Undergraduate Admissions
Undergraduate
Admissions
Overview & Degrees
Your Digital Media Career Starts Here
Whether your dream job is to report the latest breaking news, create your own screenplay or develop the biggest ad or promotion for the Super Bowl, your career pathway starts here!
How Do I Get In?
Students who wish to come to Grady College must first apply to the University of Georgia. Applications to Grady College are accepted each fall and spring semesters.
Choose From Four Majors
Advertising
Enroll in a top-5 nationally ranked program preparing students for careers in the field of advertising.
Entertainment & Media Studies
Innovate through skills and conceptual courses for careers in film and television entertainment.
Journalism
Preparing students in audio, visual and written communications for careers in the digital media world.
Public Relations
Learn the essential skills in traditional and new media for effective communication in the 21st century.
Visit Us for Academic and Career Advising Support
Grady College advisors work closely with you each semester to support your academic success. Make your appointment for advising in SAGE. Our dedicated Career Consultant is available for in-person, phone, and virtual career coaching appointments. To schedule an appointment, please do so through your Handshake account.
Applying to Grady
Below are details on Grady College’s eligibility criteria, application process and application deadlines.
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.
- Be in good academic standing during the semester of application (cumulative UGA GPA of at least 2.0).
- 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) Click here for the Online Application.
2) Sign up to complete your statement of interest through the University Testing Center.
Deadline To Start Spring 2025:
Application Opens: April 15, 2024
Application Deadline: August 30, 2024, at 5 p.m.
Future Deadlines
Applications open at these same times every semester.
Fall Semester: Applications open at 8 a.m. on April 15 and close at 5 p.m. on Friday of the second full week of classes.
Spring Semester: Applications open at 8 a.m. on Nov. 15 and close at 5 p.m. on Friday of the second full week of classes.
Students who are accepted through the fall semester application process begin their Grady majors the following spring; students accepted through the spring semester application process may begin their Grady majors the following fall.
Apply Today
Your digital media career starts here. Choose from four majors: Advertising, Entertainment and Media Studies, Journalism and Public Relations.
Frequently asked questions
No! However, Communication Studies is a major offered through Franklin College.
We do not offer minors in Grady, but we do offer certificate programs.
Certificate programs are similar to minors, but they usually require more classes and are usually interdisciplinary. We offer certificates in New Media, Sports Media, Public Affairs, Strategic Health & Risk Communication and News Literacy currently.
No, we are a high-demand school. We can only offer admission to one major per student. However, we do encourage double majoring OUTSIDE of Grady- for example, marketing and advertising.
You must have your core curriculum in-progress to completion before you can apply to Grady, so take some time to explore your different options. Take JRLC 1001 Career Explorations in Mass Communication and Journalism sometime during your freshman year to help give you more insight into what major would be best for your skillset.
Once you are close to completing 24 hours of credit in Areas I-V of UGA ‘s General Education Core Curriculum, you will apply during a Fall or Spring application cycle.
The application process consists of a very short online application and a two-page statement of interest written at the UGA Testing Center.
Once your 24 hours in Areas I-V are complete or in-progress to completion, you can apply. Your application timeline will depend on how much credit you are bringing into UGA.
75% of your application is your grades in the 23 hours from Areas I-V of the core.
25% is the written statement of interest about why you are applying for your intended-major that is taken at the UGA Testing Center.
Acceptance is not guaranteed. It is always a good idea to have a back-up plan in mind just in case.
Use your freshman year to explore all of the different programs the University offer; there are tons to choose from.
We have tons of student organizations and professional activities you can join before you are accepted into your major. 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 to explore majors.
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 big—around 100-150 students. However, once you get into your major classes will be around 20 students typically.
Honors Intended Grady Students
Eligibility
To apply for acceptance to a Grady College major, students must do the following:
- Have Areas I-V of the core curriculum complete or be in-progress to completion during the application semester.
- Be in good standing in the Honors Program.
Admissions Process
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 April 15.
- The online application takes only a few minutes to complete.
- The application will ask you to list three majors and rank them in order of preference. UGA students in good standing with the Honors College who apply to a Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication major are guaranteed their first choice of a first (primary) major with the Grady College.
- Honor students are not required to write a statement of interest which is required of non-Honors students.
Timeline
All Grady majors are four-semester programs, not including the semester of application and or summers. All students must commit to spending four semesters in Grady after the semester of application to complete major coursework. If this timeline is not possible for financial or other reasons, students should consider major options outside of Grady College.
Please let your advisor and the Director of Undergraduate Services know if you plan to defer acceptance or study abroad during your first semester in a Grady major.
Start Your Next Chapter
Are you considering transferring to UGA to pursue a degree at Grady College? Here’s what you need to know:
Step 1:
You must be accepted to and enrolled at the University of Georgia before you can apply to Grady. For more information about transfer eligibility, deadlines and the application itself, visit the UGA Transfer Applicants website.
Step 2:
Determine if you are eligible to apply to Grady College. The eligibility requirements include: in-progress to completion or completion of Areas I-V of the UGA core curriculum (completing Areas A-E of the core at any University System of Georgia Institution also satisfies this requirement); and a minimum 2.80 overall GPA and good academic standing. Grady College has fall and spring Admissions cycles.
Step 3:
If eligible, complete the application process during the first two weeks of the semester you enter UGA. The application process has two parts outlined below:
- Complete an online application. The application takes only a few minutes to complete. The application will ask you to list three majors and rank them in order of preference. Entertainment and Media Studies is our most competitive major along with Public Relations. EMST and PR can only be your first choice major if you are considering those majors.
- Write a Statement of Interest in the UGA Testing Center.
Step 4:
Wait to hear about admissions decisions. These decisions will occur mid-way through your application semester and you will be notified of these decisions via your UGA email account.
**When you transfer to UGA, you will begin as an Intended-Grady major in the Exploratory Center and will be advised by an Intended-Grady advisor. If you have met Grady’s eligibility requirements (listed in Step 2) you can apply during the first two weeks of your first semester.
Additional Information
All Grady majors are four-semester programs, not including the semester of application and summers. All students must commit to spending four semesters in Grady after the semester of application to complete major coursework. If this timeline is not possible, students should consider major options outside of Grady College.
Entertainment and Media Studies and Public Relations are our most competitive majors. They can only be your first choice major if you are considering those majors.
The UGA Writing Center offers free reviews of statements of interest to current UGA students.
Advising for new transfer students takes place during a one-day transfer orientation. Once accepted to UGA, you will receive information from the UGA Admissions Office about registering for transfer orientation.
All intended Grady students should sign up for the Intended-Grady listserv. Details about the Grady admissions process, student organizations, events at Grady College, job and internship postings and other student information are distributed through this listserv.
To learn more about UGA’s Resident Requirement for transfer students, visit UGA resident website.
To see how courses from your current institution will transfer to UGA, visit the UGA transfer equivalency website.
For questions about the application process to UGA, please contact the UGA Admission Office.
Visit Grady College
Prospective Student Day
Prospective Student Day is an opportunity for high school and transfer students and their parents to learn more about the College. Students will register for an in-person or Zoom session to hear from professors and students about experiential learning, eligibility and the Grady experience.
Fall 2024 Prospective Student Days
Please check back for dates
Double Dawgs
Double Dawgs is an initiative that encourages undergraduate students to start planning for their master’s degree while they are still in school.
Looking to Learn More?
For questions or to schedule an individual meeting, please feel free to contact our Prospective Student Advisor, Marcella Genut.