uva essays 2021

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University of Virginia (UVA) Supplemental Essays 2024-25 — Prompts & Advice

August 7, 2024

The University of Virginia is one of the handful of flagship public institutions in the United States that attract massive numbers of high-achieving applicants from around the country/globe each and every year. In the most recent admissions cycle, nearly 60,000 students applied and only 16% were accepted. While becoming a Cavalier is challenging for a Virginia resident, out-of-staters and international applicants face an even tougher admissions gauntlet. You’ll likely need a straight A average (or very close) to get serious consideration at the 2024 version of UVA and an SAT in the 99th percentile (or better) doesn’t hurt either. And that brings us to today’s main topic- the UVA supplemental essays.

 (Want to learn more about How to Get Into the University of Virginia? Visit our blog entitled:  How to Get Into the University of Virginia: Admissions Data and Strategies  for all of the most recent admissions data as well as tips for gaining acceptance.)

With only one supplemental essay for the majority of applicants (you’ll only need to write more than one if applying to the School of Nursing or the Dance program), UVA’s supplemental section affords applicants the chance to illustrate what makes them uniquely qualified for admission. Below are the University of Virginia’s supplemental prompts for the 2024-25 admissions cycle along with our advice for composing winning essays.

2024-2025 UVA Supplemental Essay (All Applicants)

What about your individual background, perspective, or experience will serve as a source of strength for you or those around you at UVA? Feel free to write about any past experience or part of your background that has shaped your perspective and will be a source of strength, including but not limited to those related to your community, upbringing, educational environment, race, gender, or other aspects of your background that are important to you. (300 words)

This prompt asks you to not only share a particular life experience, element of your background, or perspective but also describe why that experience, element, or perspective will help you serve as a source of strength to either yourself or those around you. Essentially, it’s asking you to take your essay’s reflection one step further—you’ll need to communicate why the experience or element you’ve chosen is important to you as well as why/how you believe it will allow you to thrive at UVA or positively impact the UVA community.

UVA Supplemental Essays (Continued)

First, choose a key aspect of your experiences, background, or identity that reveals something deep and meaningful. (Although you could choose more than one, we’d advise against it, given that you only have 300 words in which to respond.) As you brainstorm, consider the following avenues:

• Your role in your family.
• A challenge you’ve faced.
• A formative experience or realization.
• Important aspects of your upbringing.
• Cultural, religious, or community influence.
• Racial background.
• Sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

Secondly, you’ll need to explain how you’ll use what you’ve learned to persist through future personal challenges or strengthen others at UVA. Will your life experiences allow you to uplift those around you? Will your unique perspective enable you to connect more deeply with others? Has your experience or background provided you with a perspective that will benefit and support you as you move on to college? Will your background make it possible for you to advocate more effectively for specific populations? If you connect with at least one of these questions, you’re headed in the right direction for this essay.

UVA Program-Specific Essays

School of nursing.

In the field of nursing, you will encounter and impact real human lives. Please explain why you feel this is important as you choose this field as your future career. (250 words)

“A nurse is not what you do, it is who you are.”

This quote from an anonymous source captures the idea that becoming a nurse is more of a calling than a profession you just stumble into. Nurses are willing to work long shifts in the service of others, be on the frontlines of a pandemic, and deal with life’s toughest challenges (e.g., suffering and death) on a regular basis. Many applicants share stories of caring for sick relatives or going through a tough medical episode themselves as inspiration for wanting to study nursing—and positively impact the lives of others in the process. This essay is a chance to show the admissions committee that you are a passionate and mature nursing candidate and that nursing is genuinely “who you are.”

Dance Program

Submit a short essay discussing your interest in dance as a practice and/or a form of scholarship. What roles have dance and movement played in your life thus far? What insights and connections have you made in your day-to-day and academic life through the practice and study of movement? What do you hope to explore further by participating in dance program courses upon entry to UVA? (275 words)

Essentially, UVA wants to understand how your participation in dance has impacted your life. How has it benefited, strengthened, and/or challenged you as a person? Moreover, they’d like to understand the connections you’ve made between dance and other academic subjects, if any—what interdisciplinary connections have you observed? How has your academic life been made richer by dance? Finally, in addition to how dance has already impacted you, UVA is looking for a brief discussion of what the future holds in regard to dance, and how you plan to pursue that future at UVA.

How important are the UVA supplemental essays?

The essays (both the Common App essay and the supplemental response(s)) are “important” to the UVA admissions committee. This places them in the same tier of importance as extracurricular activities and talent/ability. Standardized test scores are rated a notch below as “considered.” Read more about the importance of the UVA supplemental essays in the fabulous  Notes from Peabody blog .

At UVA, the rigor of your coursework, class rank, GPA, recommendations, character/personal qualities, and state residency status are the most important factors in the admissions process. However, application components like the supplemental essay can serve as a critical tie-breaker between similarly credentialed applicants.

Want Personalized Essay Assistance with the UVA Supplemental Essays?

Are you interested in working with one of College Transitions’ experienced and knowledgeable essay coaches as you craft your UVA supplemental essays? We encourage you to get a quote  today.

Looking for additional writing resources? Consider checking out the following blogs:

• Common App Essay Prompts
• 10 Instructive Common App Essay Examples
• College Application Essay Topics to Avoid
• How to Quickly Format Your Common App Essay
• Should I Complete Optional College Essays?
• How to Brainstorm a College Essay
• 25 Inspiring College Essay Topics
• “Why This College?” Essay Examples
• How to Write the Community Essay
• College Essay

Andrew Belasco

A licensed counselor and published researcher, Andrew's experience in the field of college admissions and transition spans two decades. He has previously served as a high school counselor, consultant and author for Kaplan Test Prep, and advisor to U.S. Congress, reporting on issues related to college admissions and financial aid.

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The Admissions Strategist

How to write the uva supplemental essays 2020-2021: the excellent guide.

Housed on a beautiful campus in Charlottesville, VA, the University of Virginia boasts a 27% acceptance rate and brings great students from across the country together based on their shared desire for an excellent education.

One way to stand out among other UVA applicants is to write amazing and unique supplemental essays.

UVA requires you to submit school-specific supplemental essays so they can get to know the parts of you that don’t show through a typical college application. These essays are often one of the ways that admissions committees make their final decisions.

What are the UVA Supplemental Essay Requirements?

There are two types of supplemental essays for the University of Virginia, and both are required for your application.

• The first is the college or program-specific essay, which will ask you to describe or respond to a situation related to the program to which you are applying.
• The second is the general essay, which gives you more creative liberty (but can also be equally as difficult to write).

The supplemental essay prompts can be found under the “University of Virginia” section on the Common Application, as well as on the University of Virginia Office of Undergraduate Admissions Website.

Click above to watch a video on UVA Supplemental Essays.

Worried? Don’t be!

In this guide, we’ll offer specific tips on how to write supplemental essays for the University of Virginia. Then, we’ll go through each of the essay questions individually, providing advice on how to approach them.

Tips from the University of Virginia

To start, UVA’s admissions team offers some advice to applicants:

• Try not to overthink your responses.
• Don’t feel like you have to use academic writing structure.
• Don’t feel like you have to take all of the advice you receive.

UVA notes that the supplemental essay questions are intentionally broad and open-ended in order to give you the opportunity to share your voice through the essay. They recommend that you ignore feedback if it doesn’t fit your writing style.

• Above all else, be sure to write essays that are true to your experiences and values .

Below, we’ll begin looking through each of the University of Virginia supplemental essay questions.

School/Program-specific Questions:

The University of Virginia begins their school/program-specific question prompt list with the following statement:

“We are looking for passionate students to join our diverse community of scholars, researchers, and artists. Answer the question that corresponds to the school/program to which you are applying in a half page or roughly 250 words.”

Keep this statement in mind as you work on the prompt that pertains to the program you are applying to, and be sure to incorporate it into your essay.

UVA College of Arts and Sciences Supplemental Essay

What work of art, music, science, mathematics, or literature has surprised, unsettled, or inspired you, and in what way?

If you know the specific major you’re wanting to earn, you can use it to answer this question.

• Did a recent finding in the field of biology have an impact on you?
• Maybe you read a news article on CRISPR and were so amazed that you can’t imagine working in any other field.
• Or, if you’re interested in physics, maybe you saw the SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch and are interested in developing the next generation of space flight shuttles.

Whatever your future major is, relating your essay to the general field is a good idea because it shows that you’ve spent some time thinking about what you may want to major in and what kind of impact you’d like to have as an alumnus of the University of Virginia.

It also shows you’ve got a passion for the field you want to enter.

Okay, but what if you aren’t sure what you want to major in?

• Instead, pick something that occurred recently in your life related to art, music, science, math, or literature.

Don’t worry if it doesn’t seem particularly groundbreaking. The important thing is to pick a topic on which you can write 250 well-crafted words.

• Did your favorite band release a new album that doesn’t sound anything like their old music?
• Is there a book or magazine/newspaper column you read that shocked you?

Pick something that inspires your curiosity, and use the essay to show a bit of yourself while you explain why your finding was so awe-striking. After all, the admissions team is wanting to learn about you through your essay submission.

UVA School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Supplemental Essay

Describe an engineering feat that serves the common good and why it inspires you to study engineering.

This question is extremely broad, so you can take it almost any direction you’d like:

Simply think of an engineering feat (which could be basically anything ever built) and why it “serves the common good,” or has made a difference in the lives of people around the world.

If you’re able to, you may want to consider choosing an engineering feat that has affected your life personally. That way, you’re shining a light on various aspects of your life in one supplemental essay, allowing the admissions team to get to know you even better.

• You could talk about the most amazing bridge you’ve ever seen, and what its done for the community its located within
• Maybe you grew up in the most efficient tiny home imaginable, and it gave you an incredible childhood. How does your tiny home (and other tiny houses) affect the lives of the people who live in them?
• If you’re in need of some more inspiration, check out these 25 engineering feats from around the world. Many of them could lead to unique and creative essay prompt responses

Don’t forget the second half of this prompt; why does this specific engineering feat inspire you? Would you like to make a similar difference in the world one day? Does the structure simply blow your mind every time you see it?

Use the second half of the prompt to show your passion for engineering, and even some of your engineering experience and/or knowledge if it fits and flows well.

UVA School of Architecture Supplemental Essay

Describe a significant experience that deepened your interest in studying in the School of Architecture.

Since you’re passionate enough about Architecture to want to major in it, this question should come fairly easy.

However, that doesn’t always make starting a simple process. If that inspiration doesn’t hit right away, try not to worry; You’re still going to write an amazing essay.

First, think back on your life and your experiences with Architecture:

• Was there a “light bulb moment” that inspired your future in the field of Architecture?
• Have you loved intricate buildings since you had the chance to visit a castle on your family trip to Europe?
• Did you walk into an odd building one day and come out with a plan to improve its layout and functionality?

Your experience doesn’t have to be one-of-a-kind (though it’s great if it is). The most important thing is that you bring the admissions team with you to that place through your essay, showing them those specific details that made you fall in love with Architecture.

Show your passion and drive for your future career in the field. Share your curiosity and interests. When the admissions team sees why you love the field and when they can tell you’re truly interested in becoming the next Architectural expert, your essay is sure to stand out.

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Uva school of nursing supplemental essay.

Describe a healthcare-related experience or another significant interaction that deepened your interest in studying nursing.

This is an excellent prompt, as it’s not extremely specific. The admissions team simply wants to know why you want to become a nurse, and they want you to show them through a heartfelt or inspiring story.

Don’t worry if your story isn’t specifically related to nursing; just let your essay show why you’re passionate about your future as a nurse.

• Do you have a relative in a nursing home or hospital? How have your interactions with them shaped your ideas on nursing?
• Have you seen media coverage (TV, documentary, etc.) on nursing?
• Why are you interested in going into nursing rather than becoming a doctor? Was there a moment where you chose nursing over becoming a doctor?

Once you have an experience in mind, write it all down. Make bullet-points, make a list, write a three-page story; whatever you have to do to get your passions down onto a page.

Then, take what you’ve written and find the most important parts. Take the words that mean the most (and the ones that tell the story well) and turn them into an essay of no more than 250 words.

Remember to be honest about your experience (in other words, it doesn’t need to be a positive experience) and how it affected your decision to study nursing. Authenticity is unbeatable.

Show the admissions team your heart for nursing, and you’ll give them what they need to make your final admission decision.

UVA Kinesiology Program Supplemental Essay

Discuss experiences that led you to choose the Kinesiology major.

This is the most straightforward of the program-specific essay prompts, in that it tells you exactly what to write about.

If you have trouble answering this prompt, think about why you’re interested in Kinesiology and what you might want to do with a degree in Kinesiology.

• For example, you may have injured yourself playing a sport and needed physical therapy, which introduced you to the field of kinesiology.
• Maybe you’re fascinated by all things needed for athletic performance; joints, muscles, bones, etc.
• You might be passionate about continuing your sports journey without becoming a professional athlete.

Hopefully, this brainstorming will help you connect to experiences that you can write about. If you need more help brainstorming, use this excellent guide .

The UVA General Supplemental Essay Prompts

Now, we’ll take a look at the more general supplemental essay prompts. You only need to pick one of these prompts for your application.

If you are having trouble deciding on a prompt, try writing a rough draft for each of them (or any number of them that you’d like to try out).

Once you read through your drafts, it will become easier to see which prompt provides the best platform for you to make your mark on the admissions committee.

Before diving into the individual prompts, here’s a quick reminder: Try not to overthink these essays. In most cases, they are as straightforward as they seem.

UVA Supplemental Essay 1: Your Favorite Word

What’s your favorite word and why?

Before starting this essay, it might be helpful to perform the following exercise: Over the course of a few days, write down all the words you encounter that seem odd or interesting.

You might ask yourself some questions to help brainstorm as well:

• Are there certain words you use often?
• Are there certain words you use only in specific situations? Why?
• Have you read a book that contained a word you found interesting? What was it?

A problem that students usually have with this essay prompt is that they change their minds mid-essay as other potential words pop into their minds.

One day, you might think that your favorite word is “complacent,” whereas, the next day, it might be “hamster.”

This exercise helps you to list out all of the potential words you could write about. From there, you can pick the word that you like the most or find is easiest to write about.

Then it’s time to write your essay.

Share your word with the admissions team, and possibly a quick definition. Then, explain what it means to you. Remember that the admissions team wants to learn about you. Try making more of the essay about why this word is your favorite, and less about the definition of the word itself.

UVA Supplemental Essay 2: Quirks

We are a community with quirks, both in language and in traditions. Describe one of your quirks and why it is part of who you are.

Similarly to the last essay prompt, you may want to take a couple of days to think about this one, listing out any quirks you might have:

• Do you have any memorable habits or routines?
• Is there a phrase that you use frequently?
• Do your friends or family members comment on any of your positive personality traits? How does this trait manifest in everyday life?

Maybe you wake up every morning and have a glass of water with lemon because it helps you feel refreshed. Write about it!

Don’t be afraid to ask friends and family about your quirks , as it may reveal interesting potential essay topics you may not have considered.

Along with your quirk, share some reasons why it’s great. You are trying to get into a college with this essay, after all.

UVA Supplemental Essay 3: Flash Seminar

Student self-governance, which encourages student investment and initiative, is a hallmark of the UVA culture. In her fourth year at UVA, Laura Nelson was inspired to create Flash Seminars, one-time classes which facilitate high-energy discussion about thought-provoking topics outside of traditional coursework. If you created a Flash Seminar, what idea would you explore and why?

This prompt may seem intimidating because of its reference to a student creating an impressive organization, but try to remember that it isn’t the point of the prompt.

Instead, pick a topic that interests you!:

• What are your hobbies?
• Do you play any sports?
• What is the first random fact that pops into your head?
• What did you do last summer?
• Are there any global issues you care about and want others to know of?

For example, if you spent your last summer volunteering at a soup kitchen, you might create a Flash Seminar on the importance of volunteering based on your experiences.

The essay may even be about a topic that you feel is important for every person to think about and discuss.

The essay does not need to be related to academics. As long as you can write 250 words about the topic and why you think it is important for other people to learn about, it’ll be worth creating an essay about.

UVA Supplemental Essay 4: Beta Bridge

UVA students paint messages on Beta Bridge when they want to share information with our community. What would you paint on Beta Bridge and why is this your message?

This might be the most difficult essay prompt for most students because of how open-ended it is, but it also gives you a lot of room to leave your own creative or intellectual mark on the admissions committee.

• What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
• What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever given?
• What is something helpful that you think more people should know about?
• Is there a public issue that you feel needs more awareness?

Even if your idea is small, don’t worry. Maybe you’ve noticed that you don’t carry enough water around, and want to remind everyone to stay hydrated!

Your message does not need to be groundbreaking or related to academics, as long as you can write about it.

Make your response unique, and try to catch the attention of the admissions team.

If your essay shines on who you are, what’s unique about you, or a topic you care about, it’s sure to stand out when it’s reviewed at UVA.

UVA Supplemental Essay 5: An Alternative to Complaining

Rita Dove, UVA English professor and former U.S. Poet Laureate, once said in an interview that “…there are times in life when, instead of complaining, you do something about your complaints.” Describe a time when, instead of complaining, you took action for the greater good.

We all know that complaining isn’t the best way to deal with the problems we encounter; however, it sure is a natural thing to do (and it can be hard to avoid).

Think back on a time you chose to take action instead of complaining.

• Maybe you forgot about an assignment until the night it was due. Instead of complaining and asking for more time, you stayed up late to get it done.
• You may have noticed someone being treated unfairly and stood up for them right there on the spot.

No matter what the situation was, if you chose not to complain, you can turn it into a compelling essay.

Show UVA that you are an initiative taker and a difference maker. Show them you’re responsible and you don’t like to take the easy way out.

When the admissions team sees those qualities shining through the words you write, they’ve got to be impressed.

Conclusion: How to Write the UVA Supplemental Essays

Now that you’ve read through some tips on how to write the supplemental essays, it’s time to get writing!

Be sure to start early with brainstorming and planning. UVA, more so than most universities, asks you to be creative with their supplemental essays.

Even if you don’t like your first drafts, it is much easier to rewrite a draft based on the things you did not like than it is to attempt to revise an essay you haven’t yet written.

Last, remember to keep it real. Authenticity is key.

With an essay written from a place of creativity and authenticity, you’re sure to stand out.

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UVA Supplemental Essays 2023-24

The University of Virginia , a public research university in Charlottesville, is one of the top public universities in Virginia and nationwide. As a result, many students ask themselves how to get into University of Virginia. Well, one of the most important things is UVA supplemental essays. Strong University of Virginia supplemental essays can help you stand out in the competitive UVA applicant pool.

Each year, thousands of students apply to UVA hoping to gain access to its world-renowned academic programs and research facilities. In addition to academics, UVA also hosts an array of student organizations and off-campus opportunities in a thriving college town . It’s no surprise that UVA has a highly competitive 21% acceptance rate. In light of that, the University of Virginia essay is a critical part of the UVA application. Understanding the intricate details of UVA supplemental essays and UVA requirements is crucial to getting into UVA. Luckily, we are here to help.

In this guide, we will discuss the University of Virginia supplemental essay requirements, UVA application deadlines, and UVA requirements. Furthermore, we will cover the importance of the University of Virginia supplemental essays and analyze the UVA essay prompts. Most importantly, we will provide a variety of resources to help you craft the strongest UVA supplemental essays. Let’s get started.

University of Virginia Essay: Quick Facts

Uva essay: quick facts.

• The University of Virginia Ranking Overall: #25 National Universities
• The University of Virginia Public University Ranking:   #3 Public Universities
• The University of Virginia Acceptance Rate: 21%– U.S. News identifies UVA as an extremely selective school.  
• The University of Virginia Retention Rate: 97%
• The University of Virginia Graduation Rate: 94% (the highest of any public university in America)
• Common Application Essay
• 1 (~ 300 words) The University of Virginia background essay
• 1 (~ 250 words) School of Nursing Essay for School of Nursing applicants
• The University of Virginia Admissions Application: UVA application is a Common Application member institution. Therefore, students must complete their application using the Common Application. 
• Early Action: November 1st
• Early Decision: November 1st
• Regular Decision: January 15th 
• The University of Virginia Supplemental Essays Tip: The University of Virginia supplemental essays have a very limited word count. Therefore, make sure your UVA essays are clear and concise.

Please note that essay requirements are subject to change each admissions cycle, and portions of this article may have been written before the final publication of the most recent guidelines. For the most up-to-date information on essay requirements, check the university’s admissions website.

Does UVA have supplemental essays?

Yes. In addition to your Common Application personal statement, all students applying to the University of Virginia must complete supplemental essays. Compared to previous years, UVA has reduced the maximum number of UVA essay prompts to two this year.

All students who apply to UVA are required to complete one UVA supplemental essay. This required University of Virginia essay is commonly known as the background essay. It forces applicants to consider how their background will impact their experiences at UVA. 

Even though all applicants are only required to write one UVA application essay, don’t think this makes the application process easier. In fact, having just one University of Virginia essay can be tougher for applicants than having multiple UVA essay prompts. You have only one opportunity, with fewer than 300 words, to make a good impression on University of Virginia admissions . 

In contrast, prospective nursing students can respond to two UVA essay prompts. Students applying to the University of Virginia nursing program must submit an additional University of Virginia supplemental essay. The nursing student UVA essay prompt asks students to recall a healthcare experience that deepened their interest in nursing.

Whether you must complete one or both UVA supplemental essays, we have answers to your questions. In the next section, we will dive deeper into both University of Virginia supplemental essays. 

What are the UVA supplemental essays?

The UVA supplemental essay that all applicants must complete asks applicants about their background. Specifically, applicants must explain how their experiences or perspectives will be a source of strength for themselves or their UVA peers. This UVA application essay showcases students’ ability to reveal how their personal experiences and backgrounds will strengthen the UVA community. 

The second University of Virginia essay is only for students applying to the University of Virginia nursing program. Nursing program applicants are asked to describe a healthcare-related experience or another significant interaction that deepened their interest in nursing. This essay provides students the opportunity to describe the roots of their passion and how it will positively impact UVA.

Ultimately, well-written UVA supplemental essays will illustrate how you’ll contribute positively to the UVA social and academic community. Supplemental essays allow students to prove to UVA admissions that they are the perfect fit for the university. 

UVA Common App Essay

As discussed earlier, the University of Virginia presents applicants with two distinct UVA supplemental essays. The first UVA application, known as the background essay, is mandatory for all applicants. In contrast, the Nursing School UVA supplemental essay is specifically required for those aspiring to the nursing program. However, beyond these University of Virginia supplemental essays, prospective students face an additional crucial component—the Common Application essay.

As part of the Common App, this essay—also called the personal statement —is sent to all schools on an applicant’s list. The Common Application essay provides students with a platform to share their unique identities, experiences, and aspirations. The UVA supplemental essays allow one to delve into specific aspects of one’s background and ambitions. On the other hand, the Common App essay casts a broader net with seven possible prompts . These range from overcoming a challenge to sharing an accomplishment, all to add depth to one’s personal narrative in the application.

In comparison to UVA supplemental essays,  the UVA Common App essay provides a greater word count of 600 words. This additional space permits an applicant to expand on what has not already been highlighted in their application. Therefore, selecting the best Common Application essay prompt can make or break one’s application. Writing a good personal statement is no easy feat and requires plenty of planning and preparation with example essays .

UVA Application Essay: Background Essay

The University of Virginia essay that all applicants must complete is the background essay. The UVA application essay prompt is as follows: 

What about your background, perspective, or experience will serve as a source of strength for you or those around you at UVA?

When writing this University of Virginia essay, your response should offer a thoughtful exploration of a defining aspect of your identity. You should begin this UVA application essay by identifying a specific element, such as a cultural background, personal challenge, or unique viewpoint. Make your focus as specific as possible to make it easier to write a clear, concise essay.

Once you have identified your unique background or perspective, you should discuss how it will be an asset. How will it contribute to your personal growth and to building a stronger UVA community? You may have experience with caretaking that makes you an empathetic and effective leader. Or maybe you have overcome setbacks with help from others, making you both resilient and highly encouraging of your peers.

In this UVA application essay, you want to show that you have done your research on the University. Therefore, you should try to make connections to the university’s values and specific classes or organizations. Ultimately, your response should exhibit self-awareness and a deep understanding of UVA’s values. You should provide a clear roadmap for how your background, perspective, or experience will positively influence yourself and the campus community.

While there’s only one required UVA application essay for everyone, that does not guarantee an easier application. In fact, having just one essay can be seen as more challenging because you only get one shot to impress UVA admissions. You must ensure your one UVA supplemental essay is well-written, with intention behind every word. 

Keep reading for more about writing UVA supplemental essays and tips for impressing the UVA admissions committee. 

How to write UVA supplemental essays?

Crafting a standout UVA application essay can boost your application and help you get noticed by the admissions team. Your UVA supplemental essays are your chance to show your personality and explain how you can contribute to the UVA community. 

Helpful tips to make your UVA supplemental essays stand out:

1. understand the university of virginia.

When writing your University of Virginia supplemental essays, take time to learn about the university’s values, goals, and programs. Use this knowledge to show your genuine interest in and connection to the University of Virginia.

2. Be Yourself

Write your University of Virginia supplemental essay in a way that reflects who you truly are. Share personal stories and moments that have influenced your beliefs, passions, and goals. Avoid generic answers and focus on what makes you unique.

3. Tell a Great Story

Narrative essays may not be strictly required, but there’s a reason they stay popular in college admissions. Make your UVA supplemental essays interesting and captivating by telling a compelling story. Use descriptive language and engaging words to grab the reader’s attention from start to finish. 

4. Check and Improve

Before submitting your University of Virginia supplemental essays, proofread and edit your essay carefully. Look for correct grammar, punctuation, and clear sentences. Since you have a limited word count, choose your words wisely and avoid repeating yourself.

By following these tips in your University of Virginia supplemental essays, you can create a knockout UVA application essay. Remember, the UVA supplemental essays let you shine and show admissions why you’d be a perfect fit for the University of Virginia.

What does UVA look for in essays?

When considering what UVA looks for in the University of Virginia supplemental essays, the best place for advice is admissions officials. Luckily, UVA’s associate dean of admission, Jeannine Lalonde, wrote about the importance of University of Virginia supplemental essays. She also outlines what admissions officials look for from their applicants’ University of Virginia supplemental essays.

In the article, Lalonde says, “I think that [the essay] helps us get insight into the personality, voice, and style of the student. The rest of the application consists of forms and other people telling us about the student. This is their chance to talk directly to us.” 

While the article is several years old, what she shared remains true for students wondering how to get into University of Virginia. UVA supplemental essays allow applicants to tell their stories using their unique voice and point of view. Therefore, be authentically you; ensure your personality shines through and truly connects to the University of Virginia community. 

In addition to the importance of University of Virginia supplemental essays, Lalonde also highlights three tips for approaching them. These tips may help students craft the strongest University of Virginia supplemental essays and stand out to admissions representatives.

Don’t overthink the topic

In your UVA supplemental essays, simplicity can often be the key to success. The admissions committee is interested in your genuine experiences and perspectives. Instead of selecting the “perfect” topic, focus on choosing an aspect of your background, perspective, or experience that resonates with you. By staying true to your story and not overanalyzing the topic, you can present a sincere and engaging portrayal of yourself.

You don’t have to write like it’s a school essay

UVA supplemental essays allow you to showcase your personality, creativity, and individuality. Unlike formal academic essays, you can infuse your voice, anecdotes, and even a bit of your sense of humor. By steering away from the formal tone of a typical school essay, you can create engaging, illuminating UVA supplemental essays. Strong UVA supplemental essays captivate the admissions committee and give them a deeper understanding of you beyond your academic achievements.

It’s smart to get advice, but be authentic

When crafting your University of Virginia supplemental essays, seeking guidance and feedback from mentors or peers can offer valuable perspectives. However, while incorporating advice, ensure that your UVA supplemental essays remain true to your narrative and maintain the authenticity that sets you apart. Your UVA supplemental essays should reflect your true character and motivations.

By adhering to these tips in your UVA supplemental essays, you can create a compelling and authentic narrative. Additionally, these tips are applicable to any college essay, not just UVA supplemental essays. Ultimately, your UVA supplemental essays offer a platform to showcase your personal growth, strengths, and potential contributions to the campus environment.

More UVA Application Info

Of course, knowing critical information about the University of Virginia supplemental essays and UVA essay prompts is step one. However, students should also be aware of other critical UVA requirements and information that may play a role in your application. 

First and foremost, for the 2023-2024 application, the university limits the legacy factor in its admissions process. In the past, students could simply check a box indicating their legacy status on their application. Now, if students want to indicate this status, they may write about a personal or historic connection with the university. This change is incredibly important for students who are personally connected to the university by alumni or historical ties. Therefore, be mindful of how to communicate the impact of having a historical connection. Don’t just say that you have parents or grandparents who went to the university. Instead, focus on what that has meant to you growing up. How do you wish to use that connection to live up to UVA’s values and foster a greater sense of community at UVA?

Still test-optional

Another update or continued practice for 2023-2024 is that UVA will remain test-optional . As a test-optional university, students have the choice of whether or not they want to submit their SAT and/or ACT scores . UVA does super score for applicants who submit test scores and considers the best combination of section scores without recalculation. Whichever path students choose, UVA promises to consider your application carefully.

Besides understanding the legacy admissions factor and test-optional admissions options, there is also a lot of other information students may need to know prior to applying. Some of these factors include the AP/IB credit process, navigating the waitlist process, and using application fee waivers. If you are interested in finding information about these factors, you should check out UVA’s FAQ page. There, you will find a lot of helpful information about applying to the University of Virginia.

What is the application deadline for UVA?

The University of Virginia offers three distinct application deadlines to accommodate a range of prospective students. For those who are eager to submit their applications early and receive a quick decision, the Early Action and Early Decision deadlines fall on November 1st. ED is binding, with admissions decisions released in mid-December; EA is non-binding, with decisions released in mid-February. Deferred applicants from both are reviewed in the Regular Decision round. Early applicants usually have a higher chance of admittance, but they also have stronger applications on average.

In contrast, the Regular Decision deadline extends to January 15 for those requiring more time to finalize their submissions. This later date allows students to better prepare their applications in order to craft the strongest application narrative possible. Although this later deadline has a larger applicant pool than EA or ED, a particularly strong application will still stand out.

Remember that each application deadline aligns with a separate teacher/counselor deadline. Therefore, ensure your teachers and counselors promptly submit their secondary information and recommendations. Choosing a college application deadline relies on several factors such as your grades, essay preparation, and overall interest in a university. Consider the strength of your application and how much you want to go to UVA when choosing a deadline.

Additional UVA Resources from CollegeAdvisor

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the thought of writing the best UVA supplemental essays and gaining acceptance into the college? Well, don’t fret. CollegeAdvisor has many resources tailored for UVA and University of Virginia supplemental essays. Here are a few that may help you. 

1. University of Virginia Webinar Panel

The University of Virginia panel is a recorded webinar and Q&A panel with alumni and current UVA students. They share their perspectives on campus life, academic programs, and career opportunities at UVA. 

2. University of Virginia Essay Examples

This guide will teach you about the University of Virginia supplemental essays through several UVA essay examples. The article includes UVA supplemental essays examples addressing various UVA essay prompts to teach you what a successful essay looks like. While the UVA essay examples are from last year’s admissions cycle, their advice still applies. Seeing how strong the University of Virginia supplemental essays were crafted will help you craft your own UVA supplemental essays.

3. How to Win UVA Scholarships

This article discusses two specific scholarships: the University of Virginia Jefferson Scholarship and the Walentas Scholarship. The article provides information on eligibility for these two UVA scholarships, academic scholarship requirements, and how to apply for them.

UVA Supplemental Essays – Takeaways

In closing, we hope we have answered how to get into University of Virginia with a strong UVA application essay. Ultimately, the UVA supplemental essays play a pivotal role in the application process, providing applicants with a chance to distinguish themselves. In order to ensure you know how to craft the strongest University of Virginia essays, here are some key takeaways.

Importance of UVA Supplemental Essays

The UVA supplemental essays are instrumental in showcasing your unique qualities and compatibility with the university’s values. A well-crafted essay can set you apart in the competitive admissions process.

Two Types of UVA Supplemental Essays

UVA requires applicants to write two types of UVA supplemental essays. The first, known as the background essay, is mandatory for all applicants. The second UVA application essay is specifically for those applying to the Nursing School at UVA.

Background Essay

The UVA background essay prompt challenges you to articulate how your background will serve you or your peers at UVA. This essay offers an opportunity to reveal personal growth, resilience, empathy, and alignment with UVA’s values.

Nursing School Essay

For nursing applicants, the UVA supplemental essay describes a healthcare-related experience or significant interaction that deepened their interest in nursing. This University of Virginia supplemental essay enables candidates to highlight their passion for nursing and their unique motivations.

Tips for UVA Supplemental Essays

Crafting standout UVA supplemental essays requires a balance of authenticity and strategic storytelling. Research UVA’s values, show genuine interest, and make connections between your experiences and how you’d contribute to the UVA community.

University of Virginia Common Application Essay

Alongside the UVA supplemental essays, the Common Application essay holds significant weight. It’s a platform to showcase your identity, experiences, and aspirations, presenting a broader perspective than the targeted UVA supplemental essays.

Understanding the role of UVA supplemental essays and adhering to these tips can enhance your application’s impact. Good luck, and happy writing!

This article was written by senior advisor Ashley Hollins . Are you looking for more admissions support? Click here to schedule a free meeting with one of our Admissions Specialists. Our team will discuss your profile during your meeting and help you find targeted ways to increase your admissions odds at top schools. We’ll also answer any questions and discuss how CollegeAdvisor.com can support you in the college application process.

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Thursday, December 09, 2021

Unofficial #uva early decision statistics.

These numbers were updated on 12/10 at 9:45 AM. If you are a reporter, please contact the  Office of University Communications  for current, official information.

Early Decision Applications

Early decision offers, early decision defers, a couple notes:, wednesday, december 08, 2021, #uva early decision notification update.

The stated times  for decisions releases are mid-December for Early Decision, mid-February for Early Action, and April 1 for Regular Decision. I'm so happy to share that we are finishing the Early Decision ahead of schedule and will post results to student portals in a couple days.

This is official. Please do not call our office to confirm it. The decisions will be added to applicant portals in the evening so most students are checking after school hours (there are fewer people on the system after the business day is over). You will notice that application checklists come off the portal today as we make preparations for the release. There is a team that works on getting decisions loaded into the portal and I can't tell you exactly what time they will complete their work. I hope to share some statistics about the Early Decision process tomorrow. As always, I'm happy to answer your questions in the comments.

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

November admission update.

One of the fun parts of working in social media is watching new channels emerge. It became clear this year that students preferred to interact on Instagram and TikTok , so I have spent a lot of time on those apps trying answer questions and respond to comments. If you didn't know, I host a live question and answer session every week on Instagram (I think this is my third year of doing that and I started saving the recordings to IGTV a year or two ago) and post there and on TikTok several times per week. 

Adding another channel to my workload had led to this little blog being less active. I may move to monthly updates here, except around decision releases, when I know people expect more posts (especially those statistics posts). 

So here are some notes from the past month.

1. Early Decision and Early Action Numbers

We had about 3,400 Early Decision applications and 31,000 Early Action applications. I'll post precise numbers around the time we release decisions for each group. Last year, we had about 2,900 applications for ED and 29,000 for EA. 

Once upon a time, our applicant pool seemed to be split fairly evenly between Early Action and Regular Decision. Now, we get more applications during the early rounds. Whether those higher numbers above mean the shift is continuing or if they mean we'll have a larger pool overall remains to be scene. 

We are not a school that craves big jumps in application numbers. Our classes are growing, but not at the same rate that the pool seems to be. That makes for some tough decisions when reading applications. Our staff doesn't grow at the same rate, either, which is part of the reason why the release of EA decisions moved back into February a couple years ago.Which leads to the next point...

2. Decision Notification

We read all of our files (no computer sorting here) and that takes time. We promise to finish the Early Decision review around December 15th and Early Action review around February 15th. As soon as we can post a more specific date for decisions, we will do so on this blog, on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. Follow me at @UVADeanJ or the office at @UVAAdmission.

All decisions for a round (Early Decisions or Early Action) are posted en masse in applicant portals. 

3. The Applicant Portal

By now, ED and EA applicants should have logged into their portals to verify that all items have been received. Your login credentials for the portal were emailed to you within a few days of us getting your Common App. 

Application updates are submitted via the portal, not by email. Please follow our directions on this! The portal will take a Word/Pages doc, PDF, JPEG, and probably some other file formats I can't think of right now. The portal can't read the file and assign it a category. It just files the item with your application. If you didn't see an error message when you uploaded the file, the item was accepted. Please don't send multiple copies of documents. 

 Student Financial Services uses UVA's Student Information System (SIS) for their process. Please be sure to check those accounts if you applied for aid. The faster you respond to their requests for missing or supporting documents, the faster they can do their work.

4. Demonstrated Interest

This is not part of the review. Your application is proof that you are interested in UVA! You have a lot on your plate as a senior and don't have to spend time and energy showing interest. You did that when you put together your application. 

5. Application Instructions Revisited

A lot of the questions I'm getting this year are covered in the application instructions or our FAQs . Please be sure to take a look at those! 

As always, I'm happy to answer questions in the comments.

Friday, October 29, 2021

Important reminders for early action and early decision applicants to #uva,  1. read the application instructions and faqs ..

Enough said on that!

2. The deadline is November 1st at 11:59 PM.

If you are someone who is inspired by the last minute, you have all day on November 1st to submit your application. Keep in mind that there may be a lot of people using the Common App website on deadline day, so it might slow down. In addition, the help desk might be fielding more requests for assistance than usual. 

3. Colleges don't control the Common App website.

If you have an issue with the Common App website, hit the question mark that is on every page to get help. In my experience, the support from the Common App team is excellent.

4. Teachers and Counselors get a grace period to submit documents.

Get your application in by the deadline. The supporting documents from your teachers and counselors don't have to be in by the deadline. We understand that they are working with multiple students who may be applying to several schools!

5. Updates are sent via the applicant portal.

This is covered in the instructions, but you'll get login credentials for our applicant portal once Common App transfers your application to us. Use the portal to send updates. Don't send updates by email to admission officers.

6. We really mean it when we say we don't use interest!

The application is proof that you are interested in UVA. You don't have to send us emails or supplements to tell us you like UVA. Desire is not a factor in our review. 

Do you have any last minute questions? Feel free to put them in the comments!

Monday, October 11, 2021

Scattergrams and gpa data.

I just finished my first week of high school visits in Fairfax County, Virginia. This is one of our most densely populated areas in Virginia and we have a lot of students at UVA from the many high school in the area. The GPA attempts to summarize your academics, but it's not a very reliable number in my world. GPA methodologies vary a lot (and this is fine with us...each school/district uses the method that works for their students). The GPA doesn't tell us the full academic story, though. We need to see four years of course selection and grades to understand that. Trends are also important and aren't conveyed in the GPA.  Resist the urge to fixate on GPA alone. GPAs just don't provide the details we need to make a decision in a selective admission process. Some may suggest that high school-specific GPA data is more reliable and use scattergrams to estimate admission chances. The scattergram is a feature of a student information system that many high schools use. Scattergrams plot past admission decisions on a chart using GPA and testing as the variables.

If you have access to them, remember that scattergrams are plotting the results of an elaborate application review process on a chart with just two factors, one of which is no longer required in our process. They show how our decisions correlate to those pieces of data, but they don't tell you how admission officers made their decisions. 

Keep in mind that there are some issues with scattergrams. Schools often rely on students to report their admission decisions to make the scattergrams. There may be missing or incorrect data for your school. In addition, testing is optional for applicants to UVA and about 40% of our pool didn't submit them last year.

There are times when someone may have a high GPA, but have some holes in their program (remember, we want to see classes taken in each core subject all four years of high school), a lopsided program, or a grade trend that is of concern. The details matter in this process!

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

A return to fairfax county.

I'm almost in disbelief that my first week of high school visits in over a year is around the corner. The last time I was in my Virginia territory (Fairfax County) was the week of January 13, 2020, when I spoke at a series of programs for junior parents planned by counselors in Fairfax County Public Schools. Suffice it to say, I'm really looking forward to being back in my territory! Admission work is cyclical and I have missed the parts of the calendar that traditionally had me in high schools. 

Scheduling high school visits was a bit of a trick this year. Most schools have fewer spots in their schedules (totally understandable!) and some are only offering virtual appointments. I wasn't able to stack my usual 4-5 schools per day this time, but I'll look on the bright side and think about how much less stressful it will be to battle northern Virginia traffic. 

I have 24 in-person visits in the coming weeks:

Monday, October 4: Justice, Falls Church, TJHSST Tuesday, October 5: Langley, McLean, Marhsall Wednesday, October 6: Madison, Oakton, Woodson, Fairfax Thursday, October 7: West Springfield, Lake Braddock, Trinity Christian Friday, October 8: Centreville, Westfield, South Lakes, Herndon Monday, October 18: Edison, Lewis, Mount Vernon Tuesday, October 19: Chantilly, Hayfield, South County Wednesday, October 20: West Potomac, Annandale, Robinson

If you're in Fairfax County and don't see your school listed, we probably scheduled a virtual event with your school. If you see your school list and would like to attend my session, be sure to follow the procedures set by your College & Career Center to sign up. These talks are for students...parents, feel free to call, comment, email, or message me if you have questions about admission.

Friday, September 17, 2021

How to manage college admission email.

When I was in high school, the college mailings started to arrive a few weeks after you took your first PSAT exam. The first few pieces of mail seemed novel, but then the deluge began. Managing the influx of mail was easy enough - it just required more frequent trips to the recycling center!

These days, the print mail arrives along with a steady stream of email. All that email sometimes leads to overlooked messages about important things - missing application items, invitations to special programs, or even financial aid information). Many suggest that students create a separate email account for college mail, but that doesn't really solve the problem. Students still have to wade through a lot of messages to find the important ones in a second email account. I have a different suggestion.

Learn to use email filters.

Email filters (also called "rules" in some email clients) automatically file email for you. In gmail, all you have to do is click the three dots in a message and select "Filter messages like these" to set one up. Create a folder for everything important and you can quickly scan the side of your email client to see if anything important has arrived. 

If you set up a filter for messages from your counselor, Common App, UVA, etc., it could mean that your main inbox becomes a miscellaneous inbox.

Thursday, September 09, 2021

Live #uva admission q&a sessions every thursday.

I sometimes forget that people aren't aware of my accounts on the various social media channels. After years of doing live q&a sessions on my Instagram account and having thousands of views on each saved session. In the early years, I saved the sessions to Instagram Highlights ( like this ), but I started saving them all to IGTV last year. It's safe to say the Thursday afternoon live session is tradition now. 

The sessions usually start around 3 PM. I post an Instagram Story on Thursday mornings with two stickers*: one that lets students turn on a countdown reminder for the session and another that lets them submit questions they'd like me to answer. Students can also submit questions during the live session via a comment box and a live question sticker. 

Jack decided to participate in a session last December and he's been a fixture since. He starts the session by doing a trick for a treat (this buys us some time as people join the session). There are points in the application season when I give an update about our process and then I answer questions. 

* A sticker is a box or graphic added on top of a photo or video in Instagram Stories. Some of them are interactive.

It's almost time for this week's live session. I hope you'll join us on Instagram !

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

2021-2022 #uva first-year application essay prompts.

With tours full of prospective members of the Class of 2026 this week, it seems like a good time to share our essay prompts for next year. Feedback from students and admission officers have helped us tweak our prompts over the years and it seems like we have them in a good place because we don't really have edits this year!

There are three required pieces of writing on our application: the Common App essay and two shorter responses that are specific to UVA.  The Common App prompts are on their website . 

A couple notes about essays: the prompts are deliberately broad, these are supposed to be personal, and the word counts are guidelines meant to remind you to be concise. I'll elaborate on these and share some tips in future posts. Regarding the first essay, remember that we admit students to four schools and one major at UVA . The only students who apply directly to a major are the kinesiology students.  As always, I'm happy to answer questions you submit in the comments.

2021-2022 First-Year Application Writing Prompts

• College of Arts and Sciences - What work of art, music, science, mathematics, literature, or other media has surprised, unsettled, or inspired you, and in what way?
• School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Describe an engineering feat that serves the common good and why it inspires you to study engineering.
• School of Architecture - Describe significant experience that deepened your interest in studying in the School of Architecture.
• School of Nursing - Describe a health care-related experience or another significant interaction that deepened your interest in studying nursing.
• Kinesiology Program - Discuss experiences that led you to apply to the kinesiology major. 
• What’s your favorite word and why?
• We are a community with quirks, both in language and in traditions. Describe one of your quirks and why it is part of who you are.
• Student self-governance, which encourages student investment and initiative, is a hallmark of the UVA culture. In her fourth year at UVA, Laura Nelson was inspired to create Flash Seminars, one-time classes which facilitate high-energy discussion about thought-provoking topics outside of traditional coursework. If you created a Flash Seminar, what idea would you explore and why?
• UVA students paint messages on Beta Bridge when they want to share information with our community. What would you paint on Beta Bridge and why is this your message?
• Rita Dove, UVA English professor and former U.S. Poet Laureate, once said in an interview that "...there are times in life when, instead of complaining, you do something about your complaints." Describe a time when, instead of complaining, you took action for the greater good.

Monday, June 21, 2021

The uva class of 2025 is complete.

A waiting list update from Greg Roberts, Dean of Admission:

On behalf of the UVA Office of Admission, I’d like to send a heartfelt thank you to all of the applicants and their families who placed their faith in us during this challenging and chaotic year, including those who were on our waiting list and received our final decisions last week. We are honored and humbled that you chose to apply to UVA. While we were unable to offer admission to every deserving and capable candidate in this intensely competitive year, please know we saw you, we heard you, we believe in you, and we are grateful to you. And please know we wish you happiness and success as you begin your college journey in the fall. 

Thursday, June 03, 2021

#uva in-person tours for prospective students resume june 14.

I'm so excited to share that we will be hosting in-person tours soon! I remember posting that our admission events were cancelled back on March 11, 2020 and thinking we'd be back in a month or so. The day we were told to take our office phones home was probably the one when I realized tours would be on an extended hiatus. Suffice it to say, we have missed seeing prospective students in person! We've also missed seeing our guides, ambassadors, and student workers. The team of summer interns will ease us back into tours starting on June 14th ( are you following them on Instagram yet? ).

A few notes for those who want to visit...

• As always, reservations are required, so please head over to the Visit page of our website to secure a spot on a tour. Once all the reservations for a day are taken, that date is no longer "clickable," so have a alternate visit date in mind. 
• Prospective students can register themselves and one guest for the tour. If you'll be traveling with a larger group, please make plans for the other members of your party to do something while you tour. I suggest a walk on The Corner to see the shops and restaurants adjacent to the University along with a walk on the UVA Lawn and a visit to the new Memorial to Enslaved Laborers . 
• The University's buildings are still closed to visitors at this time, to the tours will be completely outdoors. We suggest you use t he housing youtube channel to explore the residence halls and check department websites for virtual tour options. UVA Recreation's website has descriptions and picture of their facilities, too.
• We'll continue to offer live and recorded virtual options for connecting with the Office of Admission and our students. Links are on the visit page and we'll also email them to students who make in-person tour reservations. 

I'll do my best to answer your questions in the comments, but I hope you can appreciate that our plans will probably evolve during the summer. 

Monday, May 10, 2021

A 2021 waiting list update.

If you watch my weekly live q&a sessions on Instagram , you've heard me talk about the waiting list a few times already, but I thought I'd share some information on the blog who aren't regularly tuning in (does one "tune in" for an Instagram live?). I save the live sessions on IGTV , barring an Instagram glitch, so you can watch old sessions if that is of interest.

It looks like the waiting list pendulum has swung ( see over a decade of waiting list offers here ), as it tends to do, and we are not seeing much movement on the list this year. A few offers have been made, but I don't think we'll see a total anywhere near what we saw last year.

As always, when the Dean decides to close/release the waiting list (meaning no more offers will be made), we will email all students who completed the waiting list interest form. 

I'm happy to answer questions in the comments and on this Thursday's live q&a session.

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Miss a virtual days on the lawn event recordings available now.

 I've gotten so man questions from students who weren't able to join some of the live virtual Days on the Lawn sessions in the last few weeks, but are looking for recordings. All of the recorded sessions are available on the Virtual DOTL website!  

As a reminder, enrollment deposits are due by Saturday, May 1st. If there is anything we can do to help as you decide where you'll be starting your college career, please reach out to us via whatever channel is most comfortable. We have a dean on call each weekday during business hours, student volunteers who are eager to chat , and I'll also be monitoring my inboxes on the various social media platforms.

Thursday, April 15, 2021

Waiting list reply forms (the #uva loci) due today.

If you were offered a spot on the waiting list at UVA, you have until the end of the day to submit your Waiting List Reply Form in the applicant portal. This form is your "Letters of Continued Interest" (aka LOCI) .

If you are a Virginia resident who applied to the College of Arts & Sciences, you will also see a question asking about your interest in spending your first year at UVA's College at Wise.

If you accept a spot on the waiting list, you will see a confirmation message in your portal. You will also see a link to withdraw from the waiting list if you decide that you are no longer interested in UVA at a later date. 

Please remember to follow the instructions in the Waiting List FAQs if you would like to submit an update to your file. 

Friday, April 09, 2021

Meet morgan, a pre-med, anthropology major from baltimore.

I'm very excited to share the first 2021 entry in a series of guest blog posts by UVA students. Since you won't be able to meet current students at our Days on the Lawn open houses or on go on group tours this year, we thought we'd use social media to provide opportunities for you to connect.    

  Morgan offered to kick things off! She kindly offered her email address if anyone would like to ask her questions.

Wahoowa and welcome to UVA! My name is Morgan Suchin and I am a second year from Baltimore, Maryland. I absolutely LOVE UVA and am so excited to share my experience with you. I am pre-med and majoring in anthropology with a concentration in medical anthropology, ethics, and care. I am an Echols Scholar and involved in PhiDE (a pre-health, co-ed fraternity), Hillel/Brody Jewish Center, Virginia Ambassadors, Virginia Anthropology Society, and started my own project working with other CIOs using a mental health support website my brother and I made called Codyy.org.

I will be honest. I never even considered UVA until my mother forced me to tour it. I thought UVA would be too large for me, did not know anyone from my high school who went there, and did not know much about it. Well, a big thank you to my mom! I can confidently say that the second I walked onto Grounds, I immediately fell in love with the beautiful architecture and greenery, the vibrant and spirited student body, the traditions, and the warm feeling of community from both the students, professors, and staff. I am a true believer in that everything happens for a reason. There was some reason my mother forced me to tour one random day in July before my senior year. Another instance of this mantra happened at my Days on the Lawn which is our newly admitted students’ day.

I checked in with my parents and was walking from the Office of Admissions to the Rotunda for the welcome address from our Dean and to hear our amazing marching band. Before we got to the Rotunda, I asked my mother (there’s a theme here), how will I know where I am supposed to end up? She replied, there will be a sign. In that very second, Dean J and CavPup walked by and I stopped to take a picture. I am obsessed with CavPup and Dean J’s blog/Instagram that provided information and was a valuable resource that motivated me to go to UVA. I internally screamed with excitement. I think from the smile on both of our faces, we were pretty excited in this moment. This was another instance of everything happening for a reason.

My third moment of this mantra was during my first day of class. I walked into the lecture hall, which was also where I had my information session during my tour at UVA and sat down amongst 200 students. This class was medical anthropology with Professor China Scherz. I admire how amazing my support and advising system at UVA has been. During my summer orientation and per advice from my Echols mentor, two people recommended that I take medical anthropology. I knew nothing about it but figured I love the humanities and am pre-med, so this sounded like an interesting combination. My eyes grew with wonder during the first lecture. Professor Scherz made a 200-person class seem like 15 through her passionate lecture, engaging with students through conversations, and being so eager to share her love of medical anthropology and her research. The second I walked out of class, I pulled out my phone and googled if UVA had a major in medical anthropology. Sure enough, it was made just the previous year before I got to UVA! That same day, I met Professor Scherz during her office hours to discuss the major and my future trajectory. If it were not for the input from fellow UVA students and staff, I maybe would not have found my major. Medical anthropology has changed my life, and everything happened for a reason! (I am sorry I am so cheesy) Professor Scherz became my advisor and mentor who has provided so much guidance and support throughout my first two years at UVA. Everyone who I have met at UVA, whether it is an upperclassman who offers advice, your professor or academic dean, or just a person in the library you recognize from class, has been unbelievably supportive and welcoming. One of the reasons I chose UVA was because I saw a community like myself during my tour. UVA felt like the students were leaders both inside and outside of the classroom, but were also involved in the community with clubs, research, volunteering, or just being there for a fellow classmate. It is hard to express how generous and kind the people at UVA are in making Grounds feel like a home.  

To me, UVA is my second home. Despite being a large university, it has never felt like it for several reasons. My Jewish peers at the Brody Jewish Center have gone above and beyond to make all students have a home away from home during the holidays. I had a sense of community when the student body joined arms for the first time at a football game and sang the Good Old Song. My Echols scholar family introduced me to some of my best friends who made my first year so special. It is seeing someone in the grocery store wearing a UVA orange and navy shirt and we say Wahoowa to each other that sparks a smile on my face that confirms that UVA is a special place. You got into UVA because it was meant to be your home for the next 4 years because everything happens for a reason! I look forward to seeing you on Grounds! Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if you have any questions. I love sharing my experience and how much it means to be a Wahoo! 

Wednesday, April 07, 2021

The #uva spring showcase outreach events start saturday.

The Outreach team within the Office of Admission has been busy planning the Spring Showcase, highlighting the experiences of Black and Latinx students at UVA. We wish we could host students in person, but we have two days packed full of virtual options will help admitted students connect with UVA faculty and students from afar. There are a few Outreach events next week as well.

See detailed descriptions of these programs on the Spring Showcase website and register there today!

Saturday, April 10th

2:00 PM -Spring Showcase Welcome 2:30 PM - A Day in the Life Tour 3:30 PM - Black Student Experience Panel 3:30 PM - Latinx Student Experience Panel 3:30 PM - Multicultural Student Experience Panel 4:05 PM - Black Student Experience Panel 4:05 PM - Latinx Student Experience Panel 4:05 PM - Multicultural Student Experience Panel

Sunday, April 11th

2:30 PM - Breakout Session: Grounds for Succeeding 2:30 PM - Breakout Session: Culture, Community, and Advocacy at UVA 3:30 PM - College of Arts & Sciences Student Drop-Ins 3:30 PM - Professional Schools Student Drop-Ins 4:30 PM - Spring Showcase Closing Some Outreach events next week that might be of interest:

Tuesday, April 13

6:00 PM - University Achievement Award Welcome Event

Wednesday, April 14

6:00 PM - HoosFirst Welcome and Panel (first generation college students)

Thursday, April 15

6:00 PM - Transition Program Information Session

Monday, April 19

5:00 PM - Native and Indigenous Student Welcome Event

All events will be recorded and available to view a few days later on the Spring Showcase website.

Monday, April 05, 2021

#uva25 virtual dotl events for the week of april 5th.

Thanks to everyone who joined us for the Virtual Days on the Lawn kick-off on Saturday! We have a month of programming planned for admitted students. This first week is full of academic sessions and opportunities to check in with students at the end of each day of programming. Don't miss the housing sessions on Thursday! Registration is open for admitted students on the Virtual DOTL calendar page.

Monday, April 5th

6:00 PM - Why UVA? Student Panel 8:00 PM - Evening Student Chat w/ University Guide Service (UGS)

Tuesday, April 6th

12:00 PM - Admitted Student Tour w/ UGS 6:00 PM - College of Arts & Sciences Information Session 6:00 PM - School of Nursing Information Session 7:00 PM - Kinesiology Program Information Session 7:00 PM - School of Engineering Information Session 8:00 PM - Evening Student Chat w/ UGS

Wednesday, April 7th

8:00 AM - International Student Panel 6:00 PM - Batten School of Leadership & Public Policy Information Session 6:00 PM - School of Education & Human Development Information Session 7:00 PM - McIntire School of Commerce Information Session 7:00 PM - School of Data Science Information Session 8:00 PM - Evening Student Chat w/ UGS

Thursday, April 8th

12:00 PM - Admitted Student Tour w/ UGS 5:00 PM - College of Arts & Sciences Mock Class Experience 6:00 PM - Housing & Residence Life Session 7:00 PM - Residential Colleges Session 8:00 PM - Evening Student Chat w/ UGS

Saturday, April 10

1:00 PM - Admitted Student Tour w/ UGS

Friday, April 02, 2021

Virtual #uva days on the lawn starts saturday.

All throughout April, we will have virtual events geared towards our admitted students. Admitted students got an email about this already, but I thought I'd link to the Virtual DOTL website in case it's been missed. The calendar link on that site will take you to a page where you can register for as many events as you'd like. The kick-off event is tomorrow, Saturday, April 3rd at noon . There will be a special guest at that session! Afterwards, there is a live tour and a student chat. 

I'll be posting a weekly reminder of the week's programming here on the blog and on my instagram account. There are sessions for every school/college and topics like housing, career services, research, and study abroad. 

I especially want to highlight our Virginia Ambassadors' chat sessions . The Ambassadors went live on the UVA Admission youtube channel every week for the last few months to talk about their UVA experience and answer questions and the sessions are available to watch there. Check out future student chat opportunities here.

Thursday, April 01, 2021

Notes for the #uva25 waiting list.

 If you were offered a spot on the waiting list at UVA,  you had a link to the Waiting List FAQs in your decision letter . Many of the questions we're getting are covered there. Please be sure to share that link with your parents so they understand the process. I'm going to go over the parts that come up the most and add some more information. Feel free to ask questions in the comments.

How many people are on the waiting list?

The waiting list will be big because we need to ensure there are students for all ten sections of the first year class. The class is made up of Virginia residents and out-of-state students for five schools/programs that take first years.

What's this thing about UVA Wise?

I accepted. why is the form still there , how many people will come off the waiting list, how many people got offers to come off the waiting list in the past, how do i improve my chances of getting an offer, when/how do you make wait-list offers, what about aid, will my housing and class options be limited if i come off the waiting list.

University of Virginia – UVA Secondary Essays Tips

• Cracking Med School Admissions

Getting accepted to University of Virginia School of Medicine is hard. Very hard. Submitting an OUTSTANDING UVA Med School secondary application is vital to receiving an interview invite, which ultimately can lead to an acceptance.

UVA gives applicants early interview invitations and they give a batch of acceptances earlier in the application process too. We would strongly recommend that applicants pre-write their UVA secondaries and also submit them early!

Our Cracking Med School Admissions team has a track record of helping our mentees receive acceptances to UVA School of Medicine.  Read our UVA secondary essay tips below to learn how to stand out in your UVA secondary application! 

• Personally Tailored Essays
• Edits by Stanford & Harvard-trained Doctors
• We study your application strengths to see what unique attributes we’ll bring to the medical school

UVA Med School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2023 – 2024

• Please briefly describe how the pandemic impacted your ability to pursue experiences like clinical work, shadowing, research, or community service.
• Please list any and all future activities in clinical work, shadowing, research, or community service that you plan to pursue in the upcoming year.
• Why are you interested in attending the University of Virginia School of Medicine? What factors will be most important to you in choosing a medical school? (350 words max)
• How will you contribute to the diversity of your medical school class and the University of Virginia School of Medicine? (350 words max)
• Describe a situation which you found challenging. How did you manage it? (350 words max)

Tips to Answer UVA Secondary Essays

UVA Secondaries Pre-Writing Guidance: Several of our students received acceptances to University of Virginia School of Medicine in the 2023-2024 application cycle, and we have a strong record of acceptances for the past several years! UVA School of Medicine has not changed its secondary essays for years! UVA gives applicants early interview invitations and they give a batch of acceptances earlier in the application process too. We would strongly recommend that applicants pre-write their UVA secondaries and also submit them early! 

This should be one of the first secondaries that you write.

• Download  all  our HIGH-YIELD tips for secondary essays:  Cracking Med School Admissions Secondary Essay Guide

UVA Secondary Essays Tip #1:  The University of Virginia is a top medical school and it wants to recruit strong medical students. In order to stand out and get accepted, here are aspects that you should emphasize in your UVA secondaries:

• Abundant clinical experiences
• Desire to be a strong clinician
• Interest in research, specifically that you have experience as an independent researcher who has led a research project or a large aspect of a research project

UVA Secondary Essays Tip #2: Tell stories throughout your UVA secondary application. If applicable, write stories about patient care. You can add a story in every single UVA secondary question. 

UVA Secondary Essays Tip #3: For the UVA secondary diversity prompt, diversity does not necessarily mean your ethnic diversity. We recommend students write about their strengths, including exceptional extracurricular activity endeavors.

Many of our students write about research and patients they have helped. Make sure to link the essay to what you want to do in the future. 

UVA Secondary Essays Tip #4: For the UVA secondary application COVID-19 question, incorporate your personal experiences as well as healthcare current issues you noticed throughout the COVID pandemic. We have an entire healthcare current events blog post here, where you can read more about healthcare disparities and COVID-19. UVA is particularly interested in how you will help the Virginia community, so make sure to tie your response to thoughts about how to improve Virginia’s health. 

UVA Secondary Essays #5: UVA favors students who have lived or had experiences in the state of Virginia. Write about your affiliations with Virginia! If you have not lived in the state of Virginia, then you can talk about family who live in the vicinity or any visits you made to Virginia. Similar to our last tip, make sure to discuss healthcare current events in Virginia and your aspirations to improve the health of Virginia residents. 

UVA Secondary Essays #6: On a related note, the UVA secondaries question “ Why are you interested in attending the University of Virginia School of Medicine? ” is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. You must convince the admissions committee that you would be a great fit and love to attend the University of Virginia School of Medicine. Be specific in your reasons for wanting to attend UVA School of Medicine. These factors can include: the UVA medical school curriculum, research opportunities, and the location. 

Additionally, talk about why studying in Virginia is important for your career. If you have lived in Virginia, discuss ways in which you have already been involved with the Virginia community. Finally, if you plan on staying in Virginia in the long-term, definitely mention it! 

• Read our HIGH-YIELD blog post  Why this Medical School? Secondary Essay Example   for more tips on how to answer “Why University of Virginia School of Medicine.”

UVA Secondary Essays #7: Start early and get our help. UVA secondaries are not too long and should be submitted as early as possible. Have questions about how you can stand out? Contact us  below. Need editing help on your secondary? We can help you through our  secondary essay packages . Several of our students received acceptances to University of Virginia School of Medicine in the 2023-2024 application cycle, and we have a strong record of acceptances for the past several years!

[ Read more secondary essay tips:  Tufts University School of Medicine ,  Yale School of Medicine ,  Columbia University Vagelos , Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine ]

Your medical school application Coaches, Mentors, & Cheerleaders

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UVA Med School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2021 – 2022

Uva med school secondary application essay prompts: 2020 – 2021.

• Why are you interested in attending the University of Virginia School of Medicine? What factors will be most important to you in choosing a medical school?  (350 words max)
• How will you contribute to the diversity of your medical school class and the University of Virginia School of Medicine?  (350 words max)
• Describe a situation which you found challenging. How did you manage it?  (350 words max)

UVA Med School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2019 – 2020

Uva med school secondary application essay prompts: 2018 – 2019, uva med school secondary application essay prompts: 2017 – 2018, contact us with questions, we'll answer any and all your questions about medical school we typically respond within 1 business day..

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University of Virginia | UVA

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Want to see your chances of admission at University of Virginia | UVA?

We take every aspect of your personal profile into consideration when calculating your admissions chances.

University of Virginia | UVA’s 2023-24 Essay Prompts

Why this college short response.

If you have a personal or historic connection with UVA, and if you’d like to share how your experience of this connection has prepared you to contribute to the University, please share your thoughts here. Such relationships might include, but are not limited to, being a child of someone who graduated from or works for UVA, a descendant of ancestors who labored at UVA, or a participant in UVA programs.

Diversity Short Response

What about your individual background, perspective, or experience will serve as a source of strength for you or those around you at UVA? Feel free to write about any past experience or part of your background that has shaped your perspective and will be a source of strength, including but not limited to those related to your community, upbringing, educational environment, race, gender, or other aspects of your background that are important to you.

Common App Personal Essay

The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Choose the option that best helps you answer that question and write an essay of no more than 650 words, using the prompt to inspire and structure your response. Remember: 650 words is your limit, not your goal. Use the full range if you need it, but don‘t feel obligated to do so.

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?

Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you‘ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

What will first-time readers think of your college essay?

• About Admission
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The University of Virginia accepts applications from first-year and transfer students through the Common Application . Students are required to submit their portion of the application online. Counselors and teachers may choose to submit their documents online or by mail.

Please add  [email protected] to your address book so that important emails from us do not go to spam.

Admission Dates & Deadlines Summary

We do not accept resumes, research papers, or supplemental application items that do not fit the criteria for arts supplements.

We maintain a consistent review throughout the application process so there is no advantage to choosing one application plan over another. We hope to offer students multiple options and the ability to choose the option that is best suited for them. All students applying for financial aid who have submitted the required documents by the priority deadlines will receive a preliminary aid award shortly after admission decisions are released. Below is additional information about our application choices.

Early Decision is a binding admission plan for students who have determined that UVA is their first choice and who feel they can present a strong application without senior grades being reviewed. Students admitted through the Early Decision admission plan are required to cancel their applications elsewhere and enroll in UVA. Decisions of admit, deny, or defer will be released by December 15th. Admitted students are expected to submit deposits by January 15. 

Early Action is a non-binding and unrestrictive admission plan that may be an attractive option for those feel they can present a strong application without senior grades being reviewed. We aim to release decisions of admit, deny, or defer by February 15th. Students admitted through the Early Action admission plan will have until May 1 to reserve a spot by in the incoming class. 

Regular Decision is a non-binding and unrestrictive admission plan that allows students more time to complete the application and to have grades from the first term of their senior year considered in the review. Students will be notified of their admission decisions of admit, deny, or waiting list by April 1 Students admitted through the Regular Decision admission plan will have until May 1 to reserve a spot in the incoming class.

If you would like to change your chosen plan after submitting an application, you must  email us within 24 hours of submission.

There are eight undergraduate schools at UVA. First-year applicants can apply to: College of Arts & Sciences School of Architecture School of Engineering School of Nursing Kinesiology Those interested in the McIntire School of Commerce , Batten School for Leadership and Public Policy , School of Data Science , or programs in the School of Education and Human Development  other than Kinesiology should apply to the College of Arts and Sciences.

You may list two academic interests in addition to your undergraduate school choice. Unless you are applying to the School of Nursing or Kinesiology program, you will not declare a major at UVA until the end of your first or second year.

If you would like to change your chosen school after submitting an application, please email us within ten days of the application deadline. Admitted students should plan to enroll in the school to which they have applied.

Test Optional

If you're applying for admission for Fall 2025, you'll have the choice of sharing or not sharing standardized test scores. Whichever path you choose, we'll consider your application with care and respect, and you won't be disadvantaged because of the choice you've made.

Reporting Scores

Applicants who wish to have SAT, ACT, AP, or IB testing considered during the application process should opt to submit scores and self-report them on the application. After the deadline, applicants may submit updated scores through their portal. Admitted students who applied with testing and decide to enroll at UVA must request official score reports for verification. Our ETS code is 5820. Our ACT code is 4412.

Super-scoring

For applicants submitting test scores, we consider the best combination of section scores without recalculation. Report your scores (section scores for the SAT or composite and sub-scores for the ACT) as they appear on your official score report. Our system will do the rest for you.

The ACT Writing sections are not used in our review. 

TOEFL/IELTS

Students whose first language is not English or who have attended an English-speaking school for fewer than two years are encouraged to provide evidence of their English proficiency by submitting the results of the TOEFL or the IELTS.

We require the secondary school report and one teacher evaluation from an academic subject teacher for each first-year application.

Your school counselor can submit the secondary school report online. A counselor recommendation can be submitted with the secondary school report. Your academic teacher recommendation should also be submitted online. In addition to the secondary school report, your counselor should submit the school profile and your transcript(s) online.

If your counselor is unable to write a recommendation letter, please request that the secondary school report still be completed and submitted online. If your counselor is unable to provide a written recommendation, you may submit a recommendation from another school administrator or academic teacher if possible. Please know that in this situation, a counselor recommendation is not required for your application to be reviewed.

If your school is unable to submit these documents electronically, they can be mailed.

Arts Supplements

The Admission Office actively seeks artists, musicians, dancers and students in all areas of theatre to invigorate our community through their dedication to the arts. Students who exhibit exceptional talent in the arts may submit an arts portfolio  through the Common Application via Slideroom . This portfolio is an  optional  part of the application process and is intended for those who plan to engage seriously in the University’s arts departments as students. Completed portfolio evaluations are shared with the admission committee and are considered as part of the overall application review. These portfolios are not required to enroll in arts-related classes at the University of Virginia and will only be used for the admission process. If a student who has already submitted their Common App wants to submit an art supplement, they may create a Slideroom account using their Common App ID.

Supplemental portfolios must be received by the application deadline and adhere to departmental guidelines to guarantee review.

Architecture Supplements

All transfer applicants interested in majoring in Architecture are required to submit a portfolio following the guidelines and submission requirements on the School of Architecture website . Transfer applicants interested in Urban Planning and Architectural History are not required to submit portfolios.

If you wish to claim entitlement to Virginia in-state educational privileges pursuant to the Code of Virginia, Section 23-7.4, you must complete the residency section of the application. If supporting documents are requested after an application is submitted, fax them to 434-982-2663 . See the Office of Virginia Status website for more information .

We do not track attendance at tours, information sessions, high school visits, or other programs (commonly referred to as demonstrated interest) to use during the application review.

All application updates should be uploaded via the student portal. Applicants received an email with login credentials for the portal a few days after their Common App was received. Please do not email updates to individual admission officers.

University of Virginia (UVA) 2024-25 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Early Action/Decision: Nov 1

Regular Decision Deadline: Jan 5

University of Virginia (UVA) 2024-25 First-Year Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: 1 essay of 250 words, 1 essay of 250 words for applicants to the School of Nursing only

Supplemental Essay Type(s) : Why , Community

In around 250 words, please answer the following question:

What about your individual background, perspective, or experience will serve as a source of strength for you or those around you at uva  feel free to write about any past experience or part of your background that has shaped your perspective and will be a source of strength, including but not limited to those related to your community, upbringing, educational environment, race, gender, or other aspects of your background that are important to you..

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 that word. However, if it is, please read on! UVA wants to accept students from a range of backgrounds who will contribute to an inclusive community. This prompt uses the phrase “source of strength” twice, which tells us that they want to hear about not only what makes you you , but also how these characteristics will sustain you and support those around you. What you focus on here can be reflective of larger cultural constructs or specific to you and only you. Is there anything you can teach your classmates about your hometown, traditions, culture, orientation, identity, race, or ethnicity that they might not already know? Maybe you began practicing meditation and discovered Buddhism during your sophomore year and you hope to spread some wisdom and mindfulness on campus next fall. Perhaps you were raised on a farm and have a very special relationship to all living things (plants, animals, people, etc.) around you. How will you incorporate this element of your identity into your college experience? Show admissions that you’re eager to make your mark in their community.

Students applying to the School of Nursing are required to answer this question in around 250 words. 

In the field of nursing, you will encounter and impact real human lives. please explain why you feel this is important as you choose this field as your future..

As a nurse, you’ll need both deep medical knowledge and the ability to interact with all kinds of people. This prompt wants you to highlight the interpersonal aspect of nursing. It’s tempting to talk in grand general terms about how medicine can impact people’s lives for the better, but take note: this prompt focuses on your future. Think about what effect you want to have on your future patients. Perhaps a nurse empathetically educated you about your condition when you were hospitalized as a child, and you want to be that person for someone else. Maybe you feel strongly that non-native English speakers aren’t being served in your small hometown and strive to be the first fully bilingual nurse in your community. Whatever drives you, be sure to center your potential impact on real people as a future nurse. 

If you have a personal or historic connection with UVA, and if you’d like to share how your experience of this connection has prepared you to contribute to the University, please share your thoughts here.  Such relationships might include, but are not limited to, being a child of someone who graduated from or works for UVA, a descendant of ancestors who labored at UVA, or a participant in UVA programs. 

Now that UVA is no longer explicitly considering legacy in their admissions process, admissions has added this question to identify not only those whose parents went to UVA, but also those whose ancestors labored at UVA. This reflects the university’s ongoing reckoning with its own founding, which included the use of enslaved labor. Here, anyone with personal or historic ties to the university, including students who attended summer programs there, can describe their unique connection. If you don’t have a connection, that’s okay! Most people won’t. If you do, however, read on.

This question doesn’t just ask you to state your tie, it asks you to explore how that connection has primed you to contribute to the community. Maybe your mom was an RA and has shared all the steam tunnel routes with you, so you can initiate your roommates into this UVA tradition. Perhaps one of your ancestors built the iconic Rotunda, and you look forward to educating your classmates about their legacy. Maybe you attended a summer program and fell in love with the Jeffersonian architecture, inspiring your passion for historic preservation. Remember, your job here is to explore how your personal connection to UVA will make you a contributor to campus life. 

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August 2, 2024

University of Virginia Supplemental Essay Prompts: 2024-2025

The University of Virginia has released its supplemental essay prompts for the 2024-2025 admissions cycle . In addition to The Common Application ’s Personal Statement, applicants to UVA’s Class of 2029 must answer one essay question. Additionally, like last year, an optional essay question is hidden at the bottom of the “General” section that we at Ivy Coach encourage students to write — even though it is the most inappropriate question posed by any of our nation’s elite universities this admissions cycle. So, what are this year’s essay prompts for Virginia’s flagship university?

2024-2025 UVA Essay Topics and Questions

Required essay prompt.

Students should answer the following prompt in around 250 words:

What about your individual background, perspective, or experience will serve as a source of strength for you or those around you at UVA? Feel free to write about any past experience or part of your background that has shaped your perspective and will be a source of strength, including but not limited to those related to your community, upbringing, educational environment, race, gender, or other aspects of your background that are important to you.

In the wake of the United States Supreme Court’s ruling outlawing Affirmative Action , America’s colleges are maneuvering around not being able to lawfully consider an applicant’s race in the college admissions process by capitalizing on a loophole penned in the majority opinion by Chief Justice John Roberts .

As Chief Justice Roberts wrote, “Nothing in this opinion should be construed as prohibiting universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise.”

This essay is an opportunity for applicants to discuss how their race has impacted their lives. Or they could write about their faith, their community, their sexuality, or their gender identity — the possibilities are endless. 

Optional Essay Prompt

Students should answer the following prompt in up to 100 words:

If you have a personal or historic connection with UVA, and if you’d like to share how your experience of this connection has prepared you to contribute to the university, please share your thoughts here. Such relationships might include, but are not limited to, being a child of someone who graduated from or works for UVA, a descendant of ancestors who labored at UVA, or a participant in UVA programs.

Like last year, we at Ivy Coach deem this optional essay question the most  outrageously inappropriate  prompt posed by any highly selective university during the 2024-2025 admissions cycle. Why’s that?

In our experience, most UVA applicants will not choose to write a response to this optional essay prompt because they’ll think they need to be legacies , students who attended fancy schmancy UVA summer programs , or the descendants of enslaved people. Yes, the question is as jarring as it seems and, for the first two groups of people (legacies and summer camp attendees), it caters to the privileged.

It’s why we encourage  all  applicants to answer this optional essay question by writing a Why UVA essay — one filled with specific reasons why they wish to attend Virginia’s flagship. Their response should include enduring aspects of the university — programs, institutes, activities, culture, traditions, etc. — rather than names of professors and classes, which can easily be found and replaced like a game of Mad Libs from one college to the next.

So, yes, we are saying even if an applicant has no familial connection to UVA or didn’t attend a UVA summer enrichment program, they should write this essay to make their case for admission. Essays give students an opportunity to tell their stories. Legacies and summer program attendees should not be afforded more space than everyone else. Shame on UVA!

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If you’re interested in optimizing your case for admission to UVA by submitting essays that compel admissions officers to wish to offer you admission, fill out Ivy Coach ’s free consultation form , and we’ll be in touch to outline our college counseling services.

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Analyzing the UVA Supplemental Essays 2021-2022

Padya Paramita

December 27, 2021

The University of Virginia is known for being home to the Academical Village, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Whether you want to be a future Cavalier due to its historical foundations, or you find yourself wanting to major in Kinesiology or Speech Communication Disorders, it’s time to show the admissions office who you are through the UVA supplemental essays 2021-2022. The essays not only want to get to know your academic interests, but they provide you with space to elaborate on your endeavors outside the classroom. Use these prompts as a chance to highlight your personality and what makes you unique.

School-Based Prompts

We are looking for passionate students to join our diverse community of scholars, researchers, and artists. Answer the question that corresponds to the school/program to which you are applying in a half page or roughly 250 words.

• College of Arts and Sciences - What work of art, music, science, mathematics, or literature has surprised, unsettled, or challenged you, and in what way?
• School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Describe an engineering feat that serves the common good and why it inspires you to study engineering.
• School of Architecture -  Describe significant experience that deepened your interest in studying in the School of Architecture .
• School of Nursing -  Describe a healthcare-related experience or another significant interaction that deepened your interest in studying nursing.
• Kinesiology Program - Discuss experiences that led you to choose the kinesiology major. 

The only required prompt you have to answer in the UVA supplemental essays 2021-2022 requires you to reflect based on the college within UVA you have chosen and think about your interests within your field. Though these are framed in a unique way compared to the typical “why major” question, your approach doesn’t have to be all that different from the way you’ve been thinking about other essay prompts that ask you to talk about your major. The start of interest in any subject or field is inspiration. So, think about the ways you might have been inspired by the work that exists around you and in the broader world. If you’re a prospective music major—is there an artist whose work you follow carefully who has influenced you? If you’re a budding engineer, consider any projects that have inspired positive change in your community and how it has contributed to your love for engineering. And so on for architecture, nursing and kinesiology. Admissions officers want to know that your interest in a topic spans beyond just saying “I love X field.” They want to know about the roots of your passion. 

Prompts That Give You Choices

Answer one of the following questions in a half page or roughly 250 words. 

What’s your favorite word and why?

This is a fun question that allows room for a really introspective essay. Don’t overthink which word you choose. What matters most is that your explanation allows the reader to have a chance to get to know who you are, whether that’s inside or outside of the classroom. For example, your favorite word might be “serene,” and this could lead to a wonderful essay about your love for nature, hiking, and perhaps painting landscapes by your favorite lake. Or, your favorite word could be “tomato,” and you could write an essay about the first time you cooked your favorite dish. The word doesn’t have to come out of the SAT catalog. What’s important is that your response helps the admissions officers get to know you and your interests and goals better.

We are a community with quirks, both in language and in traditions. Describe one of your quirks and why it is part of who you are.

If you have a unique habit or trait that people around you know you for, this prompt can be a good one to try. A “quirk” can be pretty loosely defined. It can refer to your habit of marking a day off your calendar to countdown to your favorite community fair, or it can be a signature phrase that you have. No matter what it is you choose, focus on “why it is a part of who you are.” Colleges want students who will uniquely contribute to their community. What does your quirk say about you? Does it showcase someone who is caring for their peers? Does it highlight a love for a certain hobby? If you’re not sure what a quirk is, don’t answer this prompt, but if there’s something you think is cool and unusual about you, this can definitely be a good way to show it!

Student self-governance, which encourages student investment and initiative, is a hallmark of the UVA culture. In her fourth year at UVA, Laura Nelson was inspired to create Flash Seminars, one-time classes which facilitate high-energy discussion about thought-provoking topics outside of traditional coursework. If you created a Flash Seminar, what idea would you explore and why?

If there is a topic that interests you that you feel like people should know about, you could elaborate on it through this particular prompt among the UVA supplemental essays 2021-2022. A lot of students are interested in matters in the news or politics, or even pop culture, that traditional coursework doesn’t cover. Whether you have a strong passion for the Atlantic Ocean, or you’ve spent hours reading about the life of Michael Jordan, or you want to start a debate about DC vs Marvel, consider what idea you want to explore alongside classmates. Again, what you choose shouldn’t matter as much as the why. Admissions officers want to know what you consider important, and how you think a discussion would fuel important conversations.

UVA students paint messages on Beta Bridge when they want to share information with our community. What would you paint on Beta Bridge and why is this your message?

Similar to the previous question, this prompt among the UVA supplemental essays 2021-2022 allows you the chance to talk about what is important to you that others might not consider as easily. Is there a piece of news that has recently stuck with you? Are you trying to create awareness for a certain cause? And once again, I emphasize that you shouldn’t use all of your words describing the message itself. Remember that the main part of the essay should be the “why.” Of course you should think about what you want others around you to know, but spend a greater amount of time considering the reason behind your choice. Why this particular message over others?

Rita Dove, UVA English professor and former U.S. Poet Laureate, once said in an interview that "...there are times in life when, instead of complaining, you do something about your complaints." Describe a time when, instead of complaining, you took action for the greater good.

Choosing to tackle this final optional prompt within the UVA supplemental essays 2020-2021 is a good way to inform the university about your role as an impactful leader and changemaker. Admissions officers don’t want a detailed description of the logistics of the action. Within the given 250 words you must focus on how you are taking efforts to make a difference in your community—so you should take a more reflective approach. Think about your most significant involvement, but stay wary of commonly cited activities such as service trips. Remember that “action for the greater good” doesn’t have to signify a large-scale activity. You could have helped your entire neighborhood or school, or you might have helped one or two individuals who belong to it, and still made a difference. 

Use a short anecdote to highlight the role you played in the activity. What were some of your tangible achievements? How did you involve the rest of the community? How would the result have been different if you weren’t present? What have you learned in the process? While you definitely don’t want to undermine your role in the activity, remember that you shouldn’t sound arrogant either. Talk about your achievements in a way that still conveys humility and portrays you as both a team player and respected leader. And of course, make sure your account is truthful and not overly exaggerated. 

The UVA supplemental essays 2021-2022 might seem intimidating at first but they really are catered to students’ personalities and ways they spend their time. Take advantage of these prompts to help the university know who you are and how you can contribute to their institution. Good luck! 

Tags : UVA , UVA essays , university of virginia , UVA supplemental essays

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UVA Celebrates the Class of 2021’s Achievements and Resilience

May 23, 2021 • By , ,

• Caroline Newman, [email protected]
• Anne E. Bromley, [email protected]
• Matt Kelly, [email protected]

After a very different year, some scenes from Final Exercises, like this one of gowned graduates processing with balloons floating above, felt happily familiar. (Photo by Sanjay Suchak, University Communications)

Over the weekend, the University of Virginia honored the Class of 2021 in five Final Exercises ceremonies that, though more numerous than usual, were no less festive. In fact, each day felt even more celebratory coming after a year of restrictions, losses and worries related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To accommodate public health guidelines, UVA conferred about 7,500 degrees across five separate ceremonies over Friday, Saturday and Sunday, grouped by school. Each celebration began with the traditional procession down the Lawn, where rows of graduates in caps and gowns strode down the Rotunda stairs and through the Academical Village, many with colorful balloons in hand (later donated to UVA Children’s patients .)

Unlike in former years, however, the procession continued all the way to Scott Stadium, where the ceremonies were held to allow for physical distancing. The mile-long procession was punctuated with blue-and-orange balloon arches and celebratory signs.

Once in Scott Stadium, graduates and their families heard from President Jim Ryan, Rector James B. Murray and keynote speaker Alexis Ohanian, a 2005 UVA graduate who co-founded the social media aggregation site Reddit during his time at UVA and now runs his own venture capital fund. Deans and faculty members from each school also spoke, along with Patricia Epps, chair of UVA’s Alumni Association Board of Managers.

In total, UVA conferred 4,505 baccalaureate degrees over the weekend, 242 of which were earned in three years, plus five in two years. In addition, the University awarded 467 first professional degrees and 2,522 graduate degrees, including 2,183 master’s degrees, 306 Doctor of Philosophy degrees, 10 Doctor of Education degrees, three Education Specialist degrees, 17 Doctor of Nursing Practice degrees and three Doctor of Juridical Science degrees. Nearly 600 graduating students became the first in their families to graduate from college.

Below, find more details from the ceremonies, as well as recaps of each day’s events, including:

Related Story

Final Exercises 2021

• Remarks from President Jim Ryan and Rector James B. Murray.
• Keynote speech from Alexis Ohanian.
• Special performances round out the ceremonies.
• Friday’s morning and afternoon ceremonies.
• Saturday’s morning and afternoon ceremonies.
• Sunday morning’s ceremony.

President Jim Ryan – ‘We’ll Leave the Lights on for You.’

Ryan welcomed graduates to the stadium ceremony each day by noting all of the obstacles they had overcome to get there, especially during the last 15 months of the pandemic.

“I have to be honest with you: I feel like this moment is a bit miraculous. Not because you’re graduating – we all expected that. But given all of the stops and starts we have had to endure, the plans made and the plans scrapped, hopes raised and hopes dashed, just to get to this moment,” Ryan said. “Believe me when I say I could not be happier or more grateful to be here, right now, with all of you.”

Ryan thanked the faculty and staff who made Final Exercises possible this year, and asked the Class of 2021 to stand and join him in a big round of applause for the family and friends, in the stands and watching from home, who helped them reach this point. He also, of course, thanked the graduates themselves. ( Read Ryan’s prepared remarks .)

“I want to say a personal thanks for your patience, for your strength, and for your service and leadership, especially this past year,” Ryan said. “I have seen this class step up in countless ways that have brought joy, support and comfort to your classmates and to our entire community. For your selfless actions, generosity, humor and creativity, which brought light to Grounds even during our most challenging moments: thank you. It has been a true privilege to serve as your president.”

During each ceremony, Ryan conferred degrees upon the candidates presented to him by each dean, asking them to stand and be honored. At the conclusion of each ceremony, Ryan left the graduates with a charge and a promise. He asked them to “remember the feeling of being here, in this place, with these people, and carry it with you” – the friendship, the mentorship, the learning and exploration, the connections and bridges built with people from all walks of life. 

“If you remember all of this, I have no doubt that you will carry the very best of this place with you as you face, with courage and purpose, the road ahead, which will be, at various turns, beautiful, tragic, joyous, challenging and magical,” Ryan said in his parting words. “And should that road ever lead you back to Charlottesville – and I very much hope it will – please know that we will leave the lights on for you.”

Murray, UVA’s rector, spoke after Ryan’s first remarks and introduced the keynote speaker. Among other lessons, Murray urged the graduates to be mindful of how they spend their time and never stop learning. ( Read the rector’s full remarks .)

“Make sound choices with your time. That is my best advice,” Murray said. “Fix a portion of your time for more learning. UVA helped you get to this point, but you really cannot stop anymore.  There’s no walking away – not anymore – no walking away from new things you’ll need to know, to learn, to understand.”

And, Murray said, share that knowledge with the places and people who made you who you are.

“Come back to Charlottesville; you are welcome here forever,” he said. “Circle back. You must. And tell us what things you’ve seen, the glories of your life. Bring us new lessons, new knowledge. Tell us stories.”

Ohanian Urges Graduates to Focus on People, Experiences and True Community

2005 graduate Alexis Ohanian served as keynote speaker for each of the five ceremonies, pre-recording remarks for the graduates. Ohanian co-founded the social news aggregation site Reddit, which he began working on while at UVA. Reddit took off rapidly and is now valued around $6 billion.

Ohanian has since focused on venture capital. He co-founded seed-stage venture fund Initialized Capital, which has more than $770 million under management and invests in companies like Coinbase and Instacart. In late 2020, Ohanian launched his own venture fund, Seven Seven Six, which he describes as supporting ventures focused on people, cultures and community.

An active presence on social media, Ohanian also been an outspoken advocate for racial justice and equity. He resigned his seat on Reddit’s board after George Floyd’s murder last summer, urging the company to use his resignation as an opportunity to add more diverse voices to the board, and has pledged his future earnings from Reddit to organizations serving the Black community or fighting racial injustice. Ohanian also urged Reddit to ban hate communities on the site and has led conversations about how social media and tech companies can fight hate speech and discrimination. 

Additionally, Ohanian is a firm advocate for federally mandated paid family leave. He hosts a podcast, “Business Dad,” talking about how he and fellow fathers balance business and family life. Ohanian is married to tennis superstar Serena Williams and they have a young daughter, Olympia.

Alexis Ohanian Addresses UVA’s Class of 2021

Video: alexis ohanian addresses uva’s class of 2021.

Ohanian began his remarks by talking about his own time at UVA, when he had decided to start Reddit after an epiphany at a Charlottesville Waffle House, to where had fled after walking out of the LSAT.

“I decided I probably should not be a lawyer if I walked out of the LSAT, and instead I needed to start a startup,” he said. “If it weren’t for being hungry, I wouldn’t be here.”  

Looking back at his UVA graduation 16 years ago, what stood out to Ohanian most was his mother. He did not know it at the time, but she would be diagnosed with terminal brain cancer shortly afterward and died when Ohanian was 23. She had immigrated to America in part to give her only son a better education, and “she was so proud, you’d have thought she were the one graduating,” Ohanian said.

“I never could have guessed she’d be diagnosed with terminal brain cancer just a few months into starting Reddit, but all the very best parts of me, and any of the good things I have contributed to Reddit, or anything really, they are thanks to her,” he said.

Reflecting on the early loss of his mother, Ohanian urged students to “invest in people and experiences,” because those are the things that truly make a life.

“Take that time to hug, to appreciate every single person who helped get you here. You will not regret it,” he said. “Those people and the experiences they had, and you had with them, those are the things that matter.”

Ohanian also drew on his history degree from UVA to look back at past pandemics and the tremendous changes that came afterward. The bubonic plague, he reminded graduates, helped spark the Renaissance. The Spanish flu in 1918 gave way to cultural change in the Roaring 20s, as more people gained the right to vote, Black jazz musicians took the world by storm, and mass communication was born, at the same time as the Ku Klux Klan grew, and later, the Great Depression and World War II hit.

“Humans did that – all the good and all the bad. Let’s learn from both so that we can do more good,” Ohanian said. “If there is one thing that I’d like to instill in all of you, it’s that no one is perfect. I’m not perfect and, sorry to say, neither are you.”

We should not lionize people or institutions, Ohanian said, but rather recognize their flaws and find opportunities to change. If something is not perfect, he pointed out, “That means another imperfect human – like you – has the power to make it better or replace it entirely.”

“The sooner you start looking at the world this way, the sooner you’ll be in a position to radically change things, to improve things, to build better systems,” he said. “Critically looking at things – and criticizing them – is a part of the process, but don’t let that be where it ends. Start building better systems and use those observations to inform how you do it. Keep asking why.”

Ohanian believes community will be a defining theme of this new era we are all entering, as the COVID-19 pandemic likely draws to a close. He urged graduates to resist the pull of a more fractured and tribal world, and instead work to build more authentic and just communities, both offline and online.

“I encourage all of you to serve as the architects of this next period in our collective history,” he said. “As someone who was at the forefront of building digital communities, I’m intimately aware of the improvements that need to be made and I feel a deep responsibility to your generation that we continue to pursue them.”

Ohanian especially asked graduates to focus on building community as the world emerges from the pandemic and reckons with the many challenges it brought or exposed.  

“There is going to be an amazing time, over the next 10, 15, 20 years, as we see what happens, with this new technology, with the power of community, to hopefully create a lot more good,” he said. “I don’t see any other path forward. We have to figure it out. We have to make it better – for my daughter, for her entire generation, for all of us to be able to not just survive, but thrive together, as a community, accepting the fact that we are all deeply flawed but working to bring about the very best in each and every one of us.”

Ohanian ended his speech with heartfelt thanks and congratulations, as well as a sweet guest appearance from his daughter Olympia, who joined her dad in a hearty “Wahoowa!”

Special Guests Add a Few Surprises

In addition to Ohanian (and Olympia), the Scott Stadium Hoovision video board had a few more surprises in store for graduates as three special guests offered congratulations, each in her own unique way.

First, Rita Dove, Henry Hoyns Professor of Creative Writing at UVA, debuted her new poem, “Daffodil,” walking among UVA’s own gardens as she did. “No matter whether you are coming home, staying home or preparing to leave wherever or whatever home is, this poem is for all of you,” Dove said. “Congratulations, Class of 2021.”

Rita Dove Debuts Her Poem, ‘Daffodil,’ at UVA Final Exercises

Video: rita dove debuts her poem, ‘daffodil,’ at uva final exercises.

Next, singer Brandi Carlile surprised the crowd with a rendition of her song “The Joke,” accompanied by photos of the Class of 2021’s time at UVA, images that included vigils, national championships, big group celebrations and, more recently, smaller, masked gatherings and new ways of serving and being together.

Finally, alumna and broadcast journalist Katie Couric helped conclude the ceremony with “The Good Old Song,” which Couric played on the piano as graduates and their families swayed and sang along.

Friday: Deans Celebrate Graduates’ Resilience

Friday’s bifurcated ceremonies featured the Schools of Medicine, Education and Human Development and Nursing and the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy in the morning; and in the afternoon, the schools of Engineering, Architecture, Data Science and Continuing and Professional Studies.

Many of the speakers reminded the students to be thankful for those who supported them on their academic journey – parents, peers, mentors – and to remember their contributions.

David Wilkes, outgoing dean of the School of Medicine, reminded the newly minted doctors of the hardships they endured beyond the usual rigors of medical school, thanks to the pandemic, and praised their resilience.

“If you can flourish in times of such uncertainties, then there is no limit to what you can achieve,” Wilkes said.

Robert Pianta, dean of the School of Education and Human Development, took up the theme.

“All of our students showed a truly remarkable amount of commitment, compassion and resilience this past year,” he said, “and your doing so not only helped you get through to these past months – you lifted others as well. One of my greatest pleasures professionally and personally is knowing of your commitment to the well-being of others; it gives me great hope for the future.”

Pam Cipriano, dean of the School of Nursing, said the pandemic left an indelible mark on the graduates’ personal histories, in ways they could have never imagined.

“Graduation is a time of transition,” Cipriano said. “For many of you, your identity is changing from student to professional. You may have been thinking about moving on from a somewhat care-free existence to one with new responsibilities and obligations. And now, with great hope that life will go back to what you knew as normal, you won’t really be returning to your ‘old life,’ but instead, are moving on to the next step in your professional journey.”

Batten School Dean Ian Solomon made a musical analogy. “As the fourth dean to address you, I’m thinking about the jazz ensembles I used to watch in Johannesburg, or New York, or Chicago, where each musician gets a turn to solo, improvising and embellishing the melodic line over a familiar progression of chords. All part of the same music, adding their own interpretation.”

He reminded the grads that because of COVID-19, they, too, had to improvise. “I think we can agree that over the past year or so, the old scripts, and plans, and preparations, did not apply,” Solomon said. “The lyrics we might have expected to sing, the blueprints we expected to build, the plans we expected to execute, had to be thrown out. COVID-19 burned up the script, upset the rhythm of our lives, rearranged the chord patterns, the time signatures and the harmonic understanding of our lives. And we have all been asked to improvise, to become the jazz artists of our own lives.”

On Friday afternoon, Craig Benson, the outgoing dean of the Engineering School, took note of his surroundings and sprinkled his talk with sports metaphors

“In many ways, your presence here makes you as tough as the players who normally dominate this field,” Benson said. “You tackled too many obstacles to count. You kept bringing your ‘A’ game, even at times when perhaps it didn’t feel like you’d win. Now you are the MVPs of the greatest season you’ve had so far.”

Ila Berman, outgoing dean of the School of Architecture, reminded all of the graduates that, like architects, they get to rethink, reimagine and remake the world and make real what once was merely virtual.

“All of our disciplines at UVA enable this, not only by advancing knowledge and skills, but by fostering creativity and innovation and building the capacity for imagination, in order to transform and improve the world around us,” Berman said. “The only things that limit our ability to realize this transformation are the limits that we carry around inside us. These are the limits that we overcome through an education that inspires us to dream, to imagine, and to create.” 

Alex Hernandez, dean of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, linked the work of his school’s graduates with his own father’s achievements, citing students who held children on their laps while attending online classes, or wrote papers after working a full shifts.

“If you met my father, you may not know that he did not earn his bachelor’s on the first try – he stopped out,” Hernandez said. “But a university built a new pathway to bring him back to school so he could earn his first of three degrees. That program changed my dad’s life, it changed my life and it changed my children’s lives.

“To create opportunity, our communities need more than one path to reach their dreams,” he said. “As a public university, we build ladders of opportunity that all people can climb.”

Dean Philip E. Bourne of the School of Data Science extoled the fortitude, perseverance, loyalty and respect of the graduates, which he said would serve them well in the future.

“Now is the time for you to celebrate,” Bourne said. “Celebrate your success; celebrate the ability of our society to pull together and begin to solve a global crisis and, above all else, celebrate one another. When the glasses are empty, the balloons deflated and families apart, think to the future – not only your future, but the future belonging to everyone on this planet.”

Saturday: Arts & Sciences Grads Planted Seeds of Democracy, Created ‘Home’

The largest of UVA’s 12 schools, the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, celebrated Final Exercises in two ceremonies Saturday under warm, summery conditions with lots of smiles, bouquets and balloons.

Nearly 2,500 undergraduates and 375 graduate students waved and blew kisses as they processed from the Rotunda, down the Lawn and through the Grounds to reach Scott Stadium.

The graduates and guests listened to President Jim Ryan and Arts & Sciences Dean Ian B. Baucom share their observations and wisdom about these past four years.

Ryan mentioned that graduating members of the men’s lacrosse, baseball and women’s golf teams had competitions Saturday and couldn’t attend the ceremony. In the afternoon, he had an update: the Cavalier men’s lacrosse team beat Georgetown University, 14-3, to advance to the NCAA Tournament semifinals.

Parents and family members began staking out their places in Scott Stadium before 8 a.m. – two hours before the first procession left the Rotunda – even though there was plenty of space with physical distancing measures in place.

John Gess, who traveled from Denver, said he was glad he and his son Tristan could enjoy graduation in person. “It’s very important to have this ceremony. It’s once in a lifetime.”

Another graduate’s parents, Todd and Deirdre Hardiman, left Fairfax at 5:30 a.m. They said their daughter Hannah and a friend of hers both endured surgery for chronic illnesses during the pandemic, showing “resilience in action.” With compromised immune systems, both students were extra careful to avoid COVID. The Hardimans said they appreciated the support from professors and the University’s measures to keep students safe.

They also said their daughter’s exposure to research and working in UVA’s “Baby Lab,” which studies infants’ brain processes underpinning social interaction and cognition, gave her great experience for her next step. A double major in cognitive science and psychology, Hannah Hardiman is headed to a fellowship with the National Institutes of Health.

Among the graduates were almost 600 students who, four years ago, piloted Arts & Sciences’ new interdisciplinary curriculum to fulfill their general education requirements.

Baucom recalled addressing students in the Class of 2021 shortly after their arrival on Grounds. “Ten days earlier, a white supremacist mob had invaded that Lawn, before besieging the city,” he said. “We needed you to renew us; we needed you to refute the lie of racism and choose the courage of free thought in place of the cowardice of the closed mind.”

Picking up on Rita Dove’s themes of planting and finding home in her poem, “Daffodil,” Baucom said, “I want to say just a few things about home and about Grounds: about how this place has become your home, about how you’ve dug into it, what you’ve planted here, and what we hope we’ve planted in you. …

“You have been the living expression of an idea – the idea that democracy cannot live without knowledge; that democracy cannot live without the free exchange of ideas; that democracy cannot live without you, without what you believe, without what you have come to know, without what you will argue for, without the arc of history you will resolve to bend.”

Each year, the Z Society usually presents the Edgar F. Shannon Award to one undergraduate and one graduate student from each school within the University. The award is given to recognize these individuals’ incredible academic success and passionate extracurricular involvements.

Baucom announced that given the unprecedented challenges of the past year, the award would be presented differently this year: to the entire 2021 class of undergrads and graduate students.

Poetry marked another segment of the Arts & Sciences ceremony, with students from the English department’s Area Program in Poetry Writing reciting a poem they collaboratively composed, at each of Saturday’s two ceremonies.

Kasey M. Roper in the morning and Elliott Carter in the afternoon read the poem, “Bridges,” on behalf of their fellow students, which ends with this stanza: 

It’s time to go somewhere new –   but leaving’s a loaded word. The next time I call a new place home, I’ll remember the mornings I crossed Beta. I’ll search for bridges that lead to new hellos; to new names –   and make home wherever I am.

Sunday: Law and Business Graduates Cap Off the Weekend

On Sunday, the final day of UVA’s 2021 Final Exercises, graduates from the School of Law, the Darden School of Business and the McIntire School of Commerce celebrated their degrees.  

Draped with stoles designating their school and various honors, the law and business graduates filed into Scott Stadium and filled out rows of chairs, shouting excitedly as they recognized family members in the stands. Each group roared loudly as Ryan recognized them when he took the podium.

In addition to remarks from Ryan, Murray and Ohanian, Sunday’s ceremony included congratulatory videos from each school and remarks from their respective deans, including the announcement of school awards.

Speaking first, Law Dean Risa Goluboff emphasized the “skill, stamina and grit” graduates needed in their journeys to the stadium Sunday, like the athletes and rock stars who often perform in such venues.

Even beyond the rigorous challenges of law school, “you have been tested as our society and the law itself has been tested – over and over again – by a pandemic and sweeping changes it has imposed; by a national reckoning on race, racism and inequity; by contentious politics and contentious elections; and by violence far and near,” said Goluboff, the Arnold H. Leon Professor of Law and a professor of history.

“Throughout it all, you showed yourselves to be smart and resilient, passionate and rigorous, committed to learning and to kindness,” she said. “You were models of engaged citizenship, reasoned debate and the search for truth within a community of respect and empathy. You are models not only for this law school, or any law school, but for our profession and our nation.”

Goluboff also recognized several graduates with awards given annually by the Law School. Award winners include:

• Eliza I. Schultz , Virginia State Bar Family Law Award and Earle K. Shawe Labor Relations Award.
• Anna Catherine Cox , Virginia Trial Lawyers Trial Advocacy Award.
• Gia Scala Nyhuis , Eppa Hunton IV Memorial Book Award.
• Taorui Guan , John M. Olin Prize in Law and Economics.
• Michael B. Shelton , Edward S. Cohen Tax Prize.
• Sara Elaine Wendel , Mortimer Caplin Public Service Award.
• Kolleen Christina Gladden , Pro Bono Award.
• Noreen Reza , Herbert Kramer/Herbert Bangel Community Service Award.
• Mark Damian Duda II and Arjun Pushkar Ogale , Roger and Madeline Traynor Prize.
• Chengqing Qian and Kexin Yuan , LLM Graduation Award.
• Mihir Kheterpal , Robert E. Goldsten Award for Distinction in the Classroom.
• Avery Clara Rasmussen , Z Society Edgar F. Shannon Award and the Thomas Marshall Miller Prize.
• Juliet Buesing Clark , James C. Slaughter Honor Award.
• Katharine M. Janes , Margaret G. Hyde Award.

Next, Darden Dean Scott Beardsley stepped to the podium. He started his remarks with what seemed to be an easy question – “Do you have a smartphone?” – and used that question to talk about how graduates can answer when the world calls.

“This call will be one of the most important of your lifetime. This call will ask you, Darden graduates, as responsible leaders, to act on your values and dreams and to play your part in helping change the world responsibly,” Beardsley said. Core values learned at Darden and UVA – honor, integrity, ethics, curiosity, authentic relationships – will guide how you answer that call, Beardsley said.

“Darden graduates, you are now alumni of the Darden School of Business, and your network of over 17,000 alumni across 90 countries welcomes you,” he said. “The world, even the unknown, is calling. … Your faculty and I know that you are well-prepared to embrace the unknown and to push ‘accept.’”

Darden also recognized the recipients of several awards given earlier this year, including:

• Margaret Hall Edmunds , the Samuel Forrest Hyde Memorial Fellowship.
• Emily Elizabeth Stover , the G. Robert Strauss Marketing Award.
• Pamela Fischer and Alexander Donald May , the Frederick S. Morton Award.
• Megan Catherine McGee , the Edgar F. Shannon Award.
• Justin Hicks , the Darden Executive MBA Faculty Award.

Darden also honored 16 recipients of the C. Stewart Sheppard Distinguished Service Award; 14 recipients of the William Michael Shermet Award, embodying “determination, strength of spirit and fortitude in the classroom”; and 46 recipients of Faculty Awards for Academic Excellence. As each award was named, groups of recipients stood and were applauded.

Next up were graduates of the McIntire School of Commerce. McIntire Dean Nicole Thorne Jenkins spoke about the meaning of “commerce” as the school celebrates its centennial this year.

“I keep coming back to a single meaning that I hope all of our esteemed Commerce graduates will consider as a lifelong guidepost,” said Jenkins, who is completing her first academic year as McIntire’s dean. “‘Commerce’ is the purposeful exchange of goods, services and ideas to strengthen and advance society.”

This means, she said, accounting not only for profits, but for people, places, power and purpose.

“Whether the paradigm through which you approach the exchange of goods, services and ideas is accounting, analytics, entrepreneurship, finance, management, marketing, technology, or any combination of those – you have learned that it’s through commerce that countries and communities balance economic growth, create job opportunities, and, most importantly, improve the standard of living – for real people,” she said. “Quite simply, you have learned to become hands-on, highly engaged business leaders who recognize, and assume responsibility for your capacity to use commerce for the common good.”

The McIntire School of Commerce also honored graduates with several individual awards, presented by Amanda P. Cowen, associate dean for graduate programs, and David W. Lehman, associate dean for undergraduate programs. These include:

• Clesson Allman Jr ., Federation of Schools of Accountancy Student Achievement Award.
• Jocelyn Kelley , David W. Thompson Award in Accounting.
• Bonnie Zhang , National Association of Accountants Carman G. Blough Award.
• Caroline Burda , George Wasserman Distinguished Award in Marketing.
• Eryn Cohen , William F. O’Dell Distinguished Award in Marketing.
• Nadim Najjar , Henry R. Odell Distinguished Award in Management.
• Megan Bruce , Joseph Goldstein Distinguished Award in Finance.
• Erika Lee Elliston , Arun Gambhir and Katherine Lee , MSMIT Award for Excellence in Leadership and Technology.
• Sebastian Heinonen , Center for Management of Information Technology: Emerging Leader in IT Award.
• Erica Kim , F. Evans Farwell Distinguished Achievement Award.
• Samuel Lisner , Kevin Miner and Jackson Murphy , Global Commerce Scholars.
• Alexandra Hartwig and Kevin Miner , Lenox-Conyngham Scholarship for a Master of Philosophy program at the University of Cambridge.
• Jeannie Hirsch , Edgar F. Shannon Award for the McIntire School of Commerce.
• Associate Professor A.J. Baglioni Jr ., Annual Faculty Recognition Award presented by The Order of Claw and Dagger.

The Order of the Claw and Dagger, a secret society focused on supporting McIntire, also honored a group of 16 students for “exemplifying the tenets of honor, excellence and humility.”

With that, President Jim Ryan officially conferred the degrees for each school, and the graduates soon joined together for one last rendition of the “Good Old Song,” their voices and cheers providing a final exclamation point for Final Exercises.

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Article Information

September 3, 2024

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How to Get Into University of Virginia: Admissions Stats + Tips

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How hard is it to get into the university of virginia, average academic profile of accepted university of virginia students, what is the university of virginia looking for.

• How to Improve Your Chances of Getting into the University of Virginia

Since its founding in 1812 by Thomas Jefferson, the University of Virginia (UVA) has earned a reputation as one of the most prestigious public universities in the nation. UVA prides itself on cultivating leaders and providing education at a reasonable cost on its beautiful and historic campus—it’s one of the few universities in the country that is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s no wonder UVA makes the list of CollegeVine’s top 15 public universities in the U.S.

Getting into UVA is hard—only 20.62% of applicants were admitted to its class of 2025 . UVA had a record-breaking 48,011 students apply in the 2020-2021 admission cycle and just 9,898 were offered admission. UVA had 2,937 applicants apply for early decision and accepted 968, for an early decision acceptance rate of 32.96% . A total of 28,897 applicants applied for early action, of which UVA offered admission to 6,186, an early action acceptance rate of 21.41% .

While the University of Virginia’s acceptance rate is incredibly low, your personal chances depend on the strength of your profile, and our free admissions calculator can help you understand your odds at UVA. Using a variety of factors including your grades, test scores, and extracurriculares we estimate your chance of acceptance and offer tips to improve your profile.  

The average high school GPA of UVA’s Class of 2025 is 4.31 . Nearly 90% of students admitted to the class of 2025 had a GPA of 4.0, and over 95% had GPAs higher than 3.5. 

The middle 50% SAT and ACT scores for UVA’s class of 2025 are 1330-1490 and 30-34 .

An impressive 89.6% of the University of Virginia’s class of 2025 graduated in the top 10% of their high school class and 98.3% graduated in the top 25% of their high school class. 

The challenge of gaining admission to UVA depends on whether you’re an in-state or out-of-state student. For in-state students, UVA is a top 40-50 college in terms of profile competitiveness, but for out-of-state students, it’s about as competitive as a top 20 school (more than USC and UCLA and slightly less than UC Berkeley). 

Applicants who apply early decision (ED)/early action (EA) at UVA are accepted at a higher rate than those who apply for regular decision. However, applying ED/EA at UVA does not offer the same advantage that it does at other colleges (and carries minimal weight for in-state students). 

In general, UVA accepts more students off the waitlist than other schools. Waitlisted students should always follow through with the full process. 

How the University of Virginia Evaluates Applications

According to their 2020-2021 Common Data Set, the University of Virginia considers the following factors “very important” :

• Course rigor
• Recommendation letters
• Character/personal qualities 
• State residence

These factors are “important” :

• Test scores
• Extracurricular activities 
• Talent/ability

These are “considered” :

• First generation
• Geographic residence 
• Racial/ethnic status 
• Work experience 
• Volunteer work 

And these are “not considered” :

• Religious affiliation
• Applicant interest 

Discover your chances at hundreds of schools

Our free chancing engine takes into account your history, background, test scores, and extracurricular activities to show you your real chances of admission—and how to improve them.

How to Improve Your Chances of Getting into the University of Virginia 

1. achieve at least a 4.31 average gpa while taking the most challenging classes available.

A competitive applicant to UVA will have great grades in the most challenging coursework available—the university considers course rigor, class rank, and GPA all “very important” to admissions decisions. 

The average high school GPA of UVA’s class of 2025 was 4.31 and roughly nine out of ten students had a high school GPA of 4.0. Students admitted to top-tier schools like UVA will have completed between five and eight AP classes , and out-of-state applicants to UVA will want to err on the high side. 

Colleges that receive tens of thousands of applications annually, such as UVA, use a tool known as the Academic Index to expedite admissions decisions. Academic Index is a representation of an applicant’s entire academic performance as a single number. If your Academic Index doesn’t meet an institution’s standard, you risk being deemed academically unqualified and not having your entire application read. 

If your GPA is lower but you’re earlier on in your high school career, check out our tips for increasing your GPA . If you’re a junior or senior, it will be harder to increase your GPA, so the easiest way to increase your Academic Index is to get a higher test score.

2. Letters of Recommendation

UVA considers letters of recommendation “very important” when making admissions decisions and requires two letters: one from your high school counselor and one from a teacher in a core academic subject. The counselor recommendation provides a broad view of you, while teacher recommendations offer insight into how you’re likely to perform academically. Both counselor and teacher letter of recommendations should speak to your character/personal qualities, which is another factor UVA considers “very important.”

Because teacher recommendations play a considerable role in admissions at UVA, it’s important to receive the best recommendation possible. Students are advised to follow the nine rules for requesting letters of recommendation from teachers : 

• Ask nicely 
• Ask what kind of letter you might get 
• Be professional 
• Include relevant details 
• Make it easy 
• Send a reminder 
• Say thank you

Remember, teachers aren’t compensated for writing letters of recommendation and many end up writing letters for multiple students—make it easy on them and make sure to show your appreciation for the time they spent on it. 

3. Aim for a 1490 SAT and 34 ACT 

The middle 50% SAT/ACT range of accepted students at UVA is 1330-1490 / 30-34 . Any score in the middle 50% is good, but the higher into the range you score, the better your odds of admission are. 

UVA has a long-standing policy of accepting an applicant’s best test scores. They use the top score from each SAT section across all administrations of the same exam. If you submit an ACT score, you’re directed to report the composite and sub-scores as they appear on your official score report without any recalculation. Because of this, sitting for either the SAT or ACT two to three times can increase your score. 

To improve your SAT/ACT score, check out these free CollegeVine resources:

• How to Get a Perfect 1600 Score on the SAT
• How to Get a Perfect 36 Score on the ACT
• More SAT Info and Tips
• More ACT Info and Tips

Challenges presented by COVID-19 led UVA to adopt a test-optional policy for the 2020-2021 admissions cycle and the university will continue this policy for both the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 admissions cycles. 

Just because UVA is test-optional, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t submit test scores. UVA considers them “important” to admissions decisions and students who submit scores are accepted at higher rates than those who don’t. CollegeVine recommends you submit a score if it’s the 25th percentile or above for accepted students at that school (1330 at UVA). You can get recommendations on whether or not you should apply test-optional using our free chancing engine . 

4. Cultivate one or two Tier 1-2 extracurriculars (find your “spike”)

The University of Virginia considers both extracurricular activities and talent/ability “important” to admissions decisions. Your application is more competitive at top schools like UVA if you have a highly developed interest known as a “ spike ” and one or two impressive extracurricular activities that show substantial achievement or leadership supporting it. 

Just how impressive is an extracurricular? The four tiers of extracurriculars are a good guide to understand how influential an activity is:

• Tier 1: home to the most impressive and influential extracurriculars. These activities are uncommon and demonstrate extraordinary achievement or leadership and include everything from being a nationally recognized athlete or winning a prestigious national competition to attending a distinguished merit-based summer program. 
• Tier 2: extracurriculars that show a high level of achievement or leadership but are more common than those of Tier 1. For example, state-level athletic recognition, winning a regional competition, or serving as student body president all fall under Tier 2. 
• Tier 3: where activities that highlight your interests but lack distinction are categorized. These include being captain of a varsity sport and holding a minor leadership position in a well-known club. 
• Tier 4: the least impressive and activities most often seen by admissions officers, including playing a sport, participating in a club, and doing general volunteer work.

5. Write Compelling Essays

Essays are an excellent way for you to separate yourself from other candidates and the University of Virginia considers them “important” when they make admissions decisions. All applicants to UVA are required to answer one of five essay prompts along with an essay prompt corresponding to the program they’re applying to. 

In general, you’ll want to write your essay in your unique voice and use it to show who you are and why you’re a good fit at the school. For essay advice more specific to UVA, check out our article, “ How to Write the University of Virginia Essays 2021-2022 .”

6. Apply Early Action/Early Decision

Applying to UVA early decision/early action can give your odds of admission a boost, especially if you’re an out-of-state applicant. UVA has a three-phase admissions process that includes early decision, early action, and regular decision each with its own acceptance rates:

• 2021 overall acceptance rate: 20.62%

Early decision applications offer the best chances of admissions but are also the most restrictive. If you apply ED at UVA, you’re agreeing to attend if admitted. Early action doesn’t offer the same acceptance advantage as ED, but is far less restrictive; it’s non-binding, which means you’re not committed to attend UVA if accepted and have until May 1 to make a decision of whether or not to attend. 

Applying for early decision to UVA is a good strategy if UVA is your first choice and you’re positive it’s within your budget. Early action is a good option if you have a strong profile without your senior grades and want to wrap up your college search in advance and gain a slight edge in admissions. If neither of those applies to you, regular decision is a good path to follow. 

How to Apply to the University of Virginia 

Application Requirements

The University of Virginia accepts the Common Application. You’ll also need:

• UVA supplemental essay
• Teacher recommendation
• Counselor recommendation 
• School report 
• High school transcript
• Mid-year reports
• Optional: SAT/ACT scores
• Optional: art and architecture supplements

Learn more about the University of Virginia 

Interested in learning more about UVA? Check out these other informative articles: 

• What is the University of Virginia Known For?
• What Does It Cost to Attend the University of Virginia?
• Top 15 Public Universities in the U.S.

Want to know your chances at UVA? Calculate your chances for free right now .

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