Undergraduate Admissions

To be eligible to apply to a Grady College major, students must meet the following criteria:

• Be accepted and currently enrolled in classes at the University of Georgia.
• Be in-progress to completion or complete 24 hours in the General Education Core Curriculum (Areas I – V).
• Earn a 2.8 minimum overall GPA.
• Complete the online application during the posted application dates. The Spring application process opens each year on November 15; the Fall application process opens each year on April 15. The deadline to complete the online application and Statement of Interest is 5 p.m. on Friday of the second full week of classes each Spring and Fall semester.
• Complete a written statement of interest. The statement must be written at the UGA Testing Center.
  • Honors students are not required to complete a statement of interest.

The above criteria are minimum application requirements and do not guarantee admission to Grady College or to a particular major. Admission to Grady’s high-demand majors is highly competitive and acceptance is not guaranteed due to increasing interest in journalism and mass communication, the vibrant reputation of Grady College and the high quality of students who apply to study here.

Selection of applicants will be based on scores in the following areas:

• 75% Grades in the General Education curriculum
• 25% Score on the written Statement of Interest

The number of spaces available for new students varies by semester and is determined by the availability of teaching staff, classroom space, lab facilities and other resources for each major, as well as our commitment to helping students proceed efficiently through our four-semester programs.

A complete application includes both 1) the online application, and 2) the statement of interest.

1) Our application is available only during the open application timeline.

2) Sign up to complete your statement of interest through Accessibility and Testing.

The current application is open until August 29 at 5 p.m. Your online application and statement of interest must both be complete by the deadline.

Future Deadlines

Applications open at the same time each fall and spring semester.

Fall Semester Admission: Applications open at 8 a.m. on April 15th and close at 5 p.m. on the Friday of the second full week of classes in August.

Spring Semester Admission: Applications open at 8 a.m. on November 15th and close at 5 p.m. on Friday of the second full week of classes in January.

Students who are accepted through the fall semester application will begin their Grady major course work the following spring. Students who are accepted through the spring semester application process will begin their Grady majors the following fall semester.

Journalism, Advertising, Public Relations, Entertainment and Media Studies

Grady does not have a general mass communication major.

Communication Studies is a major offered through the Franklin College of Arts & Sciences.

We do not offer minors in Grady, however, there are several certificate programs.

Certificate programs are similar to minors, but they can require more classes and are often interdisciplinary.

Grady College offers certificates in New Media, Sports Media, Public Affairs, Strategic Health & Risk Communication and News Literacy.

No, students are not able to double major within Grady College. Our majors are high-demand and due to limited space in each major, we can only offer admission to one major per student.

You can apply to Grady when you have 24 hours in Areas I-V of the core curriculum complete or in progress to completion. Before you apply to a Grady major,  take some time to explore the different options.

Taking JRLC 1001- Career Explorations in Mass Communication and Journalism sometime during your first year will help togive you more insight into what major would be best for your skillset.

There are two application cycles each year, during the fall and the spring.

You are eligible to apply when you have 24 hours in Areas I-V of the core curriculum complete or in progress to completion.

The application process consists of an online application and a two page statement of interest written in the UGA Testing Center.

Students can apply to Grady once they have 24 hours complete or in progress to completion in Areas I – V of the Core Curriculum. Each student’s application timeline may be different depending on how much credit has been earned prior to enrolling at UGA. This is typically done your sophomore year, but your timeline may be different depending on how much credit you are bringing into UGA.

75% of the application score comes from an applicant’s GPA from 24 hours of course work in Areas I-V of the core.

25% comes from the score on an applicant’swritten statement of interest completed at the UGA Testing Center.

Admission to a Grady College major is not guaranteed. Space is limited in each major.

It is always a good idea to have a back-up plan in mind in case your application is not successful.

Use your first year to explore all the different programs the University offers- there are many options to choose from.

There are student organizations and professional activities you can join even in your first year.

Each major has a student organization associated with it that is available for you to join the moment you begin at UGA! We highly recommend you get involved early.

You can also take any intro class and JRLC 1001: Career Explorations in Mass Communication and Journalism

Many majors at UGA require an application. This helps solidify your interest in a specific program before you can begin.

Intro classes are usually fairly large- around 100-150 students. Major specific classes will typically be around 20 students.