How to Write the Tulane University Supplemental Essays: Examples + Guide 2026/2027

What are the Tulane University supplemental essay prompts?

Quick heads up: Tulane removed its “Why Tulane?” supplemental essay for 2026/2027. So this guide has shifted. Instead of walking you through an essay that no longer exists, we’ll cover what Tulane actually cares about and where your fit shows up now (spoiler: demonstrated interest matters more than ever).

Wait, what happened to the Tulane supplemental essay?

For 2026/2027, Tulane removed the “Why Tulane?” essay for first-year applicants. Tulane didn’t post an official explanation on its own site, so we don’t want to put words in their mouth. What we do have: Tulane’s dean of admission, Shawn Abbott, told Inside Higher Ed that the team worried the essay might be discouraging some strong students from applying, and he pointed to the rise of students using AI to write their applications. (We’re paraphrasing his interview there, not quoting Tulane directly.)

So for Fall 2027 admission, here’s what Tulane asks for:

• The Common Application, including your personal statement and activities list
• Your high school transcript
• A counselor recommendation (teacher recs are welcome but not required)
• Test scores, which are optional

Notice there’s no Tulane-specific essay in there anymore. Which makes the next part important.

So what does Tulane actually value?

Even without an essay prompt, Tulane reads every application through the lens of what it’s trying to build. Here’s the short version, pulled from Tulane’s own pages.

The one they say out loud is demonstrated interest. Tulane’s admissions page puts it plainly: “Tulane is unapologetically committed to considering a student’s demonstrated interest in Tulane when we make our admission decisions.” 

That’s rare for a school to state so directly, so take them at their word (more on how to show it below).

A few more things Tulane names:

• Community. The admissions committee reads applications “with an eye toward shaping the entire Tulane student body and creating a more vibrant Tulane community each year.” So they’re asking what you’d add to the place.
• A sense of adventure. In their words: “our location requires a sense of adventure and we tend to be attracted to candidates with that sense of adventure.” New Orleans is part of the pitch, and part of the fit.
• Service. This one isn’t just talk. Tulane requires every undergrad to complete public-service coursework to graduate. If service is part of your story, Tulane is a place that lives it.
• Integrity and wisdom. Tulane’s mission is about helping people “think, to learn and to act and lead with integrity and wisdom.”

Here’s a question you can keep coming back to as you build your application (it’s the one we use at CEG for essays): Will this help me show the skills, qualities, values, and interests I’ll bring to Tulane’s campus? If a part of your application answers that, you’re probably in good shape.

No essay? Here’s where that energy should go instead

If you were ready to put real thought into a Tulane supplement, don’t lose that energy. Just point it at the parts that are still in your control.

1. Demonstrated interest (the big one for Tulane)

With the essay gone, this is how you tell Tulane you’re serious. And they’ve told you exactly what counts. From their site, showing interest can look like:

• Attending an on-campus or off-campus program (a tour, a Campus Preview Day, Tulane PreCollege)
• Attending a virtual program
• Meeting your admission officer if they visit your high school or a college fair
• Accessing and checking your Green Wave Portal after you submit your Common App

You don’t need to do all of these. But if Tulane is high on your list, picking a couple of these is time well spent, since it’s the clearest signal you can send now that the essay is gone.

2. Your Common App personal statement (now doing double duty)

This is the main place Tulane hears from you in your own words. You don’t need to make it “about” Tulane (please don’t force that). But you do want it to show the skills, qualities, values, and interests you’ll bring to a campus like this one. If a reader finishes and thinks, “ah, this person actually shows up for their community,” that’s the signal you’re after.

3. Your activities list (show the service and community side)

Given how much Tulane leans on service and community, your activities list is a natural place to show it. Not just what you did, but what changed because you did it. For help here, we’ve got a whole guide to the Activities List and the Additional Info section.

4. A note on testing

Tulane is test-optional for Fall 2027, so you get to decide whether to submit. One thing worth knowing: Tulane says scores are a “preferred credential” for merit scholarships, so if you’re hoping for merit aid and you have strong scores, sending them may help.

What if Tulane brings the supplement back?

Colleges change their minds, and Tulane could add an essay again in a future cycle. If that happens, we’ll update this post with the new prompt, analysis, and real student examples. For now, there’s no supplement to write for 2026/2027, so put your energy where it counts (and for Tulane, a lot of that is demonstrated interest).

Further Reading

• Tulane’s Getting Into Tulane page (this is where the demonstrated-interest language lives)
• Tulane’s application instructions and public service requirement
• Our guide to dozens of other supplemental essays
• And if you want your whole application to feel less overwhelming, the College Application + Supplemental Essays Course walks you through all of it, with 25+ video lessons you can watch on your own or live.