Villanova Supplemental Essays 2025-26 – Prompts & Advice
June 18, 2025
Villanova University鈥檚 27.4% acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 is about half of what it was as recently as 2015. Today, admitted students earned a mid-50% SAT of 1450-1520, and you typically need mostly A鈥檚 in AP/honors courses to have a serious shot at acceptance. Writing excellent Common App and Villanova supplemental essays is also an incredibly important piece of the admissions puzzle for wannabe Wildcats.
Want to learn more about how to create a strong application to Villanova? In addition to our blog on How to Get Into Villanova, head to for all our best free tools and resources, including an admissions calculator for 170+ institutions, college planning guides & templates, and example essays from accepted students.聽
In this blog, we will look at the Villanova supplemental essays for the 2025-26 admissions cycle along with tips about how to write essays that will win over admissions officers.
2025-26 Villanova Supplemental Essay Options
For the Villanova-specific essay, we hope to gain a deeper understanding of your thoughts, experiences, and opinions. Choose one of the five topics below and submit a written response in about 250 words.
Prompt 1: St. Augustine states that well-being is 鈥渘ot concerned with myself alone, but with my neighbor鈥檚 good as well.鈥� How have you advocated for equity and justice in your communities?聽
Some students may have more direct experience with equity social justice issues than others, but鈥攏o matter your background鈥攖his is an opportunity to demonstrate that you care about justice and fairness in your local community as well as the global community. If applicable, you can speak about a time when you spoke up for a peer in a moment of need or, alternatively, an instance when you got involved in a larger cause or movement (politics, activism, volunteer work, etc.). If you don鈥檛 happen to have a deeply personal story to tell in this realm, you鈥檒l probably want to select a different prompt. While there鈥檚 nothing wrong with simply articulating your basic beliefs in the values of inclusion, equity, tolerance, and diversity, it doesn鈥檛 necessarily make for the most compelling essay.
Prompt 2: What is a lesson in life that you have learned that you would want to share with others at Villanova?鈥�
Prompt #2 is trying to assess what type of community member you would be as part of Villanova鈥檚 campus. The university greatly values those who have gained wisdom from their extracurricular involvement and leadership while in high school. In fact, the admitted Class of 2028 cohort included 83% who participated in community service, 66% who held paying jobs, and 81% who played sports. This essay presents the chance to communicate the wisdom you have acquired from participation in your present communities; then, you can switch gears to illustrate how the lessons you have learned will impact your future collegiate community.
Prompt 3: “Villanova” means “new home.” Why do you want to call Villanova your new home?
Villanova wants to know why you desire to pursue your studies at their institution and how you will become part of their campus community. This one is going to require a fair amount of school-specific research. What appeals to you most about Villanova? Is it their mission/values? An aspect of their community? An area of study, academic offering, or particular initiative? Whatever you choose, you’ll want to be sure to explain why it is important to you. This is essentially a “Why Villanova” essay, so if you decide to choose this prompt, see additional guidance in the next section.
Prompt 4: As an Augustinian community, we value recognizing individuals for their true selves. Please share with us a time when you were misjudged based on your identity, background, experiences or interests.
Have you ever been the recipient of negative comments or hurtful actions, perhaps in regard to relationships, household income level, mental or physical challenges, neurodiversity, gender identity, sexual orientation, cultural background, or personal hobbies, to name a few? If so, answering this prompt could be a good option. While crafting your response, the important thing to keep in mind is that the misjudgment itself is less important than how you handled it, and what that reveals about your character and perspective. How did you react to the misjudgment, and what steps did you take to cope? In what ways has it impacted you? How has it influenced your perspective and the way you engage with the world? Make sure you share what you were feeling and experiencing; this piece should demonstrate openness and vulnerability.
Prompt 5: At Villanova, we often say “each of us strengthens all of us.” Please detail a time when someone has borrowed some of your strength in their time of need.
Prompt #5 is also getting at the idea of community, but in a very specific context鈥攈ow you support your family, friends, acquaintances, or even strangers during times of struggle. So, what is the Villanova committee really getting at here? In short, part of being a good community member is offering help or assistance when needed or perceived, whether it is in the academic, social, or personal realm. Nova wants to see that you a) mature enough to understand when someone else may need a helping hand and b) are the type of person who can offer that help as needed. If you have a story of this nature from your high school experience, this may be an excellent fit for you.
Examples of items that quality 鈥淲hy Villanova?鈥� essays could touch upon:
- 98% of first-year students live on campus, creating a cohesive atmosphere.
- 300+听exist on campus. Pick one or two that are of interest to you.
- Students donate 250,000 hours per year to community service. Talk about how you will .
- Talk in detail about the specifics of your academic program whether it is one of the 47 majors in the College of Liberal Arts & Science or part of the business, engineering, or nursing schools.
- Discuss which at Villanova you plan to pursue.
- Discuss how you will take advantage of the school鈥檚 location 12 miles outside Philadelphia. Think about community service, internships, etc.
- The Office of Education Abroad offers a multitude of semester, summer, and intensive . How would you take advantage of these unique opportunities?
Of course, these are just a fraction of the possible features that could be part of a successful Villanova supplemental essay. As you enter the prewriting stage, you鈥檒l want to avoid some common pitfalls that we observe applicants fall into when attacking the Villanova 鈥淲hy Us?鈥� essay. We don鈥檛 want to label these as 鈥渕istakes鈥� (there is nothing inherently wrong with them); they just don鈥檛 add any needle-moving value, which is the only goal here!
Common components of a generic 鈥淲hy Us” essay
- Mentioning Villanova’s US News ranking.
- Showing love for the Villanova basketball team.
- Recycling statements from your other 鈥淲hy Us?鈥� essays that come across as stale, impersonal, or worst of all鈥搃rrelevant/inaccurate.
- Using statements about how Villanova 鈥渇eels like home,鈥� or you鈥檝e 鈥渨anted to attend since kindergarten.鈥� Show this adoration through specifics instead.
How to write a winning 鈥淲hy Villanova?鈥� supplemental essay
- Address a) why Nova is the perfect fit for you 补苍诲听b) why you are the perfect fit for Nova.
- Cite specific academic programs, professors, research opportunities, internship/externship programs, study abroad programs, student-run organizations, etc. (like the suggestions noted above).
- Discuss how you will become an active, contributing member of the student body.
- Show evidence of how your past/current endeavors will carry over onto Villanova鈥檚 campus.
- Discuss how you will take advantage of the university鈥檚 tremendous resources both inside and outside of the classroom.
How important are the supplemental essays?
Three factors are viewed as 鈥渧ery important鈥� to the Nova admissions committee. These are: the GPA earned, the rigor of one鈥檚 curriculum, and class rank. Seven factors are rated as 鈥渋mportant鈥�: recommendations, essays, extracurricular activities, talent/ability, character/personal qualities, work experience, and volunteer work. Clearly, the essays are one of the most important application components for any prospective Wildcat.
Want Personalized Essay Assistance?
If you are interested in working with one of 国产第一福利影院草草鈥� experienced and knowledgeable essay coaches as you craft your Villanova supplemental essays, we encourage you to get a quote听迟辞诲补测.
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