The most accurate AI grader for Columbia essays.
Kolly was built and calibrated on hundreds of thousands of essays from students who actually got into Columbia University in the City of New York and the rest of the T20.
Columbia essay prompts for 2025-26
Copy the prompt you are answering into the prompt field above, then paste your draft, so the readers grade the answer against the question it has to answer.
These are the most recent Columbia prompts Kolly has verified, checked . Columbia may have updated them since, so check Columbia University in the City of New York admissions before you submit.
Why Columbia
Why are you interested in attending Columbia University? We encourage you to consider the aspect(s) that you find unique and compelling about Columbia.
150 words max · Required
Intellectual Influences (List)
List a selection of texts, resources and outlets that have contributed to your intellectual development outside of academic courses, including but not limited to books, journals, websites, podcasts, essays, plays, presentations, videos, museums and other content that you enjoy.
100 words max · Required
Why Your Major
What attracts you to your preferred areas of study at Columbia College or Columbia Engineering?
150 words max · Required
Identity / Lived Experience
Tell us about an aspect of your life so far or your lived experience that is important to you, and describe how it has shaped the way you would learn from and contribute to Columbia's multidimensional and collaborative environment.
150 words max · Required
Disagreement / Intellectual Engagement
At Columbia, students representing a wide range of perspectives are invited to live and learn together. In such a community, questions and debates naturally arise. Please describe a time when you did not agree with someone and discuss how you engaged with them and what you took away from the interaction.
150 words max · Required
Diverse Communities
A hallmark of the Columbia experience is being able to learn and live in a community with a wide range of perspectives. How do you or would you learn from and contribute to diverse, collaborative communities?
150 words max · Required
All Columbia supplemental essays, with word limits and the published source.
How Kolly grades a Columbia essay
The grade covers the same six dimensions as every Kolly read: hook, theme, detail, authenticity, reflection, and writing, each scored from 0 to 5. The big number is a percentile that shows where your draft lands among accepted essays of the same type from top US schools. Columbia readers, like their counterparts at peer schools, read fast and form an impression in the first paragraph. The verdict quotes the line that lands and names the weakest moment, so you know what to fix first.
Why Kolly instead of a ChatGPT read
ChatGPT and other general models grade against writing in general, which is not what Columbia readers do. Kolly grades against essays that got in, and four readers argue over the draft before they vote, so a polished answer that says nothing specific gets called out instead of praised. The quick read is free without an account. A free Kolly account adds the full review: a stronger scoring model, notes on each paragraph, and a fix-it plan.
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Use the main college essay grader for a Common App essay that goes to every school on your list. For acceptance rates, test scores, and cost, see Columbia University in the City of New York admissions.