Grade your college essay before admissions does.
Paste your personal statement, supplemental or scholarship essay. You get a score out of 100 on a clear rubric, the three revisions that would raise it most — quoted from your own essay — and every sentence that sounds translated. It gives feedback; it never writes the essay for you.
- Free — no sign-up for your first grade
- Feedback in about 30 seconds
- Your essay isn't stored
1 of 1 free grades left today · examples are always free ·
You'll get
- A score out of 100 across six things admissions readers look for
- The three revisions that would raise your score most, quoted from your essay
- Sentences that sound translated, with a natural fix that keeps your meaning
- Feedback only — it never rewrites your essay for you
Rubric
The college essay rubric we grade against
Six criteria, 10 points each, scaled to 100. They mirror what admissions readers describe looking for — and they judge your story and your English separately, so grammar slips don't bury a strong essay.
| Criterion | Points | What earns full points | What loses points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening | 0–10 | The first lines drop the reader into a specific moment, image or question instead of a general statement or a dictionary definition. | “Since I was young, I have always been passionate about science.” |
| Story & specific detail | 0–10 | Concrete scenes, names, numbers and sensory detail that only this writer could include; shows rather than lists achievements. | A list of clubs and awards with no single scene the reader can picture. |
| Reflection & insight | 0–10 | Explains what the experience changed in how the writer thinks or acts — the “so what” an admissions reader is looking for. | The essay ends when the event ends, with no sense of what changed in you. |
| Voice & authenticity | 0–10 | Sounds like a real person of the writer’s age, not a résumé or a thesaurus; honest rather than impressive. | Big words chosen to impress (“multifaceted”, “myriad”) instead of how you really talk. |
| Structure & focus | 0–10 | One clear through-line; each paragraph moves the story or idea forward; the ending connects back without repeating. | Three unrelated topics, or a conclusion that repeats the introduction. |
| Clear, natural English | 0–10 | Grammar, articles, prepositions and word choice read as fluent English; no phrasing that sounds translated. | Missing articles, translated prepositions, “I am having interest in…”. |
Score bands: Exceptional (90+) · Strong (75+) · Getting there (60+) · Needs work (0+)
Why not just ask ChatGPT to grade my college essay?
You can — but a general chatbot grades differently every time and often rewrites the essay for you. This grader is built for one job.
| This grader | General chatbot | |
|---|---|---|
| Same rubric every time | Yes — six fixed criteria, scores you can compare between drafts | Criteria change with how you phrase the request |
| Quotes your essay | Every revision points to an exact sentence | Often general advice |
| Rewrites your essay | Never — feedback only, so the essay stays yours | Frequently offers a rewritten version |
| Separates ideas from English | Story and language are scored separately | Grammar errors can drag down the whole impression |
| Written for non-native writers | Flags sentences that sound translated, with minimal fixes | Tends to make English sound more ‘advanced’, not more natural |
FAQ
Questions students ask
Is this college essay grader really free?
Yes. Your first grade each day needs no account, signing in with Google gives you three free grades a day, and grading our example essay is always free. Subscribers get unlimited grading and rewrites.
How accurate is an AI college essay grader?
Treat the score as a structured second opinion, not a prediction. No tool can tell you whether a college will admit you — essays are read alongside grades, activities and recommendations. The value is in the specific revisions: they are tied to sentences in your essay, and you can re-grade a new draft to see whether it improved.
Can I grade a personal statement, supplemental or scholarship essay?
Yes. Choose the essay type before grading: Common App personal statement, supplemental or “Why us?” essay, graduate or UCAS personal statement, or scholarship essay. Adding the prompt makes the feedback more precise.
Will it rewrite my essay?
No. It tells you what to change and why, and suggests minimal fixes for sentences whose English sounds unnatural. Your ideas, story and voice stay yours — which is also what most colleges’ AI policies expect.
Does a grammar mistake lower my score a lot?
Only the “Clear, natural English” criterion. The other five judge your story, reflection, voice and structure — so a strong essay by a non-native writer still scores well while you fix the language.
What is a good college essay score?
On this rubric, 75 or above is strong and 90 or above is rare. Most first drafts land between 50 and 70; two focused revisions usually move an essay up a band.
Is my essay stored or used for training?
No. Your essay is sent to our AI provider (Anthropic’s Claude) only to produce the feedback. We don’t use it to train any model and don’t keep it beyond what’s needed to show you the result.