How Long Should a College Essay Be? | College Coach Blog (2024)

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How Long Should a College Essay Be? | College Coach Blog? ›

College admissions essays vary in length, but you'll most likely be asked to write somewhere between 150 and 650 words per essay. That's about a quarter of a page to one full page, double-spaced.

Do not go over the maximum word count. If there isn't a preferred word count, you should submit an essay that's under 650 words, according to the college application platform Common App, which works with over 900 colleges in the US [1]. Admissions officers are looking for well-written essays that follow directions.

Personal statements are generally 500-650 words. For example, the Common Application, which can be used to apply to more than 800 colleges, requires an essay ranging from 250-650 words. Similarly, the Coalition Application, which has 150 member schools, features an essay with a recommended length of 500-650 words.

Is 1000 words too long for a college essay? Yes, we don't think that college students will ever need to write such long essays. The average college essay word count is 550-650 words, whereas minimun length is 150 words.

Most college application portals specify a word count range for your essay, and you should stay within 10% of the upper limit. If no word count is specified, we advise keeping your essay between 400 and 600 words. You should aim to stay under the specified limit to show you can follow directions and write concisely.

The association recommends students keep their word count near 500-650 words, but essays can be as short as 250 words. In addition to the personal statement, highly selective colleges ask for a few supplemental essays.

If you don't write the Common App essay, or if you write additional essays, note that most college essays set word limits around 500-750 words. In the rare case that no word limit is specified, most experts recommend staying under 800 words.

The Common App essay requires you write between 250 and 650 words. Hitting the maximum is great, but make sure not to settle at the minimum. For all college admission essays, it's best to come as close to the maximum as you can, as long as you're not filling space with meaningless sentences.

Can you go over the essay word limit? You must be careful about staying within the word limit for each application. Look at the essay prompts closely. Unless specified, never go over the word limit for a college application essay.

In most academic situations, yes. Teachers usually want "around" 500 words or "around" 300 words. So a "few" will unlikely draw a penalty. However, if you are writing for public media, when they say 250 words they mean it!

Is a long college essay bad? ›

These are the two proven rules on how long your college application must be: If there is a maximum word limit, get as close to that word limit as possible without going over. If there is no word limit, keep your essay as concise and short as possible. Your essay is one of 1,000's that an admissions officer will read.

Essays Requirements for UT Austin and Texas A&M

These colleges do not require the Common App Personal Essay; instead, they require a response to the following prompt: Tell us your story.

The average length of a personal essay for college is 400─600 words. Always read the prompt. Follow the instructions provided in the application.

Some essays are 35 words, others 650 words. Some are 100 characters, others two pages. But for each of these essays, irrespective of the word count, there is one guiding principle that college applicants should follow: stick to the word count — don't write more, don't write less.

500 to 600 words allows you to give them a proper flying experience and gives you the words necessary to differentiate your world from the world of other applicants. In order to produce a great final draft essay, your rough drafts should be even longer than 650 words.

Writing 650 words will take about 16.3 minutes for the average writer typing on a keyboard and 32.5 minutes for handwriting. However, if the content needs to include in-depth research, links, citations, or graphics such as for a blog article or high school essay, the length can grow to 2.2 hours.

The Common App essay word count range is 250-650 words. But just how long should your statement be? Admissions Blog advises aiming for around 500 words. And former Tufts University admissions officer Becky Leichtling concurs.

Be concise and efficient: Trim any redundant or repetitive information to save word count. Revise your essay multiple times, looking for ways to tighten your writing and express your ideas more clearly and concisely.