Last Updated on October 1, 2026
Quick answer: The WashU supplemental essays now come down to one required response: 250 words on “Please tell us what you are interested in studying at college and why.” [1] The optional writing supplement has been discontinued. You also submit the Common App personal statement, and you may add an optional video supplement.
WashU streamlined its supplemental essay requirements for fall 2027 entry. The prompt below reflects those changes, verified against WashU’s admissions site.
Known as one of the top schools in the Midwest, Washington University in St. Louis is a vibrant school with a dynamic community and outstanding opportunities for students. For fall 2027 entry, WashU asks one required supplemental question, a 250-word response about what you want to study and why. To help students in their writing process, here’s InGenius Prep’s guide to the Washington University in St. Louis supplemental essays.
The WashU Supplemental Essays Prompt
Short Answer (250 words): Please tell us what you are interested in studying at college and why.
Two hundred and fifty words is short enough that a general answer will not survive. WashU is not asking whether you like biology. It is asking what pulled you toward it and what you did about it.
Start with the specific thing, not the field. A lab section that ran long because the result made no sense. A grandparent’s medical bills that sent you into health policy. A dataset you scraped for a school paper and kept poking at afterward. One concrete moment does more work here than a paragraph of adjectives.
Then show the interest has direction. Name a WashU department, a course number, a research group, or a faculty member whose work connects to yours, and say what you would do there. WashU reads this response knowing you are choosing among its undergraduate schools, so make clear which one your interest points to.
Do not repeat what your activities list already says. If the reader can learn it from the grid, spend the words on something the grid cannot carry: how your thinking changed, what you got wrong, what you want to test next.
If you are undecided, say so plainly and then write about the two or three questions you keep returning to. Honest uncertainty with evidence reads better than a manufactured certainty.
How to Structure Your WashU Supplemental Essays Response
With only 250 words, structure matters as much as content. A simple four-part plan keeps you from spending half your space on a warm-up paragraph.
- The spark (40 to 60 words): Open inside a specific moment, question, or problem that pulled you toward the subject. Skip definitions and skip quotes from famous people.
- The evidence (80 to 100 words): Show what you did once you were curious. Name the book you read next, the experiment you redesigned, the internship you pursued, or the independent project you built.
- The WashU connection (50 to 70 words): Point to a department, course, research opportunity, or program at WashU and explain what you would do with it. One precise detail beats a list of five.
- The next question (20 to 30 words): End with what you still want to figure out. This shows the reader that your interest is still moving.
Here is how the plan might look in practice. A student interested in environmental policy opens with the afternoon she noticed that her town’s flood maps had not changed in decades. She then describes the public records request she filed, the spreadsheet she built from the results, and the letter she wrote to her city council. Next, she names a WashU course or research center that works on the same questions and explains what she hopes to learn there. She closes with the question she still cannot answer: who decides which neighborhoods count as at risk? Every sentence carries evidence, and none of it repeats her activities list.
Draft long, then cut. Most students write 400 words on the first pass, which is fine. Cut every sentence that summarizes instead of shows, and every adjective that the evidence already proves. For more on pacing a short response, see our post on how long college application essays should be.
Match Your Answer to Your WashU Undergraduate School
WashU has four undergraduate schools: the College of Arts & Sciences, Olin Business School, the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, and the McKelvey School of Engineering. [3] You apply to a specific school, so your 250 words should make sense for the one you choose. A McKelvey applicant might write about a design problem they kept iterating on, while an Arts & Sciences applicant can explore a question that crosses two fields. Students can take classes across schools, [3] so you can mention an interdisciplinary interest, as long as your primary field stays clear.
If you are applying to the College of Art, a portfolio is required, and it is recommended for the College of Architecture. [2] Let your written answer and your portfolio tell the same story from two angles instead of repeating each other.
WashU Deadlines and Testing for Fall 2027 Entry
WashU offers four decision plans for fall 2027 entry. Early Action and Early Decision I applications are due November 2, 2026. Early Decision II and Regular Decision applications are due January 4, 2027. [2] Early Action is new this cycle and is not binding, so it suits you if WashU is high on your list but you want to compare aid offers. School materials are due one week after each application deadline. WashU remains test-optional and accepts self-reported SAT or ACT scores; the last accepted test date is December, or October if you apply Early Action or Early Decision I. [2]
If you are drafting for several schools at once, our supplemental essay guides for other schools cover the rest of the list.
Should You Submit the Optional Video Supplement?
WashU describes its video supplement as truly optional, and applicants are not penalized for skipping it. [1] [2] Consider it if you communicate more naturally out loud than on paper, or if there is a side of you that your essays and activities list do not show. Skip it if you would only restate your written answer. A video that feels rehearsed adds little, while a relaxed, specific one can add warmth to your file.
Additional Tips for Writing the WashU in St. Louis Supplemental Essay
Do your research!: It’s a given that before you sit down to write any supplemental essay you conduct thorough research on the college. Even though there’s no explicit “Why WashU” question, to successfully write the WashU in St. Louis supplemental essay, you need to know about the academic departments and courses in order to figure out how your topic relates to the major. For further reading, you can also check out this blog by Alyssa Reiman, a Graduate Coach at InGenius Prep, who discusses what she loved about the school, its community, and campus! Reading through student reflections is a helpful way to inspire your own writing and think deeper about what you’re looking for from college and from your academic work.
Think About the WashU College of Your Choice: Before you sit down to write your WashU in St. Louis supplemental essay, you should think carefully about the specialized college you’ll apply to and tailor your essay to highlight unique program offerings at that particular school. Even though you are allowed to take classes across different schools, your essay needs to be as specific as possible to your primary field. If you’re applying to the School of Engineering, don’t rave about classes in the Design & Visual Arts college!
Common Mistakes on the WashU Supplemental Essays
- Writing a résumé in paragraph form. Listing clubs and awards wastes words your activities list already covers.
- Praising WashU in general terms. Rankings, location, and “world-class faculty” could describe many universities. Name something only WashU offers.
- Choosing a field you cannot support. If your application shows no connection to your stated interest, the reader will notice. Pick the interest your record can back up.
- Recycling a Why Major essay without editing. Reusing ideas is smart, but tailor every detail to WashU and to your undergraduate school.
- Ignoring the word limit. Treat 250 words as a firm ceiling and aim to land just under it.
If you are adapting material from other schools, our advice on the Why Major essay and the Why This College essay will help you reshape it for WashU.
Get Personalized Tips With InGenius Prep
If WashU is high on your list, read past the homepage and learn what the university actually values. Admissions Officers are looking for students who embody the traits that WashU is built upon. Show what you have committed to and why it holds your attention, and do not repeat what is already on your personal statement or activities list.
If you want guidance on your supplemental essays, InGenius Prep is here to help. Our team of Former Admissions Officers from the top universities know what it takes to make a great application. We have worked with students admitted to schools including Harvard, Yale, MIT, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, and NYU.
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