Washington and Lee University supplemental essays
Yes, but every one is optional. Washington and Lee University prints five supplemental essays in 2026-27 and requires none of them. 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 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 words. Every Washington and Lee University 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 www.wlu.edu/admissions/apply/supplemental-application-prompts. Confirm on the college’s own page before you submit.
The essays, 2026-27
Optional · 250 words
Why W&L? There are over 8,200 accredited colleges and universities in the U.S. alone. You have chosen to apply to Washington and Lee University. Please describe how you have familiarized yourself with W&L and what aspects of its community are most exciting to you.
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 4) · 250 words
Short answer option 1. Please describe an aspect of your life outside of school that is important to you, such as an extracurricular activity, a job, or a family responsibility. How has your involvement shaped your personal qualities and growth, and how has it impacted those around you?
W&L accepts a video of up to two minutes instead of writing, with no preference between the two.
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 4) · 250 words
Short answer option 2. W&L's mission statement focuses on preparing graduates for lifelong learning in a global and diverse society. Engaging with faculty, staff, and classmates with diverse identities, experiences, and perspectives is an essential component of our education. Recognizing that diversity takes many forms, what diverse aspect would you bring to W&L?
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 4) · 250 words
Short answer option 3. Reveal to us how your curious mind works by sharing something you spend considerable time thinking or learning about.
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 4) · 250 words
Short answer option 4. On a residential college campus with a Speaking Tradition that encourages connections between individuals, using each other's names matters. Please share the story of any name you go by and what significance it holds for you.
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 Washington and Lee University checklist
Two supplements, all optional. The first deadline, Early Decision, is November 1, 2026.
- Common App personal statementRequired250-650 words
- Supplement 1Optional250 words
- Supplements 2 to 5Optional250 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.
Paste your essay for a free read
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 Washington and Lee University’s own prompts is on the Washington and Lee University essay review page.
Getting into Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University admits 14.0% of applicants. The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 1430-1540 on the SAT and 33-34 on the ACT.
About 1 in 7 applicants are admitted, at a college of 1,881 undergraduates.
| Enrolled students | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT total | 1430 | 1480 | 1540 |
| SAT reading and writing | 710 | 730 | 760 |
| SAT math | 720 | 750 | 780 |
| ACT composite | 33 | 34 | 34 |
What SAT score do you need for Washington and Lee University?
A 1540 puts you in the top quarter of the students who enrolled, a 1480 at their midpoint, and a 1430 at the bottom quarter, meaning one in four enrolled students scored below it. The same three points on the ACT are 33, 34 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 Washington and Lee University?
- Washington and Lee University sets no minimum. Among students who enrolled, the middle 50% scored 1430-1540 on the SAT: a 1430 sits at the 25th percentile, 1480 at the median and 1540 at the 75th. A score at or above 1540 is a clear strength in the application; below 1430 it is the part of the file the rest has to make up for. These are the figures Washington and Lee University reports to the US Department of Education, released in the College Scorecard of 2026-09-17.
- What ACT score do you need for Washington and Lee University?
- The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 33-34 on the ACT, with a composite of 34 at the median. There is no cutoff: a quarter of the enrolled class scored below 33. Reported by Washington and Lee University to the US Department of Education, College Scorecard release of 2026-09-17.
- What GPA do you need for Washington and Lee 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 Washington and Lee University is either reading that college's own Common Data Set or estimating. What the reported data does say is that Washington and Lee University admits 14.0% 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 Washington and Lee University?
- Washington and Lee University admits 14.0% of the people who apply, which is about 1 in 7 applicants. At that rate no set of numbers makes admission likely, a perfect one included, because the college turns away far more qualified applicants than it takes. Strong grades and scores get the application read; the essays, the recommendations and what you have actually done decide it from there.
What Washington and Lee 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.
Washington and Lee University essay questions, answered
- Does Washington and Lee University have supplemental essays?
- Yes, but every one is optional. Washington and Lee University prints five supplemental essays in 2026-27 and requires none of them. Every prompt is printed in full on this page. Word limits: 250 words.
- How many essays do you write for Washington and Lee University in 2026-27?
- Two supplements, plus the Common App personal statement.
Schools with similar admit rates
Washington and Lee University admits 14.0% of applicants. The colleges either side of it in our set by admit rate, most selective first, each with its own prompts and deadlines: Davidson College (13.4%), Hamilton College (13.6%), Colgate University (13.9%), Tulane University (14.0%), Wellesley College (14.1%), Grinnell College (14.5%).