The most accurate AI grader for Penn State essays.
Kolly was built and calibrated on hundreds of thousands of essays from students who actually got into Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus and the rest of the T20.
Penn State 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 Penn State prompts Kolly has verified, checked . Penn State may have updated them since, so check Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus admissions before you submit.
Global Perspective / Travel
If you were able to go anywhere in the world, outside of the country you currently reside in, where would you go and why?
200 words max · Required
Transformational Idea
If you had 20 minutes to pitch a transformational idea (an idea that affects or would influence a significant percentage of the populace), what would you pitch and why? Explain your thought process. Are there similar solutions already established and how might your idea enhance those solutions? How would this idea change the current state of things? How would you leverage your personal experiences and professional goals to make this idea a reality?
800 words max · Required
Extracurriculars / Activities
List your extracurricular activities over the last four years. This can include school and non-school activities. Please include any leadership roles you have had.
200 words max · Required
Empowered Growth / Values
One of the Schreyer Honors College values is Empowered Growth. What values, beliefs or experiences have empowered you to grow intellectually and/or personally?
200 words max · Required
Leadership
Tell us about your most significant leadership experience and why leadership is important to you. This could include community roles, family contributions, research, clubs and organizations, etc.
200 words max · Required
All Penn State supplemental essays, with word limits and the published source.
How Kolly grades a Penn State 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. Penn State 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 Penn State 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.
Grading your personal statement?
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 Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus admissions.