University of Massachusetts Lowell 2025-26 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

University of Massachusetts Lowell 2025-26 Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: One essay of 500 words maximum

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Why, Community

We invite you to dream big and use this space to share your aspirations for your best self and how you will use your time at UMass Lowell to accomplish your goals. The “you” that will join us encompasses multiple identities, some visible and others not, and participates in multiple communities. Your communities may include various aspects of your lived experiences, such as the families and communities with whom you live, work, play, worship, or even your ethnicity, or gender. This essay prompt is an invitation to talk about the influence of one or more of your communities on your life and your future at UMass Lowell and beyond.  

This is a kind of Why/Community Essay hybrid because admissions wants to (a) know what has shaped you, (b) learn about how you see yourself engaging in UMass Lowell’s community, and (c) hear about your goals for your college career and beyond. This is a lot to accomplish in 500 words, but fear not! Let us remind you that your “community” can be just about anything, from your neighborhood to your family to a worldwide network of rugby fans. Start by isolating a specific story or anecdote that will offer admissions insight into how you have become the person you are today (remember, you don’t have to cover every aspect of your intricate, complicated, interesting self). Maybe acting with your local community theater taught you about dedication, hard work, the importance of play, and supporting your fellow actors. Then connect that community or identity to the vision you have for yourself at UMass.

If your community is academic, like the Model UN, maybe you want to write about the classes you would take or the research you would like to do. If your community is cultural, maybe Jamaican-American, perhaps you want to write about the clubs you would join or found. Finally, discuss how this community or identity has influenced your life goals beyond school. Perhaps your close-knit summer camp community inspired you to found a camp for kids with celiac after you graduate. In the end, you need to describe how you plan to engage in the UMass community and the world in a way that draws on your past, so show admissions that you have done your research and are ready to dive headfirst into the UMass community!