The University of Chicago, currently ranked #12 in the U.S. News and World Report rankings of National Universities (tied with Columbia and Cornell), is also considered an Ivy Plus school.
UChicago is known for asking unique and provocative supplemental essay questions which change every year. The 6 options are inspired by ideas from newly admitted and current students who submit several hundred essay topics for consideration each year. Transfer applicants must submit an additional supplemental essay on why they plan to transfer.
Essay Guidance
Get our expert guidance on your college essays.
TTA Top Tip: Famous for their quirky prompts, UChicago encourages creativity and out-of-the-box thinking when writing its supplemental essays. As the universities admissions website says, these essays can be approached with “utter seriousness, complete fancy, or something in between.” However, UChicago also requires all applicants to respond to the same question, a variation of the classic “Why Us?” essay. This prompt asks students to consider how their personal goals can be realized at UChicago.
UCHICAGO: 2024-25 SUPPLEMENTAL ESSAYS
Required question: How does the University of Chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future? Please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to UChicago.
Choose one, required:
Essay Option 1
We’re all familiar with green-eyed envy or feeling blue, but what about being “caught purple-handed”? Or “tickled orange”? Give an old color-infused expression a new hue and tell us what it represents.
– Inspired by Ramsey Bottorff, Class of 2026
Essay Option 2
“Ah, but I was so much older then / I’m younger than that now” – Bob Dylan. In what ways do we become younger as we get older?
– Inspired by Joshua Harris, Class of 2016
Essay Option 3
Pluto, the demoted planet. Ophiuchus, the thirteenth Zodiac. Andy Murray, the fourth to tennis’s Big Three. Every grouping has something that doesn’t quite fit in. Tell us about a group and its unofficial member, why (or why not) should it be excluded?
– Inspired by Veronica Chang, Class of 2022
Essay Option 4
“Daddy-o”, “Far Out”, “Gnarly”: the list of slang terms goes on and on. Sadly, most of these aren’t so “fly” anymore – “as if!” Name an outdated slang from any decade or language that you’d bring back and explain why you totally “dig it.”
– Inspired by Napat Sakdibhornssup, Class of 2028
Essay Option 5
How many piano tuners are there in Chicago? What is the total length of chalk used by UChicago professors in a year? How many pages of books are in the Regenstein Library? These questions are among a class of estimation problems named after University of Chicago physicist Enrico Fermi. Create your own Fermi estimation problem, give it your best answer, and show us how you got there.
– Inspired by Malhar Manek, Class of 2028
Essay Option 6
And, as always… the classic choose your own adventure option! In the spirit of adventurous inquiry, choose one of our past prompts (or create a question of your own). Be original, creative, thought provoking. Draw on your best qualities as a writer, thinker, visionary, social critic, sage, citizen of the world, or future citizen of the University of Chicago; take a little risk, and have fun!
Personal Application Boot Camp®
Three days of one-on-one work with a Senior Counselor from the Application Boot Camp® team.
APPLYING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO?
Are you thinking about applying to UChicago? Confused on how to start writing these essays? Contact us to discuss our Essay Guidance Program or Personal Boot Camp. By working on your applications now, you will be able to reap the benefit of increased odds in the early round of admissions.
Top Tier Admissions is tracking the 2024-2025 supplemental essay prompts for all top schools here — we look forward to supporting you!
Interested in reading more about UChicago?
- Ivy Plus Acceptance Rates
- Campus Visits: Chicago and the Midwest Colleges & Universities
- University of Chicago: Acceptance Rates & Statistics
If you enjoyed this post, follow us on Instagram @toptieradmissions for more tips and subscribe to our blog for expert insights & college admissions news!
- University of Chicago: Supplemental Essays 2025-26 - August 29, 2025
- Boston College: Supplemental Essays 2025-2026 - August 15, 2025
- Cornell: Supplemental Essays 2025-2026 - August 1, 2025
