93 Best Colleges Without Supplemental Essays – 2025

November 18, 2025

When college application season arrives, it’s easy for students to become overwhelmed about the essays. There’s the personal statement, which many students must write for at least one school on their list, and then there are the supplemental essays. Supplemental essays can cover a range of topics, including community, diversity, college-specific fit, and prospective major, to name a few, and are intended to help colleges learn more about your goals, interests, and potential contributions to campus. Due to how personal and varied the supplemental essays can be, students often spend weeks, if not months, writing them.

However, there are many excellent colleges across the country that do not require supplemental essays at all. Typically, these colleges are significantly less stressful to apply to, so adding a few to your list can help diversify your options without adding too much extra work. If you’re looking for ways to expand your college list without adding more essays to your plate, you’ve come to the right place. In today’s blog, we’ll be reviewing our list of the best colleges without supplemental essays.

Which Colleges Can I Apply to Without Supplemental Essays?

More than you think! Below, we’ve put together an alphabetical list of the best colleges without supplemental essays. For each, we’ve also noted:

Acceptance rate
Whether a personal statement is required
Any important exceptions, i.e., supplemental essays only required for specific majors or types of applicants

Speaking of exceptions…

The colleges on our list do not require supplemental essays from the vast majority of applicants. However, make sure to double-check all applications carefully for additional writing requirements, particularly if any of the following apply to you:

You are applying to an honors program, scholarship program, or leadership program.
You are targeting a direct admit, guaranteed admission, or pre-professional program (ex., BS/MD).
You are applying to a creative major, such as fine arts or architecture.
You need to explain a low grade, disciplinary infraction, or extenuating circumstance.
You are applying test-optional.
You have taken a gap year.

Finally, we have not included colleges with optional but recommended essays. For more information on whether optional essays are truly optional, check out our blog, Should I Complete Optional College Essays?

93 Best Colleges Without Supplemental Essays – 2025

1) Allegheny College

Acceptance Rate: 59%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

2) Auburn University

Acceptance Rate: 46%
Requires Personal Statement?: No

3) Augusta University

Acceptance Rate: 51%
Requires Personal Statement?: No

4) Bates College

Acceptance Rate: 15%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

5) Bennington College

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

6) Bentley University

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

7) Binghamton University

Acceptance Rate: 39%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

8) Brandeis University

Acceptance Rate: 41%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes
Supplemental Essay Exceptions: Additional writing required for international applicants only.

9) Bryant University

Acceptance Rate: 68%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

10) California State University System (all 22 campuses)

Acceptance Rate: Varies
Requires Personal Statement?: No

11) Case Western Reserve University

Acceptance Rate: 46%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

12) Clarkson University

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

13) Clemson University

Acceptance Rate: 42%
Requires Personal Statement?: No (but recommended)

14) Colby College

Acceptance Rate: 7%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

15) College of the Holy Cross

Acceptance Rate: 18%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

16) Colorado State University

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes
Supplemental Essay Exceptions: If your cumulative GPA is below 3.0/B- average (on a 4.0 scale), you have any D or F grades, or you are missing units in CSU Recommended Courses, an additional essay will be required.

17) Denison University

Acceptance Rate: 17%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

18) DePaul University

Acceptance Rate: 76%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes
Supplemental Essay Exceptions: Additional essays or materials may be required if applying to The Theatre School, School of Music, Animation program, or Film & Television program.

19) Drew University

Acceptance Rate: 68%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes
Supplemental Essay Exceptions: Additional writing required if applying to certain special programs.

20) Drexel University

Acceptance Rate: 79%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes
Supplemental Essay Exceptions: Additional writing required if applying to certain majors within the Westphal College of Media Arts & Design.

21) Duquesne University

Acceptance Rate: 84%
Requires Personal Statement?: No

22) Eckerd College

Acceptance Rate: 76%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

23) Fairfield University

Acceptance Rate: 33%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

24) Florida Atlantic University

Acceptance Rate: 66%
Requires Personal Statement?: No

25) Florida Institute of Technology

Acceptance Rate: 58%
Requires Personal Statement?: No

26) Florida International University

Acceptance Rate: 55%
Requires Personal Statement?: No

27) Florida State University

Acceptance Rate: 24%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

28) Franklin and Marshall College

Acceptance Rate: 28%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

29) Furman University

Acceptance Rate: 43%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

30) Gettysburg College

Acceptance Rate: 39%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

31) Grinnell College

Acceptance Rate: 15%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

32) Hanover College

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Requires Personal Statement?: No

33) Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Acceptance Rate: 64%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

34) Hofstra University

Acceptance Rate: 68%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

35) Indiana University – Bloomington

Acceptance Rate: 78%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

36) Iowa State University

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Requires Personal Statement?: No

37) James Madison University

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Requires Personal Statement?: No

38) Kansas State University

Acceptance Rate: 82%
Requires Personal Statement?: No

39) Kenyon College

Acceptance Rate: 31%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

40) Louisiana State University

Acceptance Rate: 73%
Requires Personal Statement?: No

41) Loyola University Chicago

Acceptance Rate: 82%
Requires Personal Statement?: No

42) Marquette University

Acceptance Rate: 81%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

43) Mercer University

Acceptance Rate: 69%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

44) Miami University – Oxford

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

45) Michigan State University

Acceptance Rate: 85%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

46) Middlebury College

Acceptance Rate: 11%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

47) Mississippi State University

Acceptance Rate: 78%
Requires Personal Statement?: No

48) Montana State University

Acceptance Rate: 87%
Requires Personal Statement?: No

49) Muhlenberg College

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

50) New Jersey Institute of Technology

Acceptance Rate: 65%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

51) Northeastern University

Acceptance Rate: 5%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes
Supplemental Essay Exceptions: Applicants to majors in the College of Arts, Media, and Design are strongly encouraged to submit a portfolio, which includes an additional essay.

52) Oberlin College

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

53) Ohio State University

Acceptance Rate: 61%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

54) Oregon State University

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

55) Pennsylvania State University

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Requires Personal Statement?: No (but recommended)

56) Rhodes College

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

57) Rochester Institute of Technology

Acceptance Rate: 67%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

58) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

59) Rowan University

Acceptance Rate: 78%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

60) Rutgers University – New Brunswick

Acceptance Rate: 41%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

61) Saint Louis University

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

62) Sewanee: The University of the South

Acceptance Rate: 51%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

63) Skidmore College

Acceptance Rate: 21%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

64) St. Lawrence University

Acceptance Rate: 54%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

65) Stony Brook University

Acceptance Rate: 49%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

66) Temple University

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Requires Personal Statement?: No

67) Texas Christian University

Acceptance Rate: 44%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

68) Trinity University

Acceptance Rate: 26%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

69) Union College

Acceptance Rate: 44%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

70) University of Arkansas

Acceptance Rate: 74%
Requires Personal Statement?: No

71) University of Connecticut

Acceptance Rate: 52%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

72) University of Delaware

Acceptance Rate: 69%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

73) University of Denver

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

74) University of Houston

Acceptance Rate: 74%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes
Supplemental Essay Exceptions: Additional writing is required for applicants to the Hines College of Architecture and Design.

75) University of Idaho

Acceptance Rate: 76%
Requires Personal Statement?: No

76) University of Iowa

Acceptance Rate: 84%
Requires Personal Statement?: No

77) University of Kansas

Acceptance Rate: 93%
Requires Personal Statement?: No

78) University of Kentucky

Acceptance Rate: 93%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes
Supplemental Essay Exceptions: Additional writing is required for applicants to a Human Health Sciences major.

79) University of Mary Washington

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

80) University of Mississippi

Acceptance Rate: 97%
Requires Personal Statement?: No

81) University of Missouri

Acceptance Rate: 78%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

82) University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Acceptance Rate: 97%
Requires Personal Statement?: No

83) University of New Hampshire

Acceptance Rate: 88%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

84) University of Oklahoma

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Requires Personal Statement?: No

85) University of Pittsburgh

Acceptance Rate: 58%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes (test-optional applicants only); otherwise highly recommended

86) University of South Carolina

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

87) University of South Florida

Acceptance Rate: 43%
Requires Personal Statement?: No

88) University of Tennessee-Knoxville

Acceptance Rate: 46%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

89) University of Virginia

Acceptance Rate: 17%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes
Supplemental Essay Exceptions: Additional writing required for applicants to the School of Nursing.

90) University of Washington-Seattle

Acceptance Rate: 39%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

91) Wesleyan University

Acceptance Rate: 16%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

92) Whitman College

Acceptance Rate: 38%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

93) Williams College

Acceptance Rate: 8%
Requires Personal Statement?: Yes

Final Thoughts

Writing college essays can be challenging and time-consuming, so applying to at least a few schools without supplemental essays can give you extra energy to focus on those that do require them.

Still feel crushed by college writing requirements? College Transitions’ counselors and essay coaches can help—book a free consult today.

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Kelsea Conlin

Kelsea holds a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing from Tufts University, a graduate certificate in College Counseling from UCLA, and an MA in Teaching Writing from Johns Hopkins University. Her short fiction has appeared in Chautauqua and she is a co-author of Colleges Worth Your Money: A Guide to What America's Top Schools Can Do For You.