The pathway to college is not just a matter of getting past admissions officers and through the doors of your dream university. Once there, you’re expected to perform up to the academic standard upon which you were admitted. That’s why some elite schools require or suggest that applicants submit a graded paper as part of the writing supplement. It’s a way of gauging the applicant’s true academic caliber, which can sometimes get lost in translation in all of the transcripts, personal essays, and letters of recommendation.

Let’s take a look at the elite colleges currently requiring or suggesting that applicants submit graded papers and discuss the best path forward for ambitious high schoolers who want to optimize their chances of gaining an impeccable undergraduate education.

What Schools Require Graded Papers on the College Application?

In 2024, three highly selective colleges either require or give the option of submitting a grade paper as part of their applications: Amherst College, Brown University, and Princeton University.

Amherst College’s writing supplement can be satisfied in two different ways. Applicants must respond to one of their own prompts or submit a graded paper. Here’s what they have to say about this second option:

“Submit a graded paper from your junior or senior year that best represents your writing skills and analytical abilities. We are particularly interested in your ability to construct a tightly reasoned, persuasive argument that calls upon literary, sociological or historical evidence. You should not submit a laboratory report, journal entry, creative writing sample or in-class essay. Also, if you have submitted an analytical essay in response to the “essay topic of your choice” prompt in the Common Application or Apply Coalition with Scoir writing section, you should not select Option B.”

We at Ivy Coach cannot say we advise that students go with this second response option, as it completely ignores the prompts that Amherst specifically crafts to give applicants the opportunity to flex their knowledge of the Amherst community and the unique characteristics they would bring to it. Show Amherst that you’re willing to put in the work and campus-specific research necessary to gain admission by responding to their prompts!

Brown University gives applicants the option to upload an academic paper or research abstract as part of their writing supplement. They’re not exactly asking for a graded paper, but rather a sample of work that has received some level of academic recognition. Here’s what they write on their website:

“If you have completed an advanced academic paper or significant research project that you want to include as part of your application, you may upload that document or an abstract to your Brown Applicant Portal under the category of Academic Paper/Research. Please include a brief note to provide us with context for your submission, for example: approximate date(s) you were involved, whether you worked on this independently or as part of a team, what external recognition you may have received and anything else you want us to know.”

Submitting work via this optional prompt is only advisable for those who have written papers that have received a positive reception from a legitimate academic publication. They’re not looking for your high school English paper, even if you got an A+ on it (unlike the next school on our list)! If your Personal Statement makes reference to college-level research you’ve conducted, on the other hand, by all means use this optional supplement as an opportunity to showcase your academic chops!

Princeton University famously requires all applicants to submit a graded paper. It’s the only supplement on this list that isn’t optional. Here’s what they have to say about this unorthodox requirement:

“The graded written paper will help the Admission Office assess the student’s written expression in an academic setting. This will further the holistic understanding of the student’s application and help admission officers evaluate the student’s potential contributions and ability to thrive in the University’s rigorous academic environment. . .

The paper should be writing done for an academic course, preferably an English, social studies or history course, during the last three years of secondary school, including senior year.

You may send a paper, essay, research paper or essay exam. We are interested in seeing expository writing only, not creative writing.

One to two pages in length is sufficient.

The paper should include the course instructor’s grade, and comments if your instructor provided any.”

So there you have it. Princeton is the only elite school with a true requirement for a paper that has passed through the hands of one of your high school teachers. 

How Ivy Coach Helps Princeton Applicants Submit a Stellar Graded Paper

All hope is not lost for those ambitious high schoolers intent upon going to Princeton who fear that the graded paper requirement will kill their chances. Ivy Coach works closely with our clients to edit any papers chosen to fulfill this requirement before they make it to the teacher’s desk. Think of us as the friend or parent who gives your essay a red-lined once-over before submitting it for a grade, if that friend or parent were an admissions professional with elite university experience.

If you’re interested in optimizing your child’s graded paper for the Princeton supplement before it’s graded, fill out our complimentary consultation form, and we’ll be in touch.