University of Virginia Supplemental Essays 2025-2026: Writing Tips + Examples

If you’re planning to apply to the University of Virginia (UVA), you might notice something different this year: UVA has simplified its application. For the 2025–2026 admissions cycle, most applicants will not need to submit a supplemental essay.

The only exception is for students applying to the School of Nursing, which still requires a short written response. This means that while your main essay now carries even more weight, applicants to the School of Nursing will need to carefully craft their response to the single remaining question.

Keep reading to learn what UVA’s current supplemental essay requirements look like, how to write a standout response for the School of Nursing prompt, and how to strengthen your application overall—even without a required supplemental essay.

• • University of Virginia Supplemental Essay Prompts
  • How to Write the Required University of Virginia Supplemental Essay
  • How to Write the University of Virginia Supplemental Essay for the School of Nursing
  • Mistakes to Avoid When Writing the University of Virginia Supplemental Essays
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Takeaways

University of Virginia Supplemental Essay Prompts

This year, the University of Virginia has made a major change to its application process: most applicants will not need to submit a supplemental essay. The university has retired its general short-answer prompts, focusing instead on the Common App personal statement as the primary written component.

The exception is for students applying to the School of Nursing, who will still respond to this prompt:

• Describe a health care-related experience or other significant interaction that deepened your interest in studying Nursing. 

This short essay gives nursing applicants a chance to highlight their motivation, compassion, and understanding of what it means to care for others.

If you’re applying to another UVA school or college, such as the College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Engineering, or the McIntire School of Commerce, you won’t see any additional UVA-specific questions on your application this cycle.

The University of Virginia consistently ranks among the nation’s top public universities, offering an Ivy League–level education at a public school value. With an acceptance rate of just 15.1%, earning a place at UVA means standing out in a pool of exceptional applicants. 

Your essays are one of the most powerful ways to do that—they’re your chance to show how your experiences, values, and ambitions align with UVA’s spirit of leadership, curiosity, and community. To secure your spot, you’ll need essays that are not only well-written but deeply reflective of who you are and how you’ll contribute to the university’s legacy of excellence.

How to Write the Required University of Virginia Supplemental Essay

Odds are, this isn’t the first “Diversity” essay prompt you’ve come across—even if it doesn’t actually use the word. UVA wants students from diverse backgrounds who’ll help create an inclusive campus community. The prompt mentions “source of strength” twice, which means they’re asking not only what makes you you but also how your experiences will support you and those around you.

What you write about can be personal or connected to a bigger idea. Is there something unique about your hometown, traditions, culture, identity, or background that you could share with your classmates?

Maybe you started meditating in your junior year and connected with Buddhism, and now you want to bring mindfulness to UVA’s campus. Or perhaps you grew up on a farm and have a deep connection to all living things, like animals, plants, and people. Think about how this part of your identity will shape your college experience.

Brainstorming ideas

Here are some brainstorming ideas to help you get started:

• A personal challenge you’ve overcome. Think about a challenge that shaped your character, changed your mindset, or helped you grow. For example, growing up with a speech impediment made class participation tough, but you found new ways to express yourself. Now, you want to help others find their voice through public speaking, writing, or simply listening.
• A unique cultural or family tradition. Consider a tradition that has influenced your values or perspective. Perhaps your family’s Friday night game nights taught you how meaningful it is to bring people together. At UVA, you want to create that same sense of community by joining clubs and organizing fun social events.
• A perspective shaped by your environment. Reflect on where you grew up, your school, or the people around you who may have shaped how you see the world. Perhaps you grew up in a military family, and moving every few years taught you how to adapt quickly, make new friends, and appreciate different cultures.
• An academic or extracurricular interest connected to your identity. Consider your interests outside the classroom, which reveals a lot about your background and personal growth. Maybe spending hours building LEGOs as a kid sparked your love for robotics. Now, you mentor underrepresented students to make engineering more accessible.
• A lesson learned from an important mentor or role model. Think about a person in your life who has influenced your values or aspirations. For example, after missing a game-winning goal, your soccer coach taught you that failure is part of the process. Now, you tackle challenges with resilience on and off the field.

In this University of Virginia supplemental essay, you’re not just sharing a random fact about yourself. You need to talk about an experience or aspect of your personality that’s shaped who you are and how it will help you navigate college life at UVA.

Essay structure tips + examples

Once you have an idea for your essay, here’s a simple structure that can help you tell your story effectively:

• Start with a personal anecdote. Your opening should grab the reader’s attention and immediately introduce your topic. For example, you could begin with, “As a Korean-American, I was always the bridge between two cultures at family gatherings—switching between languages, customs, and expectations. Over time, I learned to sense when someone felt out of place and how to help them feel included.”
• Explain the deeper impact of this experience. Reflect on how it shaped your character, perspective, or values. “In Korean culture, noonchi means reading the room and responding with empathy. Learning this skill has made me more aware of who feels unseen and how small actions can create a sense of belonging.”
• Connect it to how this will help you at UVA. Show how your experience will contribute to the UVA community. “At UVA, I hope to use noonchi to create inclusive spaces, whether in student organizations or classroom discussions. Programs like the Public Service Pathways will also help me explore identity and justice in meaningful ways.”
• Wrap up with a strong conclusion. Your ending should reinforce what you’ve learned and how you plan to apply it in college. “For me, noonchi means noticing who feels unheard and making sure they feel valued. At UVA, I’ll bring that same awareness to every community I’m part of.”

This essay question is pretty broad, so there are lots of different ways you can answer it. Take the time to brainstorm and pick a story that shows a new side of you that isn’t covered in your personal statement or other parts of your application.

Try to focus on a moment where you used a strength, learned something new, or gained a fresh perspective. And remember, a strong story has a clear beginning, middle, and end. With only 250 words, you don’t have space for fluff, so make each word count!

Supplemental essay example

The reading timer buzzed, and I was still on the same paragraph. My classmates began closing their books, but I kept sounding out words under my breath, tracing each syllable with my finger. The letters moved slower for me—like I had to convince them to stay still long enough to understand. Most mornings, I sat in the resource room while the rest of my class stayed behind. I didn’t mind the quiet, but I knew what it meant: I needed extra help.

At the time, I felt isolated. I hated being pulled out of class or using a laptop with special software. When I was diagnosed with dyslexia in second grade, I didn’t fully understand it—only that I struggled with tasks others seemed to do easily. Over time, I began to see that the support I received wasn’t a sign of weakness, but a tool that helped me learn in the way I needed. I learned to advocate for myself, stay organized, manage time, and break down assignments.

Now, when group projects get overwhelming or someone says, “I’m just bad at this,” I understand. I know what it’s like to struggle quietly and feel like you’re the only one falling behind. That experience helps me support others—with patience, empathy, and without judgment.

At UVA, I want to be someone who notices when others are having a hard time and makes it easier for them to ask for help. Sometimes just knowing you’re not alone can make all the difference.

How to Write the University of Virginia Supplemental Essay for the School of Nursing

The University of Virginia School of Nursing wants to understand why you feel drawn to nursing, and more importantly, how a real experience shaped that interest. This UVA supplemental essay prompt gives you a chance to go beyond saying “I want to help people.” Instead, show how a personal encounter, volunteer moment, or caregiving experience changed your understanding of health care, compassion, or patient care.

Admissions officers are looking for:

• Authentic motivation. What inspired you to explore nursing seriously?
• Observation and reflection. What did you notice or learn from the experience?
• Personal connection. How did this experience impact your perspective or goals?
• Alignment with nursing values. Empathy, adaptability, service, and curiosity about people’s well-being.

Brainstorming ideas

Think about moments that made you see health care differently. These don’t have to be dramatic or clinical. Subtle, human experiences often carry more emotional weight. For example:

• Direct exposure to health care. Maybe you volunteered at a clinic, shadowed a nurse, or cared for a relative during an illness. What moments stood out? What did you observe about how nurses communicate, comfort, or lead care teams?
• Personal or family experiences. Perhaps you saw how a nurse supported your family during a hospital stay, or how a small act of care made a difference. Did that moment make you curious about the human side of medicine?
• Community involvement. Have you participated in first aid training, mental health advocacy, or wellness initiatives? How did it reveal something new about caring for others?
• Emotional takeaway. What realization or feeling lingered after the experience? Maybe you learned that effective care involves listening, cultural sensitivity, or patience. That reflection is what admissions officers value most.

Essay structure + tips

Your goal is to tell a short, focused story that connects an experience to your growing interest in nursing. Do these:

• Start with the moment. Open with a vivid snapshot of the healthcare-related situation. Don’t summarize. Draw the reader in. For example, you can narrate the exact moment: “I was refilling water cups when I noticed the patient in Room 304 hadn’t moved in hours. The nurse beside me quietly adjusted her blanket and whispered, ‘Comfort comes first.’”
• Describe your role and observation. Briefly explain what you did or witnessed and what stood out about the nurse’s work, patient interaction, or overall care. For example, “It was small, but the gesture stayed with me. I realized nursing was about noticing the details that make people feel human.”
• Reflect on the lesson. Explain how that experience changed your understanding of health care or strengthened your decision to pursue nursing. You can say, “Since that day, I’ve started thinking about care equating to connection, communication, and calm under pressure.”
• End with purpose. Tie your reflection back to your goals at UVA and what kind of nurse you aspire to become. End it with: “At UVA, I hope to keep learning how small actions can have lasting effects, and how nurses bridge compassion with science to change lives.”

Supplemental essay example

When I began volunteering at my local hospital, I assumed nursing was mainly about following charts and checking vitals. One afternoon changed that.

I was helping refill water pitchers when I noticed a patient, Mrs. Turner, quietly crying. A nurse walked in, placed a hand on her shoulder, and said, “It’s okay to be scared. We’re here with you.” She didn’t rush out or offer empty reassurances. She stayed, listened, and smiled until Mrs. Turner began to breathe more easily.

I realized that moment was care in its purest form. The nurse met Mrs. Turner’s fear with presence. I had watched procedures before, but this was different. It showed me that nursing is as much about empathy as it is about expertise. I began to notice how often nurses served as the bridge between patients and doctors. They are the ones who translate, comfort, and advocate when words or systems fall short.

Since then, I’ve shadowed nurses in different units, each time noticing how they balance urgency with compassion, logic with gentleness. I’ve learned that even small gestures, from explaining a procedure clearly to remembering a patient’s name, can restore dignity and calm.

At UVA, I hope to learn how science and empathy work together to create lasting impact. I want to grow into a nurse who listens first, acts with confidence, and sees healing as more than recovery—as reassurance, respect, and connection.

Mistakes to Avoid When Writing the University of Virginia Supplemental Essays

Writing your supplemental essay can feel overwhelming, especially when trying to make an impression on admissions officers.

To make the process smoother, keep in mind these common mistakes before you start writing.

1. Overthinking your topic

You don’t need the “perfect” topic to write a strong essay. Remember, there’s no right or wrong answer here. Overanalyzing can make your writing feel forced or inauthentic. Instead, focus on a part of your background, perspective, or experience that genuinely matters to you. Simple and personal stories often make the biggest impact.

2. Writing like it’s a school essay

Your supplemental essay isn’t a thesis or case study. They’re your chance to showcase your personality. An overly academic or formal tone can make your essay sound bland or impersonal.

Instead, write in a natural and engaging way. Use anecdotes, humor, or creativity to bring your story to life. Then, read your essay aloud to make sure it really sounds like you. You can also get a professional editor to review your essay if you want expert help.

3. Repeating information

Your essays should add something new to your application, not rehash whatever’s already covered in your resume or transcript. Make sure each essay shows admissions officers a real glimpse into your world and what it’s like to be you. Skip the achievements for now and focus instead on showing why you’re a great fit for UVA beyond your credentials.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Does the University of Virginia have supplemental essays?

Yes, UVA only retained the supplemental essay for its School of Nursing applicants. These essays are your chance to share something meaningful about you beyond your grades and test scores.

2. How many supplemental essays does the University of Virginia have?

UVA has only one supplemental essay for the School of Nursing, which allows you to share your health-related experience and how it has impacted your goals in studying nursing.

3. How important are the University of Virginia supplemental essays?

Very important! They can make a difference when you’re up against other applicants with the same GPA or extracurriculars. The UVA admissions process is incredibly competitive, so make the most of every opportunity, such as these essays, to boost your application.

Takeaways

• The University of Virginia has one supplemental essay about your background, experiences, and how you’ll contribute to the community.
• There’s also an optional essay, which you should only answer if you have a personal or historic connection to the university. Otherwise, you can skip it.
• Avoid common mistakes while writing, such as overthinking your topic, writing in an overly academic tone, or repeating information already mentioned in other parts of your application.
• Consider hiring a private admissions consultant to help refine your essay and give you the best possible chance of getting into UVA.