Supplemental essays · 2026–27 application
Elon University supplemental essays.
All 3 essay questions Elon University asks this year, word for word, with the word limits and how to approach each one.
Checked against elon.edu and the Common App application on October 17, 2026
What you write: Answer all three.
Elon asks for brief, engaging answers that show who you are.
What caught your eye at Elon
What at Elon has caught your eye—programs, opportunities, or experiences you can’t wait to try?
How to approach it
- Name things you could only find at this college: a class, a professor, a program, a tradition.
- Tie every detail to something true about you.
- Swap test: if another college’s name fits your sentence, it’s too general.
Your identity
What aspect of your identity do you find most meaningful, and why?
How to approach it
- Say plainly what the community is.
- Show your place in it with one real scene.
- End with what you’d bring to campus.
Your top 5
(Elon asks for your top 5 on any theme that's unique to you.) Explain why these are your top 5.
List your top 5 first in the application, then explain them here.
How to approach it
- Each item should say something about you that the rest of the application doesn’t.
- Mix serious and small. A list of only big ideals reads like a poster.
- Use the exact format asked for. Don’t write sentences if it wants a list.
Want a mentor on your essays?
Clarity Prep members get a mentor who reads every draft with them, knows their whole application and checks in every week until it’s done.