The CUNY Graduate School of Journalism is preparing to welcome its largest and most diverse entering class ever when the 2015-16 academic year kicks off in August.
Some 120 students have enrolled in its core Master of Arts in Journalism degree program, 20% more than in any class in its history. And, for the first time, more than half of the students (52%) are persons of color or from other underrepresented minority groups.
“We are both delighted and humbled by the number of outstanding students who chose to pursue their journalism degree at the CUNY J-School,” Dean Sarah Bartlett said. “The results are a testament to the dedication and hard work of our admissions team — Director Colleen Marshall, Associate Director Maximo Patiño, and Assistant Director Sylvia Kovac — all of whom were newly appointed to their positions this year. Our faculty also generously contributed their time and energy to the school’s recruitment effort.”
The enrollment success reflects a surge in applications, which were roughly double that of last year. The decision to make the GRE exam optional instead of a requirement for admission may have helped to fuel that surge, as well as attract a slightly older cohort (average age of 27 vs. 26 in past years).
The school awarded more scholarship money this year based on both need and merit. For the first time, it gave out two full-tuition packages to members of the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
The NABJ award went to Nico Grant, community & events editor of the Harlem News and a graduate of CUNY’s Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College, with a B.A. in Media Studies. Colombian native Monica Espitia, a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke with a B.S. in Mass Communication-Journalism, was the winner of the NAHJ scholarship.
Here is the full profile of Class of 2016 students beginning the program in August 2015:
Total Enrollment
120 students
Percent Male
43%
Percent Female
57%
Percent Underrepresented Students
52%
Percent Non-New York State Residents (includes non-US citizens)
43%
Percent Students from CUNY and SUNY Schools
17% CUNY
8% SUNY
Average Age
27
Age Range
20- 54 years old
Average Undergraduate GPA
3.4
Sampling of Undergraduate Institutions Represented
Barnard College, Brown University, City College of New York, Brooklyn College, College of Maryland at College Park, Columbia University, DePaul University, Duke University, FIT, Florida A&M University, Fordham University, London School of Economics, McGill University, New York University, North Carolina A&T, Penn State University, Rice University, Rutgers University, Sarah Lawrence College, St. John’s University, Skidmore College, Syracuse University, SUNY Albany, SUNY Binghamton, SUNY ESF, Temple University, Tulane University, University of California-Davis, University of California Santa Cruz, University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of Michigan- Ann Arbor, University of Cincinnati, University of Southern Denmark, University of Scranton, University of Texas-El Paso, Wesleyan University, York College