2025-26 prompts · 2026–27 not yet confirmed · San Francisco, CA

University of San Francisco supplemental essays

1 prompt, 0 required, 1 optional, about 200 words in total. Below: each prompt, what it is really asking, where drafts go wrong, and the shape of an answer that works.

1prompt · 0 required
200words, all prompts at max
76%admit rate · Less selective
2025-26last confirmed cycle
Check your San Francisco drafts against these prompts →

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These are San Francisco'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 usfca.edu before you submit.

The prompts, one by one

  1. Nursing Jesuit mission short answer (optional)up to 200 words · Leadership

    “What will be your responsibility to others as a Jesuit-educated, BSN professional registered nurse?”

    What it's really asking

    Not your title but a moment where you changed what a group did. San Francisco reads "leadership" broadly; the youngest sibling organising a family can answer this as well as a club president.

    Where drafts go wrong

    Describing the role instead of a decision. "As president, I led the team to success" contains no information. Taking credit for a group's work.

    The shape of a strong answer

    One situation, one decision you made that others didn't have to accept, how you got them to, and what happened. Include what it cost you or what you'd do differently.

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 San Francisco) 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 →

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