The most accurate AI grader for Illinois essays.
Kolly was built and calibrated on hundreds of thousands of essays from students who actually got into University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the rest of the T20.
Illinois 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 Illinois prompts Kolly has verified, checked . Illinois may have updated them since, so check University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign admissions before you submit.
Academic Interests (Undeclared)
What are your academic interests? Please include 2-3 majors you're considering at Illinois and why. What are your future career or academic goals? You may include courses you took in high school and how these impacted your goals.
150 words max · Required
Major Experience
Explain, in detail, an experience you've had in the past 3 to 4 years related to your first-choice major. This can be an experience from an extracurricular activity, in a class you've taken, or through something else.
150 words max · Required
Career & Major Goals
Describe your personal and/or career goals after graduating from Illinois and how your selected first-choice major will help you achieve them.
150 words max · Required
Second-Choice Major
Please explain your interest in your second-choice major or your overall academic or career goals.
150 words max · Required
All Illinois supplemental essays, with word limits and the published source.
How Kolly grades a Illinois 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. Illinois 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 Illinois 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 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign admissions.