2026–27 application cycle
Webb Institute supplemental essays
Every writing prompt on the Webb Institute application, with word limits. All of it taken from the application itself. One prompt.
- Prompt 1Optional
Why Webb
Why Webb or Why Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering?
How to approach it
This is the most literal question on the application. Why this training, for your goals. Answer in that order. Name the goal first. Then point to the two or three parts of the program that serve it. Then show one thing you’ve already done that proves the goal is real.
Common questions
What do students ask about these essays?
How many essays does Webb Institute require?
Webb Institute lists 1 writing supplement for the 2026–27 cycle, and 0 of them are required. That’s on top of the main personal statement.
Do the Webb Institute supplemental essays matter?
Yes, and more so at the hardest schools to get into. Grades and scores put you in the pool. Supplements are one of the few places you control what the reader learns about you. A generic why-us essay is one of the most common mistakes students make.
What Spike does with this
Get help planning Webb Institute essays.
Spike helps you tie each prompt to something you’ve actually lived. It helps you outline and revise, and it won’t write the essay for you.
The full counselor launches in November.