CUNY Graduate School of Journalism Application Checklist

Application Deadline for Fall 2013 Admission: January 4, 2013

All application materials should be mailed to:

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

• CUNY Graduate Center Online Application including:
• Personal Statement
  • In 1,000 words or fewer, tell us about your personal background, professional interests, strengths and perceived weaknesses, why you are interested in the CUNY J-school, and what you hope to gain from studying at CUNY’s Graduate School of Journalism.

• Academic Transcripts
  We require official transcripts from all academic institutions attended even if you did not enroll in courses in your field.
• Three Letters of Recommendation
  Please list the email address and contact information for three recommenders. 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 each recommender. Please notify the individuals from whom you request references that they must submit the recommendation online. Your recommenders may include professors, editors, employers, community leaders, or any other non-family individual who can appraise your academic, personal, or professional achievements and can speak to your journalistic potential.
• Current One-Page Resume
• Three Work Samples
  A minimum of three work samples must be submitted, two of these must be writing samples. Work samples can include published news clips, academic papers, or unpublished writing (a maximum of five pages for each written work sample).  One of the three required samples may be an audio/video file, a blog or Web site . Audio/Video files must be submitted via web link. If you are submitting hard copies of your work samples, each sample must be clearly labeled with your name and date of birth, and these will not be returned. Please mail the hard copies to the Graduate Center Office of Admissions 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016.  If you prefer to email the writing samples, please scan your work samples and send them by email to admissions@gc.cuny.edu, and copy stephen.dougherty@journalism.cuny.edu, and colleen.marshall@journalism.cuny.edu on the email.
• Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
• To schedule a test date, please visit http://www.gre.org. Scores should be sent to CUNY’s Graduate Center, Code 2113. It takes about 14 days for your official scores to reach us, so make sure your test date will allow enough time for us to receive the scores by the application deadline.
• Admissions Entrance Exam
  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. Please check out our sample exams.  For applicants in the New York Metro area, there will be several weekday and weekend test dates in December and January on our campus. For applicants who are overseas or who are outside of New York, testing can be arranged with a proctor of your choosing. A proctor may be a professor, supervisor, colleague, librarian, or local testing center. Information on registering for the exam will be sent out by email in December and testing will take place through the end of January. If you haven’t received the email by mid-December, please email admissions@journalism.cuny.edu
• Interview
  More information about scheduling an interview will be sent out by email in December and testing will take place through the end of January. For applicants who are overseas or who are outside of New York, phone or skype video interviews can be arranged. If you haven’t received the email by mid-December, please email admissions@gc.cuny.edu.
• Optional Video: Applicants are invited to produce and upload a 1-3 minute video to provide additional insight into you, as a person and as a candidate, for the J-School Admissions Committee. The content of the video is entirely up to you. It must be available on an easily accessible website, such as YouTube, and must be provided only in the form of a URL link.  Please submit the video link via email to Stephen Dougherty <stephen.dougherty@journalism.cuny.edu> and Colleen Marshall <colleen.marshall@journalism.cuny.edu>. Deadline for submission of the video is January 25, 2013.
• Signature Page
  This form is the last step in the on-line application, and it is made available to you once you submit the application. It must be downloaded and mailed with your supporting materials.
• Application Fee ($65)
  Payments can be made with check or money order payable to: The Graduate Center. (Please note candidates to the Journalism School should disregard the $125 application fee listed on the Graduate Center’s website.)

International Applicants

International applicants should submit original post-secondary documents. If you attended an institution where the language of instruction is not English, all documents must be accompanied by certified English translations. Documents cannot be returned. Recommendation letters written in languages other than English must also be translated by certified English translation services. You should provide translations of work samples written in languages other than English.

If you attended an institution where the language of instruction is not English, you are required to submit the TOEFL along with the other requirements in the application checklist.

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
  If the international applicant’s undergraduate institution was not taught in English, they are required to take the TOEFL in addition to the GRE. Please note the minimum score requirement on the TOEFL Computer-Based Test (CBT) is 260, and the Internet-Based Test (iBT) is 105. To schedule a test date, call 1-800-GO-TOEFL or visit http://www.toefl.org.

Financial Aid

Financial Aid Forms for applicants who wish to be considered for federal loans and/or need-based scholarships:

• Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
  FAFSA must be filed with the U.S. Department of Education on or before March 1, 2013.
• Federal Direct Loan Application is needed if you are applying for federal loans. The 2013-2014 application will become available in Spring 2013.