Applying to the Annenberg School for Communication
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Important Dates
- August: The Annenberg School begins accepting submissions for the following fall
term (13 months hence).
- November 1: GRE and TOEFL exams should be complete (see below for checklist).
- December 15: All applications must be submitted and COMPLETE.
- April 1: Last date for the School to notify you about admission decisions.
We encourage candidates to complete the application process as early as possible
in the academic year.
Our application system will re-open in August.
Questions? Please contact
admissions@asc.upenn.edu
Requirements and Instructions
An application is considered complete when we have received all of the following
items no later than December 15 (incomplete applications will not be reviewed):
Please have each recommender's contact information (including email address and
phone number) ready when you log on to begin your application.
- Our application system will send your recommenders a request
for the recommendation from your e-mail address. Please ask each recommender to
attach your letter as a Word or Adobe PDF file using your first and last name as
the file name. In September you will be able to log back in to see
the status of this requirement.
- If any of your recommenders prefers to provide a hard copy letter instead of using
email, please request that the document be mailed to our admissions office (address
below under Transcripts) before the deadline of December 15.
- Your recommenders should be three persons familiar with your abilities and scholarly
work, including if possible at least two major professors.
- Please DO NOT provide more than three letters of recommendation.
The statement of purpose should discuss your potential research area or topic with
the Annenberg School for Communication faculty or
research centers. Please detail how your academic and professional background,
interests, and preparation in the social sciences, the humanities and other studies
support your research topic. The statement should also address the question of what
career objectives an Annenberg degree would help you realize. The statement should
be double spaced and must not exceed 1,000 words.
- The file should be a Word or Adobe pdf file and titled: “Statement” with
the addition of your first and last name. You will attach it to the online
application. OR
- Please e-mail the file from the e-mail account you used for your application
to admissions@asc.upenn.edu
A CV or Resume should include references to major research projects, thesis and
other scholarly papers and accomplishments.
- The file should be a Word or Adobe pdf file and titled: “CV” with the addition
of your first and last name. You will attach it to the online application.
Applicants are required to have taken the Graduate Record Examination Aptitude Test
(GRE) before they can be considered for admission. This is a University of Pennsylvania
requirement which we cannot waive.
- GRE scores are only valid and reportable for five years from the test date.
- The ETS code for the Annenberg School at Penn is (2023) on the request form.
- Please arrange for us to receive an official report of your general GRE test scores
before the application deadline of December 15.
- Applicants should allow at least six weeks for the GRE scores to be processed and
received. Information about the GRE may be obtained from the Educational Testing
Service, P.O. Box 6000, Princeton, NJ 08541-6000,
http://www.gre.org/ttindex.html.
Tests for Non-Native Speakers of English
Applicants for whom English is a second language are required to take either the
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Testing
System (IELTS).The receipt of a baccalaureate or master's degree from a U.S. college
or university does not exempt the applicant from submitting official test scores.
- The TOEFL is administered by the Educational testing Service (ETS). We will accept
only official score reports provided directly by ETS. Scores are valid for two years.
You must request that an official report of your scores be sent to The Annenberg
School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania.
- Please use the ETS Code for the Annenberg School at Penn (2023) on the request form.
- For TOEFL test dates, locations and other registration information, please contact:
TOEFL, P. O. Box 6151, Princeton, NJ 08541- 6151.ADD or visit
http://www.toefl.org/TOEFL
- The IELTS is jointly managed by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge
ESOL), British Council and IDP Education Australia: IELTS Australia. For information
about testing sites in your area please visit the official website at:
http://www.ielts.org
Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work are required. Transcripts
should be sent directly to The Annenberg School for Communication.
Personal copies are not considered official, nor are "attested" or notarized copies.
Nevertheless, it is to your advantage to include a paper copy of your transcripts
in your Admission Packet. This helps us to verify your scores quickly, should there
be any delay in receiving the official transcripts.
Mail should be directed to:
The Annenberg School for Communication Admissions Office
University of Pennsylvania
3620 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6220
- Payment may be made online via credit card or via mail (address above) by check
or money order (payable to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania).
- International applicants applying from abroad who are not using credit cards should
provide a $70 check drawn on a U.S. bank or international postal money order.
- Any applicant whose financial situation makes it impossible to meet this requirement,
please let us know and we will consider underwriting the fee from a special fund
set up by the Ambassadors Annenberg for this purpose.
- Application fee checks not honored by the bank will be assessed an additional $25
returned check charge. A replacement money order or certified check for $95 ($70
application fee and $25 returned check charge) will be required to prevent interruption
in the application's processing.
You can submit whatever you feel best displays your scholarly writing ability.
The sample must not exceed 10 pages, double spaced, and may be an excerpt from a
larger work. Please mail writing sample to address above.