University of Rochester supplemental essays
University of Rochester 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 Decision II closes January 5, 2027 and Regular Decision closes January 5, 2027. The prompts carry this limit: 250 word limit. Every University of Rochester 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 Decision | November 1, 2026 |
| Early Decision II | January 5, 2027 |
| Regular Decision | January 5, 2027 |
Checked against admissions.rochester.edu/applying/how-to-apply. Confirm on the college’s own page before you submit.
The essays, 2026-27
Required · 250 word limit
The University of Rochester is a place where curiosity and creativity meet. How will you combine our academic flexibility and co-curricular opportunities to create an experience that reflects your interests and ambitions?
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Your University of Rochester checklist
One supplement, required. The first deadline, Early Decision, is November 1, 2026.
- Common App personal statementRequired250-650 words
- SupplementRequired250 word limit
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Getting into University of Rochester
University of Rochester admits 40.1% of applicants. The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 1410-1540 on the SAT and 31-34 on the ACT.
About 1 in 2 applicants are admitted, at a college of 6,331 undergraduates.
| Enrolled students | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT total | 1410 | 1490 | 1540 |
| SAT reading and writing | 680 | 720 | 750 |
| SAT math | 730 | 770 | 790 |
| ACT composite | 31 | 33 | 34 |
What SAT score do you need for University of Rochester?
A 1540 puts you in the top quarter of the students who enrolled, a 1490 at their midpoint, and a 1410 at the bottom quarter, meaning one in four enrolled students scored below it. The same three points on the ACT are 31, 33 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 University of Rochester?
- University of Rochester sets no minimum. Among students who enrolled, the middle 50% scored 1410-1540 on the SAT: a 1410 sits at the 25th percentile, 1490 at the median and 1540 at the 75th. A score at or above 1540 is a clear strength in the application; below 1410 it is the part of the file the rest has to make up for. These are the figures University of Rochester 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 Rochester?
- The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 31-34 on the ACT, with a composite of 33 at the median. There is no cutoff: a quarter of the enrolled class scored below 31. Reported by University of Rochester to the US Department of Education, College Scorecard release of 2026-09-17.
- What GPA do you need for University of Rochester?
- 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 Rochester is either reading that college's own Common Data Set or estimating. What the reported data does say is that University of Rochester admits 40.1% 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 University of Rochester?
- University of Rochester admits 40.1% 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 University of Rochester 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 Rochester essay questions, answered
- Does University of Rochester have supplemental essays?
- Yes. University of Rochester asks for one supplemental essay in 2026-27. Every prompt is printed in full on this page. Word limits: 250 word limit.
- How many essays do you write for University of Rochester in 2026-27?
- One supplement, plus the Common App personal statement.
Schools with similar admit rates
University of Rochester admits 40.1% of applicants. The colleges either side of it in our set by admit rate, most selective first, each with its own prompts and deadlines: Binghamton University (SUNY) (38.6%), Gettysburg College (38.9%), University of Washington (39.1%), University of Central Florida (40.1%), Brandeis University (40.5%), Howard University (41.3%).