The Wall Street Journal Features TCU Enrollment Leader on Admissions Essays
July 10, 2026
As selective universities rethink what they ask of applicants, Texas Christian University’s
decision to trim its supplemental essays is drawing national attention
Heath Einstein, vice provost for enrollment management at TCU, spoke with The Wall Street Journalfor a story on schools reducing the number of essays students must submit during the
application process. The article reports that TCU saw a roughly 14% jump in applications
after removing two supplemental essays last year
Einstein said the questions TCU cut, which asked students about the university’s values
and inclusivity, rarely produced original answers
“You still see a narrowing to the mean,” Einstein said, noting that applicants tend
to write what they believe admissions officers want to read
He added that TCU’s aim in widening the applicant pool is to grow enrollment, not
to lower its admission rate
The story also examines how artificial intelligence has made it harder for admissions
offices to judge whether students wrote their own essays, and how institutions increasingly
rely on other signals, such as campus visits and email engagement, to gauge student
interest. Tulane University, Washington University in St. Louis and the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have made similar reductions
Read the full story in The Wall Street Journal
