Cornell Supplemental Essays 2026-27: Every Prompt, Explained

CALS asks two questions, each with a 350-word limit. Applying to CALS means applying directly to one of its 20-plus majors, and the first question is about that choice.

Question 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.

Question 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).

Question 2 is a why this college question about CALS itself. Among the factors the CALS page lists for review are “Your reasons for choosing CALS” and “How are you a good fit for the college?”

AAP sets one prompt per major, each with a 650-word limit, and you answer the one for your major. Architecture and Fine Arts applicants also submit a portfolio by the application deadline.

B.Arch applicants: 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.

BFA applicants: 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.)

URS applicants: 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.

The B.Arch essay is built around one example and what it taught you, and AAP asks architecture applicants for “evidence of creative ability and commitment to the field of architecture.” The BFA prompt asks for an artist statement, which you also upload to SlideRoom. For URS applicants, AAP says it pays “particular attention to the articulation of your interest in themes relevant to urban and regional studies.”

The Arts and Sciences prompt has a 650-word limit. It opens with a statement, “At the College of Arts and Sciences, your education is yours to shape,” and then asks two things. The first ask is to “Describe an intellectual passion, question, or idea that has captured your attention,” which Cornell widens to one that “emerges from your studies or extends beyond your coursework.” The second: “What specific aspects of our liberal arts curriculum would you draw on to explore and connect your varied interests?”

The college’s page gives that second question context. You select up to two areas of interest when you apply. You don’t declare a major until the end of sophomore year, and “much of your coursework will happen outside your major.” Name the actual courses, programs or requirements you would use, since “specific aspects” is the prompt’s own phrase.

Every Brooks School applicant writes one essay of up to 650 words. Applicants who want to be considered for DC Start, a first semester spent in Washington, D.C., answer a second question of up to 350 words.

All applicants: 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.

DC Start applicants only: Please describe why you are interested in being considered for the Brooks School DC Start program.

The Brooks page says successful applicants “Clearly articulate why they’re drawn to study public policy broadly and their chosen major specifically.” So answer on both levels: policy as a field, then your major. DC Start is offered only to incoming first-year Brooks majors, who indicate their interest on the Common Application.

Applicants to the SC Johnson College of Business answer one 650-word prompt, whichever of its two schools they choose: the Dyson School (Applied Economics and Management) or the Nolan School (Hotel Administration).

What kind of 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 (the Dyson School or the Nolan School).

The prompt is shared, but the answer is not: you apply to one school, and the essay has to show alignment with that one. Both schools end their list of what they like to see in applicants with the same line: “Articulate a strong match with the school’s mission and opportunities.” Applicants to either school must also submit a resume.

ILR asks one question, with a 650-word limit.

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 show us that your interests align with the ILR School.

Its first sentence also appears, word for word, in the SC Johnson prompt; what differs is SC Johnson’s opening question and the school you must align with. ILR says no activity or club matters more than others: “What matters most is how your experiences have helped you understand the importance of ILR topics.” Its page also tells applicants to review course offerings in all of ILR’s departments.