2025-26 prompts · 2026–27 not yet confirmed · Hampton, VA

Hampton University supplemental essays

1 prompt, 1 required, about 500 words in total. Below: each prompt, what it is really asking, where drafts go wrong, and the shape of an answer that works.

1prompt · 1 required
500words, all prompts at max
36%admit rate · Selective
2025-26last confirmed cycle
Check your Hampton University drafts against these prompts →

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These are Hampton University's 2025-26 prompts. The 2026–27 wording was not yet published when this page was verified. Most schools keep prompts the same or change them lightly; confirm on hamptonu.edu before you submit.

The prompts, one by one

  1. Character Matters essay500 minimum words · Open prompt

    “Character matters at Hampton University. Describe what exhibiting good character means to you and provide specific examples of your demonstrated behavior in this regard.”

    What it's really asking

    Whatever matters to you that the rest of the application hasn't shown. Hampton University is giving you the floor; the question is what you choose to put on it.

    Where drafts go wrong

    Using the space to summarise achievements, apologise for a weakness, or restate the personal statement. Choosing a topic because it sounds like what colleges want.

    The shape of a strong answer

    One subject the reader couldn't guess from your file, told through a specific scene. Keep it in your own voice; if it sounds like a brochure, cut it. End on something still unresolved.

Every US applicant also writes the Common App personal statement: 650 words, seven prompts. Don't repeat it here; the supplements are for what the statement didn't show.

A self-check before you submit

Cover the school name and read the essay. Then cover your name and read it again. It should fail the first test (it only makes sense for Hampton University) and pass the second (only you could have written it). If it passes the first test, it's a brochure. If it fails the second, it's a template.

Run your draft through Admitify, free →

Other schools' prompts

Prompts verified September 2026 against Hampton University's published application. Admission facts and requirements for Hampton University are on its university page. Spotted a change? Tell us.