How long is an essay?

The length of an essay is determined by your educational level and topic, as well as your department and basic course criteria. But generally, an essay is usually shorter than an academic paper or thesis.

  • Keep in mind that quality overrules quantity; instead of focusing on a particular word count, concentrate on creating a compelling academic essay.
  • An essay that is long but lacks substance and research complexity would not achieve the desired outcomes.

Essay lengths for academic levels

Type of Essay Average Words Essay Content
High school essay
300 - 1000 words
A 5-paragraph essay, consisting of an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
College admission essay
200 - 650 words
A brief personal essay is required for college applications to articulate your desires and motives. There is usually a tight word limit on this.
Undergraduate college essay
1500 - 5000 words
Essay assignments in college vary in duration and content depending on the school, department, course level, and syllabus.
Graduate school admission essay
500 - 1000 words
A longer personal statement and / or statement of purpose outlining your academic wins and motivations.
Graduate school essay
2500 - 6000 words
Graduate level assignments differ by school and field, but they often consist of longer academic essays or research papers.

How long is each part of an essay?

  • The main body of an academic essay will often be the longest section. This is where you present your points, provide proof, and expand on your theories.
  • The length of the introduction should be dependent on the length of the essay. The introduction to a short essay (under 3000 words) is normally just one paragraph.
  • However, you may have to use two or three paragraphs in longer and more nuanced essays to set out the details and present your point.
  • Even in longer essays, the conclusion is often just one paragraph long. It doesn't have to go over every detail of your essay, but it should bring your key points together in a clear and persuasive manner.

Determining the subject and difficulty

  • The recommended word count not only indicates how long your essay should be but also assists you in determining how much detail you can fit into the available space.
  • You can use a concentrated, relevant subject and a simple, concise thesis statement in a short essay. A longer essay may remain concentrated, although it may require a wider approach to the subject or a more nuanced, challenging thesis statement.

Beyond word and page count

Even if you remain under the appropriate word or page count for an essay assignment, you can still get a low grade if you do not use the count wisely.

In other words, keeping merely with the word count is not the major factor for getting a good grade.

Common issues and questions on essay length

There are many questions and problems related to the essay length. As the length of an essay can change drastically based on the instructor, these issues are expected. We answered some of it for you.

  • I have written less than the minimum length.
Always try to stick to the minimum length specified in your assignment. If you’re having trouble meeting the word count, you can try the following:
  • Add more facts and explanations to each paragraph to better explain or reinforce your arguments.
  • Make sure you've thoroughly outlined or analyzed each example and consider expanding on your points.
  • You should avoid filler words. Your essay will be poorer, and your point will be less understandable if you use unnecessary words or phrases (see common phrasal verbs).

  • I have written more than the maximum length.

You should go beyond the word limit only if it’s absolutely necessary to finish your point. Longer essays take a longer time to evaluate, so don’t add up to your teacher’s workload. If you’re having trouble cutting down:

  • Check that each paragraph is important to the argument and exclude any part that is insignificant or out of place.
  • Make sure each paragraph is focused on a single point and does not veer off course.
  • Remove unnecessary words and make sure each sentence is simple, clear, and relevant to the main point of the paragraph.
  • Don't exclude anything from the essay that is essential to the coherence. If you exclude a paragraph, make sure to rewrite your transitions and connect all of your points.
  • The introduction and conclusion should not be overlooked. Make sure you leave enough room in these paragraphs to fully present your subject and decisively conclude your point.

  • There is not any word limit on my essay.

For some essay prompts, certain colleges do not set a word limit. This may be a little nerve-wracking, but the prompts usually fall into one of two categories.

  • Why should I meet the length requirements?

Sadly, this is a shortcoming of the education system.

  • Even though minimum length restrictions pressure students to extend their content by adding filler and wordy sentences, if those restrictions were lifted, some students would be likely take advantage of the situation and send essays that were way too short.
  • While some teachers allow a small gap above or under the word count, it is preferable to stay within limits.

Tips on essay writing

  • Before you begin working on the essay, it is recommended that you create an outline.
  • Preparing an outline helps you manage all of the necessary elements, such as the introduction, thesis statement, main body, and conclusion, before beginning the actual writing process.
  • If you are writing a short academic essay, make sure you are writing according to the essay description. Short essays should be plain, to the point, and concise, but they should clearly present the argument.
  • Many students struggle with essay writing because they strive to fulfill the word count criteria even though they are fully unfamiliar with the subject. You must review the current literature on the subject before writing.
  • Use explanations and diagrams. This will help the readers understand details that would otherwise be difficult to comprehend.
  • You may need to spend a significant amount of time editing and proofreading longer essays, so schedule this part of your essay assignment accordingly.
  • Avoid hedging! Hedging is where you make a series of abstract comments on a subject but never take a firm position on it.
  • In most types of essays, you'll be asked to make a direct assertion or thesis statement, then follow it up with solid analysis and/or results.

Things to avoid

Just like the best practices for writing an essay such as preparing an outline, and making sure you have an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion, you also need to look for what not to do.

Wordiness

It is important that you make the most use of the available space. Get the points as concisely as possible to do this. You might be shocked by how many words you can remove just by reading your essay by avoiding wordiness in mind.

Unacceptable word choice

  • Students frequently slip into the pit of believing that essays with advanced vocabulary are better.
  • Advanced language is perfect if it comes easily to the student, but it is not ideal when it is misused or used inappropriately.
  • Furthermore, whether you use a dictionary or Thesaurus to fill your article with sophisticated, unfamiliar terms, your teacher would most definitely notice.
  • Instead of using large words and complicated structures (see how to use headings), concentrate on telling your ideas in a straightforward and concise way.

If you follow this how-to guide on determining the length of your essay, you can easily write the essay at the perfect length.

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Ibrahim Akturk
Content editor at Tamara Research. Translation major, huge coffee and baking nerd. Addicted to good music and great articles.

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