University of Chicago

Chicago, IL · Private · 7,569 undergrads

Admit rate: 4.5% (38,631 applicants)
SAT middle 50%: 1510–1580 (ACT 34–35)
Undergraduates: 7,569 (17.6% international)
Average net price: $14,860 (per year after aid)
Graduation rate: 96% (within 6 years)

Deadlines

Early Decision: Nov. 2, 2026
Early Action: Nov. 2, 2026
Early Decision II: Jan. 4, 2027
Regular Decision: Jan. 4, 2027

Essays

Question 1: Why UChicago (No strict limit (300 to 600 words suggested))

How does the University of Chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future? Please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to UChicago.

Question 2, option 1 (choose one) (No strict limit (500 to 700 words suggested))

Food for thought: How do thoughts eat? (Inspired by Ernest Leong, Class of 2026)

Question 2, option 2 (choose one) (No strict limit (500 to 700 words suggested))

The James Webb Space Telescope, launched in 2021, utilized origami-inspired techniques to compactly store and deploy its sunshield in space. Choose an artistic practice and use its principles to propose an elegant solution to a problem. (Inspired by Akhil Korra, Class of 2028)

Question 2, option 3 (choose one) (No strict limit (500 to 700 words suggested))

Sometimes metaphors get mixed up. For one reason or another, one could say, “we'll burn that bridge when we get there” or “the world is your china shop”. Make up your own mixed metaphor. Explain how it could make sense, be understood, or even applied.

Question 2, option 4 (choose one) (No strict limit (500 to 700 words suggested))

The Olympics have long celebrated the pinnacle of human athletic achievement. But what if they expanded to honor the mundane? Imagine a new Olympic event built around an everyday activity like speed dishwashing or competitive grocery bagging. How is it scored, officiated, and judged? Why is it a worthy addition? (Inspired by Ewan Smith, Class of 2028)

Question 2, option 5 (choose one) (No strict limit (500 to 700 words suggested))

AI: Allen Iverson. NASA, or the North American Saxophone Alliance. Share a potentially confounding, comedic, or captivating example of MIA (Mistaken Identity of Acronym) and tell us its backstory. (Inspired by Jeeho Byun, Class of 2030)

Question 2, option 7 (choose one) (No strict limit (500 to 700 words suggested))

And, as always… the classic choose your own adventure option! In the spirit of adventurous inquiry, choose one of our past prompts (or create a question of your own). Be original, creative, thought provoking. Draw on your best qualities as a writer, thinker, visionary, social critic, sage, citizen of the world, or future citizen of the University of Chicago; take a little risk, and have fun!

Editor's notes

The extended essay is the most famous part of this application, and the Why UChicago essay is the one more people underwrite. The CDS rates essays Very important, alongside rigor, recommendations and activities. Give both essays real drafting time. The fun one is only half the job.
Four plans, two deadlines. If UChicago is your clear first choice, ED I or ED II is a binding promise; EA gets you a December answer with no strings. Don't pick a binding plan until you've run the net price calculator.
There's no interview, so the two-minute video profile is the only place they hear you talk. It's optional and not polished on purpose. Say something you'd actually say to a person, then stop.