USC Supplemental Essay Prompts 2026-27 + How to Answer Them
Every applicant answers a 250-word academic essay and ten short "Quick Takes" questions. Two optional prompts exist: a 250-word disagreement essay and an enrollment-gap explanation. Every prompt below is quoted from USC Office of Admission and verified against it on September 2026.
Application: Common App (USC writing questions). Requirements can change during the cycle; USC's application portal is the final word on what to submit.
Required of all applicants
11 prompts
Describe how you plan to pursue your academic interests and why you want to explore them at USC specifically. Please feel free to address your first- and second-choice major selections.
How to answer
Connect your plan to USC specifics: departments, programs, or the dual-major flexibility. Mentioning your first- and second-choice majors is invited, so take it.
Draft this prompt in the essay tool →Describe yourself in three words.
How to answer
Literal: three words, no sentence needed. Pick words that are true and let a couple of them carry personality.
Draft this prompt in the essay tool →What is your favorite snack?
How to answer
Answer directly. These populate a profile your reader actually sees, so sound like yourself.
Draft this prompt in the essay tool →Best movie of all time:
How to answer
A real pick with conviction beats an artfully calculated one.
Draft this prompt in the essay tool →Dream job:
How to answer
Name it. You can be aspirational here as long as it is yours.
Draft this prompt in the essay tool →If your life had a theme song, what would it be?
Dream trip:
How to answer
Be specific: a place plus what you would do there fits in 100 characters.
Draft this prompt in the essay tool →What TV show will you binge watch next?
How to answer
Current and honest works. Do not overthink the prestige signal.
Draft this prompt in the essay tool →Favorite book:
How to answer
A book you actually love. If it connects to your academic story, good; if not, that is fine too.
Draft this prompt in the essay tool →Which well-known person or fictional character would be your ideal roommate?
How to answer
The pick reveals your values, so choose someone whose choice tells a story.
Draft this prompt in the essay tool →If you could teach a class on any topic, what would it be?
How to answer
A topic you could actually teach, stated in a few words.
Draft this prompt in the essay tool →Optional for all applicants
2 prompts
The USC Student Commitment charges Trojans to "value honest, open communication and robust debate," and to "champion ideological diversity and embrace freedom of expression." Describe a time when you disagreed with someone you know about something important to you. Did you change your mind or reach common ground?
How to answer
New for 2026-27 and optional. Write it if you have a real disagreement story with someone you know; the last question (changed mind or common ground) wants a genuine answer, either direction.
Draft this prompt in the essay tool →Starting with the beginning of high school/secondary school, if you have had a gap where you were not enrolled in school during a fall or spring term, please address this gap in your educational history. You do not need to address a summer break.
How to answer
Only for applicants with a fall or spring enrollment gap. State the facts plainly.
Draft this prompt in the essay tool →Draft your USC supplement with feedback on every essay.
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