By Rosemary Hilliard, Senior Director of Admissions & Financial Aid
The 2027-2028 master’s degree application is now open, and the Harvard Kennedy School Admissions Committee has introduced a video essay requirement for all applicants who are required to submit English proficiency scores. In the following blog post, I explain the Admissions Committee’s reasoning for the video essay addition, address how it impacts the overall application review, and offer advice for how to prepare for the essay.
Why we added a video essay
This video essay was previously optional for all non-native English speakers. We decided to make the essay required because over the past few years, we found fewer and fewer non-native speakers opting to complete the essay. While it was optional, we have always found it a useful tool in assessing speaking and reading abilities, which are qualities we don’t get to assess in a written application.
The video essay is also particularly helpful in assessing applicants with low subsection scores on the English proficiency exams. It gives us another data point for assessing a candidate’s English-speaking abilities. We have had applicants in the past who we thought could’ve been a strong fit, but they didn’t submit the essay and had lower scores on the speaking and reading sections of the TOEFL or IELTS. The video essay would have been so helpful in those circumstances.
How it fits into application review
The HKS admissions review process is holistic. This means that we consider all aspects of an application: academic performance, standardized test scores, English ability, essays, letters of recommendation, work experience, etc. There is not one component of the application that is more important than another.
What to expect and how to prepare
If you will need to complete the video essay, you will be presented with a question, given a few seconds to think about your answer, and then will be prompted to record a short answer, no longer than 90-seconds in length. You should know that there is no opportunity to stop the recording once it begins and no opportunity to repeat the process.
The questions are all relatively simple. You’ll be asked questions like “What is your favorite food?” or “What was your favorite vacation?” The idea isn’t to quiz you—it’s to get to know you a bit better and give you an opportunity to show off your English skills. These aren’t the questions we use, but they are great practice questions because they are conversational versus academic.
Keep in mind
The video essay is a complement to your English proficiency scores! This is a chance for you to demonstrate your English abilities in a low-stress way.
Ready to apply to HKS?
The 2027-2028 master’s degree application is now open.
