It works when the essay is about what you did next, not the problem itself.
- Rarely chosen prompts can stand out. Gratitude, challenging an idea and intellectual curiosity add up to 11%. Use them only if you have a real story for them.
- The essay does not repeat your record. Grades and activities are elsewhere in the application. The essay shows who you are beyond them.
Writing in a second language
You can draft in your own language, but the essay of up to 650 words that you submit in 2026-27 has to read as natural English in your own voice, not as a line-by-line translation.
- Rewrite in English, do not translate. You can draft in your own language, but the final version has to sound natural in English.
- Do not translate with AI. Cornell lists using AI to translate an essay written in another language as unethical. See what colleges allow when you use AI.
- Explain your context in one sentence. A US reader may not know your national exam, your school system or your city. Explain quickly and return to the story.
- Use concrete detail. A place, a conversation, a decision. Detail shows more than adjectives.
- Keep your voice. The goal is clear, correct English that still sounds like you, not polished prose written by someone else.
Each college's supplemental essays
Beyond the personal essay, many colleges ask for their own shorter essays. The most common ask why you want to study there or what you want to study. They sit in each college's section of the Common App. Plan time for them: close to deadlines, they take the most work.
When to start
The 2026-27 prompts were announced on 27 February 2026, and the new Common App opened on 1 August. You can create your account earlier: your essay rolls over when the new season opens. For 1 November deadlines, the summer before your final year is a good time for the first draft.