Syracuse University supplemental essays
Syracuse 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 1, 2026, Early Action closes November 1, 2026 and Early Decision II closes January 5, 2027, with the rest in the table below. The prompts carry this limit: 250 words. Every Syracuse 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 Action | November 1, 2026 |
| Early Decision II | January 5, 2027 |
| Regular Decision | January 5, 2027 |
Checked against www.syracuse.edu/admissions/apply. Confirm on the college’s own page before you submit.
The essays, 2026-27
Required · 250 words
Why are you interested in attending Syracuse University and how will your chosen major help you achieve your goals?
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Your Syracuse University checklist
One supplement, required. The first deadline, Early Decision, is November 1, 2026.
- Common App personal statementRequired250-650 words
- SupplementRequired250 words
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Getting into Syracuse University
Syracuse University admits 45.9% of applicants. The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 1270-1440 on the SAT and 29-32 on the ACT.
About 1 in 2 applicants are admitted, at a college of 15,477 undergraduates.
| Enrolled students | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT total | 1270 | 1360 | 1440 |
| SAT reading and writing | 640 | 680 | 720 |
| SAT math | 630 | 680 | 720 |
| ACT composite | 29 | 31 | 32 |
What SAT score do you need for Syracuse University?
A 1440 puts you in the top quarter of the students who enrolled, a 1360 at their midpoint, and a 1270 at the bottom quarter, meaning one in four enrolled students scored below it. The same three points on the ACT are 29, 31 and 32. 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 Syracuse University?
- Syracuse University sets no minimum. Among students who enrolled, the middle 50% scored 1270-1440 on the SAT: a 1270 sits at the 25th percentile, 1360 at the median and 1440 at the 75th. A score at or above 1440 is a clear strength in the application; below 1270 it is the part of the file the rest has to make up for. These are the figures Syracuse University reports to the US Department of Education, released in the College Scorecard of 2026-09-17.
- What ACT score do you need for Syracuse University?
- The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 29-32 on the ACT, with a composite of 31 at the median. There is no cutoff: a quarter of the enrolled class scored below 29. Reported by Syracuse University to the US Department of Education, College Scorecard release of 2026-09-17.
- What GPA do you need for Syracuse 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 Syracuse University is either reading that college's own Common Data Set or estimating. What the reported data does say is that Syracuse University admits 45.9% 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 Syracuse University?
- Syracuse University admits 45.9% 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 Syracuse 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.
Syracuse University essay questions, answered
- Does Syracuse University have supplemental essays?
- Yes. Syracuse 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 Syracuse University in 2026-27?
- One supplement, plus the Common App personal statement.
Schools with similar admit rates
Syracuse University admits 45.9% of applicants. The colleges either side of it in our set by admit rate, most selective first, each with its own prompts and deadlines: Bentley University (45.1%), University of Wisconsin–Madison (45.2%), Auburn University (45.9%), CSU Long Beach (CSULB) (46.3%), George Washington University (47.1%), CUNY Baruch College (47.5%).