College Essays: Diversity Prompts & Admission Trends

Colleges are shifting away from explicit diversity prompts in admissions essays, but still seek to understand applicants' backgrounds and fit. New essay topics include conflict resolution and AI.

2 years after the High court banned using race in university admissions choices and following the Trump administration’s attacks on variety, incorporation and equity, universities’ use diversity- and identity-related supplemental essay motivates is patchy.

Diversity Essay Prompts in College Admissions

The adhering to application cycle, a number of colleges presented diversity-related essay prompts to their applications, according to research study by Sonja Starr, a regulation teacher at the College of Chicago; Conlin likewise said she observed a surge in these essays in the 2023– 2024 application cycle.

“During the yearly testimonial of our application procedure, we determined that an added essay did not supply enough value when reviewing pupils for admission. We found that some candidates, like those thinking about our honors program, were previously seeing as much as 4 essay prompts. This adjustment simplifies the procedure for all our applicants,” wrote David Rey, associate supervisor of tactical interactions.

A College of Virginia spokesperson offered a similar declaration to the campus trainee paper, The Cavalier Daily, concerning its decision to get rid of a diversity essay timely introduced in the 2025– 2026 application cycle, saying that its elimination intended to “lighten the tons and lower tension and anxiousness around the university application process.” UVA did not react to Inside Higher Ed’s ask for remark.

Universities Eliminating Diversity Essays

After a boom in prompts concerning candidate’s identifications, numerous universities have scrapped the essays totally for the 2025– 2026 admission cycle. Still others, particularly careful colleges, have actually kept the prompts, saying they are the very best method to get to know their applicants.

He stated in an e-mail to Within Higher Ed that these triggers have actually shown to be especially effective at supplying colleges with the key information they’re seeking out of an admissions essay. The identification timely acts as the new “Why United States” essay, yet prevents the pitfall of trainees focusing solely on the university’s attributes instead of their very own.

Legal Scrutiny of ‘Proxies’ for Race

But this year, the Department of Justice released support warning institutions against making use of “proxies” for race in admissions and employing, and defined requirements for applicants to “explain ‘obstacles they have conquered’ or send a ‘diversity statement’ in a manner that advantages those who discuss experiences fundamentally connected to safeguarded qualities” as instances.

Diversity-related essays usually ask students to define exactly how they’ve been formed by their culture, neighborhood or background, sometimes triggering them to explain exactly how those identifications will bring something brand-new to a campus. Others ask trainees to talk about or mirror on problems like diversity, social justice or antiracism more generally.

Does that mean extra essays are befalling of vogue? Not necessarily, Conlin said; a significant number of careful colleges still need them, and the pupils she deals with are usually composing equally as lots of supplemental essays as they have in previous years.

Several of the new or reworded essay motivates that have changed diversity-related questions are broad sufficient that pupils can still chat concerning their identifications and experience if they pick to, Conlin kept in mind. In her experience, trainees are frequently interested in discussing their race or first-generation trainee condition in essays.

“I’ve seen extremely few colleges that still call for trainees to discuss variety; the punctual might still be on their application and trainees have the opportunity to blog about it, however it’s an optional essay,” she stated.

“The administration primarily says, … ‘if you are letting the need for a varied university influence your plans by any means, that is just as unconstitutional as taking the private candidate’s race right into account,'” Starr stated. “I think that’s a wrong analysis of the law.”

Kelsea Conlin, who supervises the college essay therapy group for University Transitions, an admissions speaking with firm, determined 19 universities with optional or needed variety essays last admission cycle that either had gone down or rephrased those motivates this year.

Still, she claimed she’s not surprised establishments might watch out for keeping essay inquiries overtly related to identification, taking into consideration the harsh activities the administration has taken versus colleges it disagrees with.

, I think, are simply trying to at the very least remain out of the management’s method.”

The University of Washington, which removed a supplemental essay asking possible trainees to explain how their history and the areas they are associated with would certainly add to the school’s diversity, informed Inside Higher Ed in an e-mail that they really hope the elimination of the essay will make the admissions procedure much less exhausting for candidates.

A number of organizations informed Inside Greater Ed that they cycle out their essay triggers frequently, so the change from in 2015’s variety question was foregone conclusion. Others said they removed their supplemental essay requirements completely, in an effort to make the application process much less laborious.

“Throughout the annual testimonial of our application procedure, we figured out that an additional essay did not provide sufficient worth when assessing pupils for admission. We found that some applicants, like those interested in our honors program, were formerly seeing up to 4 essay motivates. “Part of our job as therapists is to help them reveal that intricacy– to pick which pieces of their tale to spotlight in each essay, and to reveal exactly how those items convert right into contributions they’ll make on a college school.”

Many of the new or reworded essay prompts that have actually replaced diversity-related inquiries are broad enough that students can still speak about their identities and experience if they choose to, Conlin noted. In her experience, pupils are typically interested in reviewing their race or first-generation pupil status in essays. However trainees are much more hesitant to write about being LGBTQ+ or having psychological health battles.

No trainee wants to be lowered to a single label or experience. “Part of our task as therapists is to assist them express that intricacy– to pick which items of their story to spotlight in each essay, and to show exactly how those items convert right into payments they’ll make on a college university.”

Alternative Essay Topics Emerge

In the majority opinion in Pupils for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, Chief Justice John Roberts stated it was acceptable for pupils to continue discussing race in their essays: “Absolutely nothing in this point of view must be taken as banning universities from thinking about a candidate’s discussion of exactly how race impacted his/her life, be it via discrimination, ideas, or otherwise.”

“It allows colleges discover what they’ve constantly wanted to know– exactly how will this trainee engage with our neighborhood? In other words, colleges are still attempting to understand fit; they’re just making use of a lens that better centers the student,” he said.

Diversity essays aside, Conlin likewise kept in mind 2 burgeoning groups of essay subjects this year: prompts asking trainees to speak about just how they take care of problem and motivates offering pupils the chance to discuss their connection with AI.

Regardless of some institutions choosing to alter or remove their variety prompts, though, Ethan Sawyer, the founder of the admissions seeking advice from solid College Essay Man, claimed that a testimonial of 300 establishments’ prompts for the 2025– 2026 admission period showed that inquiries concerning what a student’s identity will give the establishment are the most prominent for the 2nd year straight.