College Essay Grader
Get an instant score to see where your draft stands and find weak spots to fix before you submit.
Grades your essay on a fixed, essay-type-specific rubric
Pinpoints weak spots, vague language & missing elements
Catches red flags, cliche and common mistakes
Paste your draft here
Common App Essay
Your main personal statement about who you are
250–650 words
Your first review is free.
A score you can actually trust
Every part is grounded in how admissions officers judge an essay, so you know exactly what to fix before you submit.
Graded on real admissions criteria
Every essay type gets its own rubric, built around what admissions officers actually look for. You get a score out of 100, broken down by category.
- Separate rubrics for Common App, UC, and supplementals
- Fixed criteria, so every draft is judged the same way
Specificity is dragging the score down. The reader sees summaries, not moments. Add the scene behind each claim and this number climbs.
Pinpoints everything holding your essay back
Every issue in your essay is flagged and explained, so you understand exactly what’s wrong and why. Nothing slips through before you submit.
- Clear explanation for every flagged line
- Covers structure, flow, specificity, and content
I joined the robotics team in tenth grade, mostly because a friend needed one more person to fill the roster.
For the first month I mostly handed people tools and tried to look useful in the corner of the lab.
Through hard work and teamwork, I grew into someone more confident and capable. Reader stalls here Telling instead of showing. Give the moment, not the summary.
By junior year I was running the build schedule and arguing with seniors about gear ratios.
That is when I understood what it meant to be responsible for something other people depended on.
Shows you exactly how to fix it
For every issue, you get exact guidance on how to improve it: what to cut, what to expand, and how to rewrite it in your own voice.
- Specific fixes, not generic writing advice
- Know what to change and how to change it
Through hard work and teamwork, I grew into someone more confident and capable.
At two in the morning, with the drivetrain still shredding belts, I realized nobody was coming to fix it for us.
Ready to Find Out Your Score?
If you don’t know what’s wrong, you can’t fix it. Our grader shows you exactly what to improve, instantly.
How the LumiSource Scoring Engine works
Your essay is read against a fixed rubric, then scored out of 100. The criteria are built around published admissions guidance on what separates strong essays from forgettable ones, so the score reflects substance, structure, and voice, not surface-level grammar.
Methodology last updated August 2026
Supports every college essay type
A "Why Us?" essay is judged completely differently than a personal statement, so instead of one generic checklist, the engine grades each essay on a rubric built for that exact prompt. Use LumiSource for every draft in your application (updated for the 2026-2027 cycle).
Want a full free review too? Get a full AI college essay review here.
| Essay type | Typical prompt | What the rubric rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Personal statement (Common App Essay) | "Share a story that reveals who you are." | Authentic reflection, a voice that sounds like you, and a moment of real insight. |
| "Why Us?" (why this college) | "Why do you want to attend [School]?" | Specific, verifiable knowledge of the school and a fit only you could write. |
| "Why Major?" (why this program) | "Why do you want to study [major]?" | A credible origin of the interest and proof you have pursued it, not just enthusiasm. |
| UC Personal Insight Questions (PIQ) | "Describe an example of your leadership experience." | A focused, specific answer within the 350-word limit that shows real impact, not a broad life story. |
| Extracurricular / activity | "Elaborate on an activity that matters to you." | Your real role, concrete impact, and why it mattered, not a résumé in sentences. |
| Community / background | "How has your background shaped you?" | A specific community and what you contribute to it, beyond labels. |
| Challenge / obstacle | "Describe a challenge and what you learned." | Growth and reflection, not the hardship itself. |
| Intellectual curiosity | "Describe an idea or topic that captivates you." | Genuine depth of thought and how you engage ideas, not name-dropping. |
| Short-answer supplements | "Name a favorite book, quote, or activity, in a few words." | Specificity and personality under a tight word count. |
What your score means
Every essay lands in one of six bands, so you know exactly where your draft stands.
Students who used it, and got in
Real students who scored, revised, and submitted their essays with LumiSource.
"SENIORS!! Listen when I say this. You really only do get one shot, and I almost wasted mine. I was already pretty confident in my essays and was about to submit, but I used Lumi last minute just to make sure I wasn't missing anything. It ended up catching multiple red flags that I never would've seen. If I hadn't upgraded and checked all my essays, I definitely would've regretted it, and honestly, that would've cost me way more in the long run. Hands down the best decision I made and I am thankful every day I did."
"Everyone says they'll 'review your essay,' but no one actually tells you what's wrong with it. The feedback it gave me felt kinda harsh at first, but that's what made it so useful. My final draft was completely different, and way better."
"Honestly started using Lumi at the beginning because a friend who graduated last year told me about it. Ended up using it for everything (managing my college list, keeping track of deadlines, organizing all my essays, reviewing my essays etc). My favorite feature has to be the application evaluation thing though. It showed me how my whole app looked for each school and what my strengths and weaknesses were which was really helpful. I recommend Lumi to literally everyone now. It just made the whole process way easier and I don't know what I would do without it."
"LumiSource was honestly the best thing I used for my college apps. What really made a difference for me was the Essay Review feature. It didn't just sugarcoat things like other tools I've tried. The feedback was brutally honest, but that's exactly what I needed to really improve my essays. It actually helped me make my writing better instead of just giving me vague advice. If you're struggling with your essays or are aiming for top schools, I'd 100% recommend using this."
"I submitted my first essay, got solid feedback and I thought I was good. But I ended up upgrading and submitting a couple more just to check and be safe, and thank God I did. A couple of my Harvard essays were nowhere near as ready as I thought, and it showed me exactly what to fix so I could rewrite them. Looking back, if I had sent the originals, I don't think I would've gotten in. LumiSource literally changed my life!!"
"I didn't think I needed anything to help with apps at first, but once I tried Lumi it just made everything easier. I'd be switching between like 10 tabs before and now I just had everything in one spot. Definitely a huge lifesaver if you're applying to a bunch of schools. Not to mention I was obsessed with the review tools. Kept refining my essays and application till they were perfect."
Academic integrity
Is using an essay grader cheating? No.
LumiSource is a feedback tool, not a writing service. You submit an essay you wrote yourself, and LumiSource scores it and shows you the specific lines and gaps holding it back. It is the same kind of guidance a teacher or counselor would give, and every suggestion is yours to accept, change, or ignore.
LumiSource never writes or generates essays for you, and does not complete academic work on a student's behalf. You remain the sole author of everything you submit. Getting feedback on your own writing is a normal, honest part of revising, and that is the only thing LumiSource does. You always remain responsible for following the guidance your school and the colleges you apply to give on outside help.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have any more questions? Contact our support team to get what you need.
info@lumisource.io