Applying to the Annenberg School for Communication

Important Dates

We encourage candidates to complete the application process as early as possible in the academic year.

Questions?   Please contact admissions@asc.upenn.edu

Requirements and Instructions

Application Checklist

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.

Statement of Purpose

The statement of purpose should describe your academic and professional background, interests, and preparation in the social sciences, the humanities and other studies. It should also address the question of what career objectives an Annenberg degree would help you realize. Applicants are encouraged to discuss their potential research area or topic with the Annenberg School for Communication faculty or research centers. The statement should be double spaced and must not exceed 1,000 words.

Graduate Record Examination Aptitude (GRE)

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 can not waive.

Please arrange for us to receive an official report of your general GRE test scores before the application deadline of December 15.The ETS code for the Annenberg School at Penn is (2023) on the request form. GRE scores are only valid and reportable for five years from the test date.

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.

Transcripts

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.

Three letters of recommendation are required.

Our online application system, allows your recommenders to submit letters online. Please have each recommender's contact information (including email address) ready when you log on to begin your application. The online system will automatically generate an email message to each recommender and provide information for logging onto a secure web server to upload the recommendation letter.

If any of your recommenders prefers to provide a hard copy letter instead of using the online system, please request that the document be mailed to our admissions office (address below) 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.

CV or Resume is required

A CV or Resume should include references to major research projects, thesis and other scholarly papers and accomplishments.

Writing sample is optional

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 below.

Application fee in the amount of $70 is required

Payment may be made online via credit card or via mail by check or money order (payable to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania). Mail should be directed to:

The Annenberg School for Communication Admissions Office
University of Pennsylvania
3620 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6220

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.

NOTE: The Annenberg School is no longer accepting paper applications.
All applications must be made online.

Copyright 2006 The Annenberg School for Communication at University of Pennsylvania
3620 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 215.898.7041
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