University of San Diego 2026-27 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide 

University of San Diego 2026-27 Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: 2 short essays of 350 words

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Why, Community

How did you first learn about the University of San Diego, and what inspired you to apply? (200 words recommended; 350 max)

This is a classic Why Essay, and admissions wants to know how you discovered the University of San Diego as well as your reasons for applying. The essays that stick with us are the ones that jump off the page with concrete descriptions from real life and guide us through a journey, so tell a story. If you can build a bridge between your own interests and the resources available at the University of San Diego, you’ll be well on your way to demonstrating your fit. So, set aside an hour or so and commit to some serious research on the San Diego website in order to show you’ve done your homework. (Sorry, there’s no way around this step, folks!) Look up information about your academic field of interest, campus culture, organizations, internship opportunities, alumni, and more. If you can point to specific offerings (classes, professors, clubs, etc.), your response will be stronger for it. Your ultimate goal is to show that your interest in the University of San Diego is not fleeting but rooted in your long-term collegiate goals. 

Choose 1 of the following:

Option #1) USD is committed to fostering a community where everyone feels a sense of belonging and purpose. What does community mean to you and how have you helped create a welcoming environment for others?

USD’s take on the Community Essay comes with a focus on inclusivity. First of all, let us remind you that your community can be just about anything, from your neighborhood to your family to your pottery studio. Pick a community that means something to you and think about how you have contributed to that group. Maybe your progressive church welcomes people of many different faiths, and you developed a special way of discussing religion with your childhood friends that showed your faith in a different light. Or perhaps your school is incredibly homogenous and isolated, and you helped your Spanish class organize Skype chats with a student body in Guatemala to learn more about the world while improving your language skills. No matter your starting point, be sure to tell a clear story with a beginning, middle, and end that demonstrates your commitment to creating inclusive environments. What have you learned from your experiences? It may be tempting to pen a treatise on what community means to you and leave it at that, but the point of an essay like this is to tell a story about you, your contributions, and your personal growth. 

Option #2) As a Changemaker Campus, USD challenges students to utilize their learning to actively pursue a more just, sustainable and equitable world. What is a challenge facing humanity today and why does it matter to you?

You’ll notice some striking similarities between USD option #2 and Common App prompt #4, which asks you to “Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve.” In other words, if you wrote your Common App personal statement on #4, you’ll want to skip USD’s #2 to avoid repeating yourself. (If not, here are some extra tips in our Common App Essay Prompt Guide!) 

This is your opportunity to show how you engage with the wider world around you and how those issues have inspired what you might want to study or pursue in your future. If you choose this prompt, take a little time to brainstorm a few “challenges facing humanity” that bother you or affect your life. This can range from rising ocean temperatures to racial profiling or shrinkflation. Although the scope and scale of your problem can vary, remember that USD emphasizes creating “a more just, sustainable, and equitable world.”

Option #3) As a contemporary Catholic university, students from all backgrounds and faith traditions are welcomed and celebrated. Share an experience that highlights the ways faith or spirituality–either your own or someone else’s–have influenced your life.

Given the faith-forward nature of this question and of the university website, we imagine that most of you folks reading this guide probably already have a few thoughts on this question. We’d be surprised if the religious affiliation didn’t factor into your decision to apply, but if you haven’t thought about it, now is your chance to reflect on your relationship with faith or spirituality, if you so choose. Writing about spiritual and religious beliefs is just as personal (if not more!) as any other topic you might cover on your college application, so don’t be afraid to dive deep. If you grew up in a traditional religious household, you probably have a treasure trove of experiences and stories to share with admissions, but sometimes it’s hard to write about faith when it’s always been a given in your life. Whether your background is Christian, Hindu, or atheist, can you think about the role faith plays in your life? How has it influenced your perspective or more specifically, a certain decision you had to make? Or, if religion and spirituality weren’t a huge part of your upbringing, perhaps you have a faith in others or humanity as a whole? Alternatively, do you know someone else whose faith has been a guiding force? Perhaps your great-grandparents refused to give up their Jewish faith in Nazi Germany and immigrated to America. Maybe your dance teacher was once in a devastating car accident and leaned on her New Age spirituality to motivate her through her recovery. How do you feel about this person’s faith journey? Did it affect your point of view? Whether you consider yourself a religious person or not, faith/spirituality is a central component of the USD experience, and now is your chance to invite admissions into your own relationship with it.