University of Oregon supplemental essays
University of Oregon asks for two supplemental essays in 2026-27, chosen from three options. Common App. Personal statement required (250-650 words).
That is two supplements plus the Common App personal statement: three pieces of writing in all. Early Action closes November 1, 2026 and Regular Decision closes January 15, 2027. The prompts carry this limit: 650 words or less. Every University of Oregon prompt is printed on this page in full, with its word limit and who has to answer it, checked against the college’s own admissions page.
Deadlines
| Round | Date |
|---|---|
| Early Action | November 1, 2026 |
| Regular Decision | January 15, 2027 |
Checked against admissions.uoregon.edu/freshmen/requirements. Confirm on the college’s own page before you submit.
The essays, 2026-27
Required · 650 words or less
The UO is interested in learning more about you. Write an essay of 650 words or less that shares information that we cannot find elsewhere on your application. Any topic you choose is welcome. Some ideas you might consider include your future ambitions and goals; a special talent, extracurricular activity, or unusual interest that sets you apart from your peers; or a significant experience that influenced your life. If you are applying to the UO's Robert D. Clark Honors College, we recommend submitting a separate essay for the honors college prompt and the UO admissions application essay prompt to give those reviewing your application as much information about you as possible.
Listed on UO's requirements page as step 'E. Submit an application essay.' This is the required piece of writing our site is missing entirely.
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) · Maximum statement length is 500 words
What have you learned from a social justice issue that inspires you, and how will you apply those lessons to drive change?
Option 1 under step 'F. Optional second essay.' Shared instructions: 'As you've looked into what it will be like to attend Oregon, you've hopefully learned about what makes Ducks Ducks. No two are alike, though, so tell us what makes you you, and how that connects to our campus community. We are interested in your thoughts and experiences recognizing difference and supporting equity and inclusion, and choosing one of the two options below will guide you in sharing those thoughts. You can learn more about equity and inclusion at Oregon by visiting the Equity and Inclusion website. Maximum statement length is 500 words. This statement is not required.'
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) · Maximum statement length is 500 words
The University of Oregon values difference, and we take pride in our diverse community. Please explain how you will share your experiences, values, and interests with our community. In what ways can you imagine offering your support to others?
Option 2 under step 'F. Optional second essay.' Same shared instructions as option 1.
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 University of Oregon checklist
Two supplements, one of them required. The first deadline, Early Action, is November 1, 2026.
- Common App personal statementRequired250-650 words
- Supplement 1Required650 words or less
- Supplements 2 and 3OptionalMaximum statement length is 500 words each
It saves these rows to your essay manager, where each one carries a status you set yourself and the prompt stays attached to it. Add your other schools and they land on the same page, in deadline order. Nothing written yet? The topic quiz is free as well.
Free: this page, the checklist, the essay manager and the topic quiz. Paid: a written review of a finished draft, $49 an essay.
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Have it in a document? or drop one here (Word, PDF, or Text).
Not sure what a review is? What an AI college essay review can and cannot do, and what a college essay grader leaves out. What the read checks against University of Oregon’s own prompts is on the University of Oregon essay review page.
Getting into University of Oregon
University of Oregon admits 88.3% of applicants. The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 1130-1360 on the SAT and 23-30 on the ACT.
About 9 in 10 applicants are admitted, at a college of 20,497 undergraduates.
| Enrolled students | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT total | 1130 | 1260 | 1360 |
| SAT reading and writing | 580 | 640 | 690 |
| SAT math | 550 | 620 | 670 |
| ACT composite | 23 | 27 | 30 |
What SAT score do you need for University of Oregon?
A 1360 puts you in the top quarter of the students who enrolled, a 1260 at their midpoint, and a 1130 at the bottom quarter, meaning one in four enrolled students scored below it. The same three points on the ACT are 23, 27 and 30. 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 University of Oregon?
- University of Oregon sets no minimum. Among students who enrolled, the middle 50% scored 1130-1360 on the SAT: a 1130 sits at the 25th percentile, 1260 at the median and 1360 at the 75th. A score at or above 1360 is a clear strength in the application; below 1130 it is the part of the file the rest has to make up for. These are the figures University of Oregon reports to the US Department of Education, released in the College Scorecard of 2026-09-17.
- What ACT score do you need for University of Oregon?
- The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 23-30 on the ACT, with a composite of 27 at the median. There is no cutoff: a quarter of the enrolled class scored below 23. Reported by University of Oregon to the US Department of Education, College Scorecard release of 2026-09-17.
- What GPA do you need for University of Oregon?
- 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 University of Oregon is either reading that college's own Common Data Set or estimating. What the reported data does say is that University of Oregon admits 88.3% 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 University of Oregon?
- University of Oregon admits 88.3% of the people who apply, which is about 9 in 10 applicants. Numbers inside the reported range put you in a real position here, and the application itself decides the rest.
What University of Oregon 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.
University of Oregon essay questions, answered
- Does University of Oregon have supplemental essays?
- Yes. University of Oregon asks for two supplemental essays in 2026-27, chosen from three options. Every prompt is printed in full on this page. Word limits: 650 words or less.
- How many essays do you write for University of Oregon in 2026-27?
- Two supplements, plus the Common App personal statement.
Schools with similar admit rates
University of Oregon admits 88.3% of applicants. The colleges either side of it in our set by admit rate, most selective first, each with its own prompts and deadlines: Georgia Southern University (87.9%), Montclair State University (87.9%), Illinois State University (88.1%), Colorado State University (88.5%), Iowa State University (88.7%), West Virginia University (WVU) (89.0%).