University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Essays 2025-2026
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Supplemental Essay Prompts: 2025-2026
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign recently released their supplemental essays for the 2025-2026 admissions cycle. In this article, we will explain exactly what they are looking for in responses from applicants, so you can write essays that will get you admitted there.
1. Explain, in detail, an experience you've had in the past 3 to 4 years related to your first-choice major. This can be an experience from an extracurricular activity, in a class you've taken, or through something else. (150 words)
‘Detail’ is the key word here. You want all 150 words dedicated to this experience. I would begin with a vivid first-person description of the sense of awe and wonder you experienced while doing an activity related to your first-choice major. After establishing your passion, I would then focus on giving the reader a front-row seat to how your mind works while engaging in activities related to your first-choice major. For your conclusion, I would explain why this experience motivates you to study your first-choice major.
2. Describe your personal and/or career goals after graduating from Illinois and how your selected first-choice major will help you achieve them.(150 words)
For this essay, you want to start by painting a picture of a powerful personal experience that motivated you to tackle a real-world problem whose resolution would tangibly better the world. From there, connect your experience to this real-world problem, explain why it is so urgent that it be solved, and show how studying your chosen major will help you solve it. To conclude, vividly demonstrate how solving this problem will tangibly impact the world in a positive way.
3. Please explain your interest in your second-choice major or your overall academic or career goals. (150 words)
We recommend that all applicants select both a first and second choice major, even if they are undecided. For this essay, if you choose to write about your interest in your second choice major, you can follow the same format as you did for the first essay. If you are going to write about your career goals, we recommend that you focus on how this second-choice major will also allow you to tackle the urgent real-world problem you cited in your second essay, the one for which you provided personal motivation for solving. You don't need to share another personal experience to provide additional motivation for addressing this real-world problem.
If you want your college admissions essays to be the decisive factor that gets you into your dream school, schedule a free consultation with an admissions expert today to have all of your questions answered.
