2026–27 application cycle
Bentley University supplemental essays
Every writing prompt on the Bentley University application, with word limits, taken from the application itself. 4 prompts.
- Prompt 1Optional250 words max
Living Bentley's core values
Bentley's core values are Caring, Collaboration, Diversity, Honesty, Impact, Learning, and Respect. Select one or two of these core values and share how you currently embody them in your life. How will you continue to develop these values at Bentley?
How to approach it
Goals prompts fail when they stay noble and vague. Pick one concrete problem you care about, connect it to something you have already touched in real life, and let the ambition be specific enough that a reader could disagree with it. Specific beats impressive.
- Prompt 2Optional250 words max
Identity and experience
Our students bring to campus a variety of experiences, cultures, and intersecting identities including race and ethnicity –aspects that are important to a rich educational experience and our success in college and beyond. You may use this section to discuss how race and ethnicity affected your life, be it through discrimination, inspiration or otherwise.
How to approach it
Community and identity prompts reward specificity over significance. A small, true community described from the inside beats a broad label described from the outside. End on what you carry from it into a campus, not on a moral.
- Prompt 3Optional250 words max
Redoing high school
You wake up tomorrow morning and it's the first day of high school. What would you do differently over the next few years?
- Prompt 4Optional
Why Bentley
After learning about Bentley, what influenced your decision to apply?
Common questions
Bentley University essays, answered
How many essays does Bentley University require?
Bentley University lists 4 writing supplements for the 2026–27 cycle, of which 0 are required. That is on top of the main personal statement.
How long are the Bentley University supplemental essays?
Word limits across the listed prompts add up to roughly 750 words. Budget real time for them: supplements are where admissions sees your specific interest in Bentley University.
Do the Bentley University supplemental essays matter?
Yes, and more as selectivity rises. Grades and scores put you in the pool; supplements are one of the few places you control what the reader learns about you, and a generic why-us essay is one of the most common self-inflicted wounds in admissions.
What Spike does with this
Get help planning Bentley University essays.
Spike helps students connect each prompt to their own experiences, outline a response, and revise without ghostwriting.
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