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Reed

Reed College

One 500-word Paideia essay where you teach Reed something you love, plus the Common App personal statement.

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Supplemental essays

1 (Paideia)

Word limit

Up to 500

Personal statement

Required (Common App)

Testing

Test-blind for 2026

What Reed rewards

Reed College asks for one supplemental essay of up to 500 words, the famous Paideia prompt, on top of your Common App personal statement. (If you apply through the Coalition Application, the Reed supplement is required but the Coalition does not require a separate personal essay.) Reed is test-blind for the fall 2026 cycle, meaning no SAT or ACT scores are used at all, so your writing does even more of the talking.

The core challenge is simple to state and hard to do: Reed wants you to teach. The Paideia essay asks what class you would lead during Reed's January week when students run the classroom. The trap is treating it like a generic "passion" essay. The win is showing a genuinely curious mind that wants to share something specific with people, which is exactly the Reed personality.

01Intellectual play, not polish. Reed prizes curiosity for its own sake. The college famously downplays grades in its internal culture and rewards students who chase questions because the questions are interesting. An essay that geeks out honestly about a niche topic beats one that lists achievements.
02Specificity over prestige. Reed does not care whether your topic sounds impressive. A class on the physics of skipping stones, regional bread starters, or untranslatable words can land harder than 'leadership' or 'climate change' treated abstractly. The texture is the point.
03Community-mindedness. The prompt ends with 'contribute to the Reed community,' and that clause is not decoration. Reed wants to see that you imagine other people in the room: why they would care, what they would walk away with, how the conversation might go.
04A real voice. Reed students are known for being a little quirky and self-aware. A natural, thinking-out-loud voice reads as fit. Over-formal, thesaurus-heavy prose reads as someone performing intelligence rather than having fun with it.

Essay prompts for 2026-2027

1 prompt for Reed, each broken down with annotated examples.

The Paideia EssayUp to 500 words

For one week at the end of January, Reed students upend the traditional classroom hierarchy and teach classes about any topic they love, academic or otherwise. This week is known as Paideia after the Greek term signifying 'education', the complete education of mind, body and spirit. What would you teach that would contribute to the Reed community?

See all 1 prompt and get a read

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Add your GPA, test scores, and profile to estimate your odds at Reed and build a balanced list.

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Deadlines

Early Decision INov 1
Early Decision IIJan 15
Regular DecisionJan 15

Cost

Sticker price$89,610
Avg net after aid$39,882
Meets full needMost
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How to get inAcceptance rate, the GPA and SAT profile, and what Reed weighs most Supplemental essays1 prompt, each broken down with annotated examples Cost & financial aidAverage $39,882/yr after aid · net price by income + calculator InterviewDoes Reed interview? Format, tips, and practice The Reed Reader ProScore your draft against Reed's exact prompts
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Reed FAQ

What is Reed's acceptance rate?

Reed is test-blind for the fall 2026 cycle: it will neither require nor use SAT or ACT results in admission review. Admission stays selective at roughly a 27% acceptance rate, with a median admitted GPA near 4.0. Reed reads holistically and is famous for caring more about how you think than about polished resumes, so the Paideia essay genuinely matters. At Reed, a strong application essay and a well-balanced school list matter alongside your grades and test scores.

What supplemental essays does Reed require?

Reed requires 1 supplemental essay on its application. On EssayLens each prompt is broken down with annotated examples, and you can get a free admissions-style read of your draft against the exact prompt.

How much does Reed cost?

Reed's published sticker price is about $89,610 per year, but the average family pays $39,882 after financial aid. Your net price depends on your family income; use the calculator to estimate yours.

Does Reed require SAT or ACT scores?

Reed is test-blind: it does not consider SAT or ACT scores at all, even if you submit them.

When are Reed's application deadlines?

Reed's application deadlines are Early Decision I Nov 1; Early Decision II Jan 15; Regular Decision Jan 15. Add Reed to your plan on EssayLens to track its deadlines automatically.

Campus photo via Wikipedia.

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