For students applying to Penn
Penn Supplemental Essays for 2026–27
How to write Penn's 2026–27 supplemental essays, from the thank-you note to your school's question, plus first drafts built from your own notes.
Free to start. No card needed.
How to write your UPenn supplemental essays
Write the thank-you note as a real note, not an essay about gratitude. Pick one person you haven't yet thanked, address them as "you," and build it on one moment: what they did and what changed for you. When Penn added the prompt in 20221, its admissions dean, Whitney Soule, wrote: "Don't overthink it. There is no wrong way to respond to this prompt." Penn encourages you to share the note if possible, so write one you could hand over.
The community essay has two halves, and it is easy to answer only the first. Show how Penn will shape your perspective, then how your experiences and perspective will shape Penn. Penn's writing page2 says specifics show how you'd spend your time there: classes you're eager to take, research you'd love to pursue, a group you want to join. Name one or two and tie each to something you already do. Then try Penn's own test: would someone who knows you recognize your writing without your name on it?
Answer every part of your school's question. Nursing's prompt asks three things: why nursing, where you see yourself professionally and how you'll contribute to its mission of promoting equity in healthcare. Penn asks you to be precise about why Penn and why that school, and beside each school's prompt it links a page to read first, like the College's curriculum. Dual-degree applicants answer for their single-degree school, then keep program essays distinct. Finally, read the set together. Penn says it doesn't need a summary of your application, so give each answer something new.
Penn's 2026–27 prompts
Every Penn short answer prompt, by school and program
Every applicant answers the first two. You then answer the question for the undergraduate school you choose, plus your program's essays if you apply to a coordinated dual-degree or specialized program. The wording is copied from Penn's writing page2, which lists them as its 2026–27 prompts.
| Prompt | Exact wording | Length |
|---|---|---|
| All applicants · Thank-you note | Write a short thank-you note to someone you have not yet thanked and would like to acknowledge. (We encourage you to share this note with that person, if possible, and reflect on the experience!) | 50 to 200 words |
| All applicants · Community | How will you explore community at Penn? Consider how Penn will help shape your perspective, and how your experiences and perspective will help shape Penn. | 50 to 200 words |
| School of Nursing | Penn Nursing intends to meet the health needs of society in a global and multicultural world by preparing its students to impact healthcare by advancing science. Why are you applying to Nursing, where do you see yourself professionally in the future, and how will you contribute to our mission of promoting equity in healthcare? | 50 to 200 words |
| College of Arts and Sciences | The College of Arts and Sciences is designed to foster discovery and connection. Describe something you are curious about—something you'd like to learn more about or find a new approach to—and how you might pursue that curiosity in the College. | 50 to 200 words |
| The Wharton School | Wharton prepares its students to make an impact by applying business methods and economic theory to real-world problems, including economic, political, and social issues. Discuss a current issue of importance to you and how you hope a Wharton education would help you explore it. | 50 to 200 words |
| Penn Engineering | Penn Engineering prepares its students to become leaders in technology by combining a strong foundation in the natural sciences and mathematics with depth of study in focused disciplinary majors. Describe how you plan to pursue your engineering interests at Penn, particularly within the intended major you selected. | 50 to 200 words |
| Huntsman · Target language | Describe your experience with the target language you selected. You may wish to share the length of time you’ve studied or used this language, how you’ve learned it, the skills you’ve acquired, and/or the skills you still wish to develop. Please also explain why you are interested in studying this language and the region(s) of the world where it is spoken. | 50 to 200 words |
| Huntsman · Program essay | The Huntsman Program supports the development of globally-minded scholars who become engaged citizens, creative innovators, and ethical leaders in the public, private, and non-profit sectors in the United States and around the world. What draws you to a dual degree in international studies and business, and how would you use what you learn to address a global issue where these two domains intersect? | 50 to 400 words |
| LSM | The Vagelos Life Sciences & Management (LSM) program brings together two powerful modes of understanding—scientific inquiry and strategic thinking—to prepare students to engage thoughtfully and creatively with some of the most complex challenges of our time. What questions, problems, or opportunities would you hope to explore through LSM, and how might the integration of life sciences and management shape your approach to them? Focus on the ideas, values, or questions that draw you to this intersection, rather than how LSM might advance your career, and make sure this essay is distinct from your single-degree application. | 50 to 400 words |
| M&T · Program essay | Explain how you will use the M&T program to pursue problems or opportunities that require both engineering and business perspectives. | 50 to 400 words |
| M&T · Something you built | Describe something you created, designed, improved, or built. What motivated you, and what did you learn from the process? | 50 to 200 words |
| NHCM | Describe your interest in nursing and health care management, and how Penn's coordinated dual-degree program in nursing and business would help you meet your goals. Please ensure that this essay is distinct from your single-degree application, if applicable. | 50 to 400 words |
| VIPER · Major combination | VIPER students pursue dual degrees in science or math and engineering. Which major combination(s) interest you most right now and why? Your response to this prompt is not binding; students often shift majors as they learn more through the program. | 50 to 200 words |
| VIPER · Program essay | Describe your interest in the VIPER program, including how any past experiences (academic, research, extracurricular, etc.) have shaped your interest in energy science and technology, and how you envision participation in VIPER fitting into your future goals. | 50 to 400 words |
| VIC | Discuss how your interests align with the Visual and Interactive Computing (VIC) program at the University of Pennsylvania | 50 to 400 words |
Huntsman applicants also select one of eleven target languages. Transfer applicants add an essay of 50 to 400 words on why they are transferring. Checked October 29, 2026.
Real examples
Penn essays from admitted students
These were written by students admitted to Penn under earlier prompts. The long essays answered a question Penn has since retired; the shorter community essays answered an earlier version of this year's community question.
Seven Penn essays, three with a former admissions officer's notes
Admitted to Penn · posted August 2021 · CollegeAdvisor
Read the community essay about "multipotentialites," which names days, places and groups, from Locust Walk to the orchestra. The Wharton essay that starts with family Scrabble turns a small habit into a big interest. Courses and clubs named in 2021 may have changed.
Read the Penn essays at CollegeAdvisor
Link checked October 29, 2026.
How it works
What are Penn's supplemental essays for 2026–27?
Penn's supplemental essays are the short answers you write for Penn alone. They go with your personal statement in the Common App, Coalition App or QuestBridge. Penn's writing page2 says they help it understand "how you consider others, how you think about community, what motivates your academic aspirations, and what draws you to Penn." For 2026–27, everyone writes a thank-you note and a community essay, then answers one question from their undergraduate school, each 50 to 200 words. Dual-degree and specialized programs add one or two essays, some up to 400 words.
Paste or drop in what you have: notes, activities, a résumé or your Common App essay. River gives each Penn answer a different story from your material and writes the thank-you note to one real person in your notes. Penn courses, groups or places appear only if you mention them or River finds them on Penn's own website, with the link under the answer. Missing details become brackets, and if no story fits a prompt, River asks you for one instead of inventing it.
Your drafts open in your River workspace, each with an exact word count, followed by a checklist of brackets to fill and Penn's deadlines. Use them to organize your stories, then write the final answers in your own words, as Penn's integrity page3 asks. For the rest of your list, the supplemental essay writer plans each college's prompts, and the essay shortener trims answers that run long. Applying to Princeton too? See Princeton's 2026–27 prompts.
How it works
From your notes to your Penn answers
Add your notes
Paste notes about people you'd thank, activities, a résumé or your Common App essay, or drop files.
Pick your school
Choose the College, Wharton, Engineering, Nursing or a dual-degree program, or let River tell from your notes.
Read the drafts
Each answer lands in your doc with its word count and brackets for details only you know.
Make them yours
Put each answer in your own words, share the thank-you note if you can, then ask River to grade them.
Dear Ms. Rosa,
You knelt to Mr. Pérez's eye level, spoke to him in Spanish and asked about his farm in Puerto Rico. [What happened next.]
I use what you showed me with residents all the time now: get low, switch to Spanish, ask about home.
Thank you for showing me how. [Your name]
What you'll get
Penn's thank-you note, community essay and school answer, drafted
- A thank-you note to a real person from your life, between 50 and 200 words
- The community essay and your school's question, each tied to Penn and to you
- Dual-degree program essays when you apply to one, with exact word counts throughout
Before and after
Your notes in. First drafts out.
Allentown, PA. Dietary aide at a nursing home three evenings a week since sophomore year. I'm bilingual and translate for residents' families. Ms. Rosa, a CNA on my shift, showed me how to calm Mr. Pérez when his dementia made him angry: kneel to his eye level, speak Spanish, ask about his farm in Puerto Rico. I use that with residents all the time now. Never thanked her. Applying to Penn Nursing. Want to be a geriatric nurse practitioner in a bilingual clinic.
Thank-you note (opening) Dear Ms. Rosa, When Mr. Pérez's dementia made him angry, you knelt to his eye level and asked him, in Spanish, about his farm in Puerto Rico. [What happened next, in your words.] I never thanked you for showing me that. Penn Nursing question (opening) Since sophomore year, I've spent three evenings a week as a dietary aide at a nursing home, translating for residents' families. I want to become a geriatric nurse practitioner in a bilingual clinic, because [why that kind of clinic matters to you].
Ms. Rosa, Mr. Pérez and the farm all come from the notes. Brackets hold what only the student remembers.
What lands in your doc
What's in your Penn supplement
- A thank-you note addressed to one real person, built on a specific moment from your notes
- A community essay that answers both halves: how Penn shapes you and how you shape Penn
- Your school's answer covering every part of its prompt, from Wharton to Nursing
- Dual-degree program essays for Huntsman, M&T, LSM and others, each distinct from your school answer
- Penn courses, groups or places named only when you mention them or Penn's website confirms them
- Exact word counts, brackets for missing details, the story behind each answer and Penn's deadlines
Questions applicants ask
Common questions
How many supplemental essays does UPenn require?
UPenn asks most first-year applicants for three supplemental essays in 2026–27: a thank-you note, a community essay and one question from your undergraduate school. Each runs 50 to 200 words, per Penn's writing page2. Coordinated dual-degree and specialized programs add one or two essays, some up to 400 words, and you still answer your single-degree school's question.
Who should I write the Penn thank-you note to?
Anyone you haven't thanked yet whose help you can show in a single moment. A coach, a coworker, a sibling or a neighbor can work as well as a teacher. Write to them, not about them, and keep the spotlight on them rather than your achievements. Penn encourages you to share the note with that person if possible and reflect on the experience.
What is the Penn community essay asking?
How you will explore community at Penn, in both directions: how Penn will help shape your perspective, and how your experiences and perspective will help shape Penn. A strong answer names a specific group, place or tradition and connects it to something you already do. An answer that only lists clubs leaves out what you would bring.
When are Penn's 2026–27 deadlines, and are test scores required?
Early Decision applications are due November 1, 2026, with decisions in December, and Regular Decision applications January 5, 2027, with decisions in April, per Penn's first-year page4. Early Decision is binding. Penn also requires SAT or ACT scores, or a hardship waiver. Its testing page5 lists November 7 as the last SAT date for Early Decision, and December 5 (SAT) or December 12 (ACT) for Regular Decision.
Can I use AI to write my Penn essays?
Not the final answers. Penn's integrity page3 says using a tool, including AI, to organize your thoughts or check your grammar doesn't compromise your application, but submitting responses an AI tool generated would. Treat River's drafts as a plan built from your own stories, and write the final answers yourself. Penn's test: if you couldn't explain how you arrived at what you wrote, it isn't ready to submit.
How do I write my Penn essays with River?
Paste your notes, activities, résumé or Common App essay into the box at the top of this page, or drop in files. Choose your Penn school if you know it. River matches a story to each prompt and drafts every answer with its word count. The drafts open in your free River workspace, where you turn them into your own final answers and ask River to grade them.
Is the Penn supplement writer free?
Yes, it is free to start. Your Penn drafts open in a River workspace, where you can edit them, share them or ask River to change them. You can also ask for a second thank-you note to compare. Paid plans add more AI use and access to the most advanced models.
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