Brandeis University supplemental essays
Brandeis University asks for one supplemental essay in 2026-27. Common App. Personal statement required (250-650 words).
That is one supplement plus the Common App personal statement: two pieces of writing in all. Early Decision closes November 2, 2026, Early Action closes November 2, 2026 and Early Decision II closes January 15, 2027, with the rest in the table below. The prompts carry this limit: 250 words. Every Brandeis University prompt is printed on this page in full, with its word limit and who has to answer it.
Deadlines
| Round | Date |
|---|---|
| Early Decision | November 2, 2026 |
| Early Action | November 2, 2026 |
| Early Decision II | January 15, 2027 |
| Regular Decision | January 15, 2027 |
Checked against www.brandeis.edu/admissions/apply. Confirm on the college’s own page before you submit.
The essays, 2026-27
Required · 250 words
Justice Louis D. Brandeis spent his life advancing social justice and critical inquiry. How will you embody these values at Brandeis?
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Your Brandeis University checklist
One supplement, required. The first deadline, Early Decision, is November 2, 2026.
- Common App personal statementRequired250-650 words
- SupplementRequired250 words
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Getting into Brandeis University
Brandeis University admits 40.5% of applicants. The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 1390-1520 on the SAT and 31-34 on the ACT.
About 1 in 2 applicants are admitted, at a college of 3,618 undergraduates.
| Enrolled students | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT total | 1390 | 1470 | 1520 |
| SAT reading and writing | 690 | 730 | 750 |
| SAT math | 700 | 740 | 770 |
| ACT composite | 31 | 32 | 34 |
What SAT score do you need for Brandeis University?
A 1520 puts you in the top quarter of the students who enrolled, a 1470 at their midpoint, and a 1390 at the bottom quarter, meaning one in four enrolled students scored below it. The same three points on the ACT are 31, 32 and 34. A quarter of an enrolled class scoring under the 25th percentile is not a rounding error, so a score below the range is a reason to strengthen the rest of the application rather than a reason not to apply.
US Department of Education, College Scorecard (2026-09-17). Percentiles describe students who enrolled, not everyone admitted. SAT totals are the reading and math bands added together, which is how every source in this market reports them and is an approximation of about 10 to 20 points, because the two sections are correlated.
- What SAT score do you need for Brandeis University?
- Brandeis University sets no minimum. Among students who enrolled, the middle 50% scored 1390-1520 on the SAT: a 1390 sits at the 25th percentile, 1470 at the median and 1520 at the 75th. A score at or above 1520 is a clear strength in the application; below 1390 it is the part of the file the rest has to make up for. These are the figures Brandeis University reports to the US Department of Education, released in the College Scorecard of 2026-09-17.
- What ACT score do you need for Brandeis University?
- The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 31-34 on the ACT, with a composite of 32 at the median. There is no cutoff: a quarter of the enrolled class scored below 31. Reported by Brandeis University to the US Department of Education, College Scorecard release of 2026-09-17.
- What GPA do you need for Brandeis University?
- The honest answer is that the federal data behind this page does not contain one. Colleges report their admit rate and their enrolled students' test scores to the Department of Education; they do not report a GPA distribution, so any site quoting an exact average GPA for Brandeis University is either reading that college's own Common Data Set or estimating. What the reported data does say is that Brandeis University admits 40.5% of applicants, and the more selective a college is, the closer to the top of the class its admitted students sit and the more the strength of your course load counts alongside the number itself.
- How hard is it to get into Brandeis University?
- Brandeis University admits 40.5% of the people who apply, which is about 1 in 2 applicants. Numbers inside the reported range put you in a real position here, and the application itself decides the rest.
What Brandeis University costs after grant aid, by family income, from the same federal data.
Sort your whole college list into reaches, targets and likelies, or find colleges that fit your GPA and test scores. Both are free and neither needs an account.
Brandeis University essay questions, answered
- Does Brandeis University have supplemental essays?
- Yes. Brandeis University asks for one supplemental essay in 2026-27. Every prompt is printed in full on this page. Word limits: 250 words.
- How many essays do you write for Brandeis University in 2026-27?
- One supplement, plus the Common App personal statement.
Schools with similar admit rates
Brandeis University admits 40.5% of applicants. The colleges either side of it in our set by admit rate, most selective first, each with its own prompts and deadlines: University of Washington (39.1%), University of Rochester (40.1%), University of Central Florida (40.1%), Howard University (41.3%), University of Tennessee, Knoxville (41.6%), North Carolina State University (41.7%).