Cornell University supplemental essays, 2026-27
Cornell University lists 12 supplemental questions for 2026-27 (11 required), 5,100 words in all. One is a "why this school" question, which is the one prompt you cannot reuse from another application.
The 12 prompts
In the order the school lists them. A limit appears only where the school prints one.
What interests you about the major you selected? Tell us about experiences (both in and outside of the classroom), questions, and goals that influenced your choice.
What it asks for: why this major.
What draws you to Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS)? Reflect on the learning, community, or impact opportunities that matter most to you, and share how they align with Cornell CALS (as you understand it currently).
What it asks for: community you belong to.
Describe how your interests connect to architecture. Include an example of a creative project, design experience, or personal passion that sparked your interest in pursuing a 5-year professional degree in architecture. Reflect on how this experience shaped your understanding of the field and your motivation to study architecture.
What it asks for: open or creative.
Submit an artist statement describing your creative interests and practice. Address how your work reflects your artistic voice, influences, and process, and how studying art at Cornell AAP would support and expand your practice. (You will also be prompted to upload a copy to your Slideroom portal.)
What it asks for: open or creative.
Describe your interest in urban and regional studies. Discuss experiences, ideas, or issues that have shaped your interest in cities, communities, and regional systems, and explain how URS at Cornell aligns with your academic and career goals.
What it asks for: community you belong to.
At the College of Arts and Sciences, your education is yours to shape. Describe an intellectual passion, question, or idea that has captured your attention\u2014whether it emerges from your studies or extends beyond your coursework. What specific aspects of our liberal arts curriculum would you draw on to explore and connect your varied interests?
What it asks for: intellectual curiosity.
Discuss your interest in pursuing a major in policy at the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy and what draws you to this field of study. You are encouraged to consider including details related to your personal experiences, values, academic influences, or extracurricular activities that have shaped your perspective and future goals.
What it asks for: why this major.
Please describe why you are interested in being considered for the Brooks School DC Start program.
What it asks for: why this school.
What kind of a business student are you? Using your personal, academic, or volunteer/work experiences, describe the topics or issues that you care about and why they are important to you. Your response should convey how your interests align with the school to which you are applying within the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business (Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management or the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration).
What it asks for: why this school.
Fundamentally, engineering is the application of math, science, and technology to solve complex problems. Why do you want to study engineering?
What it asks for: why this school.
Why do you think you would love to study at Duffield Engineering?
What it asks for: why this school.
What brings you joy?
What it asks for: personal story.
Source: Cornell University, read October 24, 2026. Confirm the prompts in your application before you submit.
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Questions
1. What interests you about the major you selected? Tell us about experiences (both in and outside of the classroom), questions, and goals that influenced your choice. (350 words) 2. What draws you to Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS)? Reflect on the learning, community, or impact opportunities that matter most to you, and share how they align with Cornell CALS (as you understand it currently). (350 words) 3. Describe how your interests connect to architecture. Include an example of a creative project, design experience, or personal passion that sparked your interest in pursuing a 5-year professional degree in architecture. Reflect on how this experience shaped your understanding of the field and your motivation to study architecture. (650 words) 4. Submit an artist statement describing your creative interests and practice. Address how your work reflects your artistic voice, influences, and process, and how studying art at Cornell AAP would support and expand your practice. (You will also be prompted to upload a copy to your Slideroom portal.) (650 words) 5. Describe your interest in urban and regional studies. Discuss experiences, ideas, or issues that have shaped your interest in cities, communities, and regional systems, and explain how URS at Cornell aligns with your academic and career goals. (650 words) 6. At the College of Arts and Sciences, your education is yours to shape. Describe an intellectual passion, question, or idea that has captured your attention\u2014whether it emerges from your studies or extends beyond your coursework. What specific aspects of our liberal arts curriculum would you draw on to explore and connect your varied interests? (650 words) 7. Discuss your interest in pursuing a major in policy at the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy and what draws you to this field of study. You are encouraged to consider including details related to your personal experiences, values, academic influences, or extracurricular activities that have shaped your perspective and future goals. (650 words) 8. Please describe why you are interested in being considered for the Brooks School DC Start program. (350 words) 9. What kind of a business student are you? Using your personal, academic, or volunteer/work experiences, describe the topics or issues that you care about and why they are important to you. Your response should convey how your interests align with the school to which you are applying within the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business (Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management or the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration). (650 words) 10. Fundamentally, engineering is the application of math, science, and technology to solve complex problems. Why do you want to study engineering? (200 words) 11. Why do you think you would love to study at Duffield Engineering? (200 words) 12. What brings you joy? (100 words)
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences - Question 1: 350 words; College of Agriculture and Life Sciences - Question 2: 350 words; College of Architecture, Art, and Planning - B.Arch Applicants: 650 words; College of Architecture, Art, and Planning - BFA Applicants: 650 words; College of Architecture, Art, and Planning - URS Applicants: 650 words; College of Arts and Sciences: 650 words; Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy - All Applicants: 650 words; Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy - DC Start Applicants only: 350 words; Cornell SC Johnson College of Business: 650 words; Cornell David A. Duffield College of Engineering - Long Essay Question 1: 200 words; Cornell David A. Duffield College of Engineering - Long Essay Question 2: 200 words; Cornell David A. Duffield College of Engineering - Short Answer Question 1: 100 words.
These prompts ask about why this major, community you belong to, open or creative, intellectual curiosity, why this school, personal story. The why-this-school answer must be written for this school. Answers about a community, a challenge or an activity often adapt from drafts for other schools; My Schools maps which of your drafts fits which prompt.