How to Apply

Please complete the CUNY Graduate Center’s Online Application.

The following documents MUST be uploaded to your application. DO NOT submit hard copies to the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism or the CUNY Graduate Center.

• Current One-page Resume
• Personal Statement

In no more than 1,000 words, tell us about your personal background and your interests. Since journalism is not for the faint of heart, please explain what draws you to the profession, what subjects you’d like to shine a light on, and what you hope to gain from studying at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.

• Academic Transcripts

We require transcripts from all academic institutions attended.

Unofficial transcripts can be uploaded to the online application. If you are admitted, official transcripts will be required prior to registration in August.

• Letters of Recommendation

All M.A. programs require three letters of recommendation; the Advanced Certificate requires one.

When you complete your online application, you will be asked for the email address of each recommender and our application system will send an email directly to that individual. The recommender is asked to upload a personal letter of recommendation and to answer one question: Do they recommend the applicant?

Your recommenders may include professors, editors, employers, community leaders, or any non-family individual who can appraise your academic, personal, or professional achievements and speak to your journalistic potential.

• Clips/Writing Samples

We require three writing samples. One multimedia sample can be submitted in lieu of one of the writing samples. Work samples must be non-fiction, a maximum of five pages each, and can include published news clips, academic papers, or unpublished writing.

To upload your writing samples, put them into PDF form and load them all as one file with a clear delineation between the samples.

Audio and video files must be submitted via a web link listed on the online application that directs the committee to a site where you have hosted your work.

IMPORTANT: Spanish-language concentration applicants must include at least one clip or writing sample in Spanish and one in English.

Payments can be made by check or money order.

Make check or money order payable to “The Graduate Center” and send it to:

The Graduate Center – Office of Admissions
365 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10016-4309

*An application fee waiver is available to graduates of CUNY schools or those who have graduated by the time they enroll in the CUNY J-School.

Please complete the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism’s Supplemental Application.

*NOT required for Advanced Certificate of Entrepreneurial Journalism applicants.

The admissions exam is designed to give us an idea of your interest in current affairs, your analytical and editing skills, and your ability to write clearly and concisely in a timed environment.  Check out some of our past entrance exams.

Exam registration information will be sent by email, and testing will take place shortly after the deadline to submit your application. Please email admissions@journalism.cuny.edu to be added to our email list.

For applicants in the New York Metro area, there will be several weekday and weekend test dates from January through mid-February on our campus.

For applicants who are overseas or outside of New York and are unable to complete the exam at the school, testing can be arranged with a proctor of your choosing. A proctor may be a professor, supervisor, colleague, librarian, or local testing center. Please have your proctor email admissions@journalism.cuny.edu with the date and time you will take your exam, and we will send instructions and the link to the exam by email.

*NOT every candidate for the Advanced Certificate of Entrepreneurial Journalism will be interviewed.

We will send out information about scheduling an interview after you submit your application. Please email admissions@journalism.cuny.edu to be added to our email list.

For applicants who are overseas or outside of New York and are unable to be interviewed at the school, phone or Skype video interviews can be arranged.

*NOT required for Advanced Certificate of Entrepreneurial Journalism applicants.

TOEFL or IELTS scores are required for all applicants who have not studied and earned a degree in the U.S., United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, or Australia and ALSO for students from Puerto Rico and non-English territories in Canada.

Minimum required TOEFL score is 105 (CBT) and IELTS score is 7.5.

A 1-3 minute personal video.