Fordham University 2025-26 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Fordham University 2025-26 Application Essay Explanations

The Requirements: One short essay of 300 words

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Community, Why

You may choose to answer one (1) of the optional questions below.  Keep in mind that your response is a maximum of 300 words.  Choose the question that you think will help the admission committee get a better understanding of your unique perspective and potential contributions to our community.

At Fordham, we expect students to care for and engage with their communities and be active citizens for positive change. Please share an experience you had that caused you to develop a new perspective, change your point of view, and/or empower you to take an action or be courageous. Your response should include examples of your personal growth (e.g., what did you learn, did your point of view change, did you develop new skills or strengths?).

This prompt will likely stand out for those of you who have a background in or meaningful experience related to volunteer work or community service. This is your opportunity to tell admissions about a time when you gave back to your community or acted as an agent for positive change. Maybe you’ve volunteered at your local soup kitchen every other weekend since you were in middle school and developed a deeper understanding of the hardships faced by people experiencing homelessness or surviving on low wages. Perhaps you canvassed for political candidates whom you believe will generate positive change for generations to come, and the experience empowered you to get more involved in local politics. Whatever your example(s) may be, be sure to reflect on what the experience meant to you, whether that be acquiring a new perspective, feeling motivated, or developing a new skill. Bonus points if you can connect your past service to the work you want to do in the future, hopefully at Fordham!

Fordham, as a Jesuit university, recognizes the dignity, uniqueness and potential of each person. A Fordham education is student-centered and rooted in close collaboration among students, faculty, and staff. Describe how you would contribute to our campus community as an actively engaged learner and leader. Specifically draw on your personal story, identity, experiences, strengths, and perspectives.

Odds are that this isn’t the first Diversity Essay prompt you’ve come across this year—even if the prompt doesn’t explicitly use the word. If it is, however, please read on. Fordham wants to accept students from a range of backgrounds who will contribute to a collaborative university community, so tell admissions about what makes you you and how you will engage with others on campus. Think about times when people have been intrigued by or curious about your identity, skillset, or background. Maybe you were a section leader for your high school choir and look forward to applying that leadership experience to help organize a tour with the University Choir. Perhaps you grew up in Singapore and you hope to design a lecture series about the different cultures and languages that mingle there. What do you hope to share with others about your lived experience? How will you incorporate this element of your identity into your college experience? Show admissions that you’re eager to contribute as an “actively engaged learner and leader.” We also encourage you to reference a specific component of the Fordham experience (think clubs, classes, volunteer opportunities, etc.) to demonstrate interest and fit.

Our motto is “New York is my campus, Fordham is my school.” New York City is a diverse and global city that provides Fordham students with a special kind of educational experience, full of both challenge and opportunity. What has prepared you to embrace the unique opportunity of living and learning in New York City?

This prompt is for all you applicants who are champing at the bit to study in New York City. (We at CEA totally get it—we live here!) In addition to offering your unique take on why an education in this “diverse and global city” is right for you, you’ll also want to make sure your response addresses what has prepared you to embrace this opportunity. How will living in New York affect you as a person? As a student? How will you grow? Your answer should be personal to you and, if possible, surprising. Remember that, while you have free rein to gush about how much you want to live in New York, a lot of your potential peers probably feel the same way. So, try not to focus on what you’d like to do or see. Instead, explain what your desire to move from your hometown to New York says about you and what has primed you to succeed in the city. Whether you’re trying to be courageous by leaving your small homogenous town with big dreams in tow or hoping to stay close to your family in Brooklyn, tell admissions a story that only you can tell.

Is there something that you are proud of that you would like to share with the Admission Committee?

This open-ended question gives you the chance to share something about yourself that hasn’t appeared anywhere else in your application. Think about a time when you acted on your personal values, helped someone in need, or achieved something that meant a lot to you. What you choose to write about can be as intimate as teaching your younger cousin to tie his shoelaces, as main-character as leading your Mathletes team to a state victory, or as brave as organizing a sit-in at Town Hall when your local lawmakers were voting to ban books in your school district. With only 300 words to use, keep the focus on why this event or experience was meaningful to you rather than on its broader significance in the world.