George Washington University supplemental essays
Yes, but every one is optional. George Washington University prints two supplemental essays in 2026-27 and requires none of them. 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 1, 2026, Early Decision II closes January 5, 2027 and Regular Decision closes January 5, 2027. The prompts carry this limit: 500 words. Every George Washington 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 1, 2026 |
| Early Decision II | January 5, 2027 |
| Regular Decision | January 5, 2027 |
Checked against www.collegeessayguy.com/blog/george-washington-university-supplemental-essays. Confirm on the college’s own page before you submit.
The essays, 2026-27
This college does not publish its questions.
GW does not print its questions on its own site; the wording below comes from essay guides that agree. What IS settled first-party: undergraduate.admissions.gwu.edu says "In addition to the required essay, GW offers an optional Writing Supplement on the Common Application", so it is optional, not required, whatever a guide says. Checked again 2026-08-29 on the college own site.
Optional (choose 1 of 2) · 500 words
At The George Washington University, our students frequently interact with policymakers and world leaders. These experiences and those of our alumni can shape the future of global affairs. If you had the power to change the course of history in your community or the world, what would you do and why?
Option A of the GW Writing Supplement. Sources disagree on whether it is required: GW's own site calls the Writing Supplement optional and says non-submitters 'will not be penalized'; College Essay Advisors (2026-27) also says optional; College Essay Guy (2026/2027) labels it required. CollegeVine (2025-26) says optional but strongly encouraged. Also note capitalization varies between sources: College Essay Guy prints 'At The George Washington University', CollegeVine prints 'At the George Washington University'.
Get a free read on this essayPaste your draft, see the verdict before you pay.No draft yet? Pick a topic for this promptOptional (choose 1 of 2) · 500 words
The George Washington University encourages students to think critically and to challenge the status quo. Thus, civil discourse is a key characteristic of our community. Describe a time when you engaged others in meaningful dialogue around an issue that was important to you. Did this exchange create change, new perspectives, or deeper relationships?
Option B of the GW Writing Supplement. Same required/optional disagreement as Option A.
Get a free read on this essayPaste your draft, see the verdict before you pay.No draft yet? Pick a topic for this prompt
Your George Washington University checklist
One supplement, optional. The first deadline, Early Decision, is November 1, 2026.
- Common App personal statementRequired250-650 words
- Supplements 1 and 2Optional500 words each
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Getting into George Washington University
George Washington University admits 47.1% of applicants. The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 1350-1500 on the SAT and 31-34 on the ACT.
About 1 in 2 applicants are admitted, at a college of 11,182 undergraduates.
| Enrolled students | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT total | 1350 | 1430 | 1500 |
| SAT reading and writing | 680 | 720 | 750 |
| SAT math | 670 | 710 | 750 |
| ACT composite | 31 | 32 | 34 |
What SAT score do you need for George Washington University?
A 1500 puts you in the top quarter of the students who enrolled, a 1430 at their midpoint, and a 1350 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 George Washington University?
- George Washington University sets no minimum. Among students who enrolled, the middle 50% scored 1350-1500 on the SAT: a 1350 sits at the 25th percentile, 1430 at the median and 1500 at the 75th. A score at or above 1500 is a clear strength in the application; below 1350 it is the part of the file the rest has to make up for. These are the figures George Washington University reports to the US Department of Education, released in the College Scorecard of 2026-09-17.
- What ACT score do you need for George Washington 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 George Washington University to the US Department of Education, College Scorecard release of 2026-09-17.
- What GPA do you need for George Washington 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 George Washington University is either reading that college's own Common Data Set or estimating. What the reported data does say is that George Washington University admits 47.1% 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 George Washington University?
- George Washington University admits 47.1% 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 George Washington 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.
George Washington University essay questions, answered
- Does George Washington University have supplemental essays?
- Yes, but every one is optional. George Washington University prints two supplemental essays in 2026-27 and requires none of them. Every prompt is printed in full on this page. Word limits: 500 words.
- How many essays do you write for George Washington University in 2026-27?
- One supplement, plus the Common App personal statement.
Schools with similar admit rates
George Washington University admits 47.1% of applicants. The colleges either side of it in our set by admit rate, most selective first, each with its own prompts and deadlines: Auburn University (45.9%), Syracuse University (45.9%), CSU Long Beach (CSULB) (46.3%), CUNY Baruch College (47.5%), Stevens Institute of Technology (47.6%), Santa Clara University (48.0%).