The GRE has been waived for Master’s Program applicants through 2026.
Application Deadlines
The 2025 admissions deadlines are as follows:
- Fall admission -- April 1
- Spring admission -- November 1
- Summer admission -- March 1
- Doctoral program -- December 15
Application Requirements
All applicants for master's and doctoral programs in FSU's School of Communication must satisfy university requirements as well as departmental requirements.
Florida State University Graduate Admission Requirements
- Complete and submit the University Admissions Office's Online Application Form.
- Pay a non-refundable application fee of $30. Application packets will not be reviewed until the fee has been paid.
- Submit a completed Residency Affidavit. All applicants must submit this form, which is completed online.
- Arrange for an official transcript from each college or university attended to be sent to the Office of Admissions. Transcripts may be sent digitally, but must come directly from the institutions attended. An unofficial transcript may be uploaded for the School of Communication for review.
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CURRENTLY THE GRE IS NOT REQUIRED FOR ADMISSION
<!-- Take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and request scores to be sent to FSU. We will accept the general GRE test, including the verbal and quantitative sections, if it was on file with the FSU's Admissions office by January 1, 2003. Otherwise, you must take the new GRE test, which contains verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing. There will be no exceptions to this rule. Go to the Educational Testing Service Web site for more information.
NOTE: As of July 8, 2019, the GRE requirement will be waived for outstanding Master's applicants meeting at least ONE of the following criteria:
- A completed Master's, JD, MD, PhD, or other comparable terminal degree with a GPA of 3.0 or higher from a North American accredited institution.
- Five years of professional communication-related experience and a 3.0 or higher upper‐division undergraduate GPA from a North American accredited institution.
- FSU undergraduate communication majors (main campus) with an upper‐division communication GPA of 3.6 or higher and an overall GPA of 3.6 or higher.
Applicants must provide evidence to satisfy the criteria being applied. To request a waiver, complete the online Entrance Exam Waiver Request Form. Applicants with a competitive GRE score will still be able to apply to the program and will not be held to these additional criteria.
Otherwise, the minimum GRE scores for potential Master's students are 148 for the Verbal component and 144 for the Quantitative component; however, the GRE is just one aspect of the overall file. All application materials are reviewed holistically, and strong consideration is given to other components such as GPA, personal statement, letters of recommendation, related field experience, etc.
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School of Communication Graduate Admission Requirements
In addition to the university requirements listed above, all Communication graduate program applicants must meet the School of Communication requirements listed below. You do not need to submit a separate School application; your university application specifies a program within the School of Communication to which you are applying. Admission is competitive; meeting the following requirements does not guarantee admission, only consideration.- An excellent undergraduate academic record, from accredited universities, to include a minimum 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale). In addition, doctoral applicants should have a minimum of a 3.3 in their master's degree work.
- Three letters of recommendation.
- A personal statement to be evaluated for its clarity of expression, creativity and persuasiveness in arguing that (1) the applicant has the necessary record of preparation and performance to succeed in the program; (2) the applicant’s goals can be served by the program’s courses and experiences; (3) the program itself can benefit significantly from the applicant’s talent and experiences; and (4) the applicant will enrich the diversity of students in his or her program. In making these arguments, please address the following questions specifically:
- What are your career goals; that is, what do you plan to be doing in five years and in 10 years?
- Why have you chosen to apply to our master's or doctoral program?
- What experiences and competencies make you a strong candidate for our program (research skills, computer literacy, teaching experience, awards, etc.)?
- A resume or writing sample (optional for master's students; required for doctoral students).
Additional requirements for international students:
- Provide proof of proficiency in both spoken and written English language: An international applicant whose native language is not English, or who has not completed a degree at an English-language university, must have taken the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) exam (or FSU Graduate School approved alternative test) within the past five years. The Educational Testing Service administers this test. For more information: ets.org/toefl
- Provide Certification of Financial Responsibility. This required form may be downloaded online or requested from the university. NOTE: The completed CFR is submitted to the International Center. Instructions and address are on the form.