In your statement, address each item below:

• In the first section, provide a brief statement that identifies your educational and professional goals, including the areas of interest you wish to pursue in Communication Studies and your interest in the Deliberative Practices Specialization (if applicable), limiting your response to 500 words.
• In the second section (if interested), to apply for a teaching assistantship, please indicate your interest and describe the skills and experience you have that are relevant to classroom teaching, limiting your response to 250 words.

In your statement, address each item below in a separate section:

• In the first section, describe your academic and professional goals, identify the area(s) of study in which you plan to specialize, and discuss how your goals and interests align with our program.
• In the second section, include a teaching statement that describes your teaching experience, your pedagogical philosophy, and the courses that you are qualified to teach and/or interested in teaching as a doctoral student.

The application fee is $70 for international students and $60 for U.S. citizens/permanent residents. The application fee is non-refundable.

While we do not offer free application days, there are specific circumstances under which an applicant may qualify for a fee waiver. These include:

• Graduates of U.S. land-grant institutions, including our CSU Alumni
• Graduates of Colorado institutions
• US Military – Veterans and Active Duty (documentation must be provided)
• Peace Corps (documentation must be provided)\
• AmeriCorps (documentation must be provided)
• Fulbright Student/Scholar – current and alumni (documentation must be provided)

If you don't meet one of these conditions, please keep in mind that we will not be able to provide a waiver on a case-by-case basis.

Yes, we accept unofficial transcripts as part of the application. However, if you receive a recommendation for admission, official transcripts will be required before final acceptance by the graduate school.

To submit official transcripts, contact your previous institutions to request that they send official transcripts to Colorado State University (use institution code 4075). Your institution can also send official transcripts directly to gradadmissions@colostate.edu.

For any documents that cannot be uploaded, submit paper copies directly to the Office of Admissions at:

Graduate Admissions
Colorado State University
1062 Campus Delivery
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1062

No, prospective candidates should not seek out a faculty advisor before submitting their applications. We encourage students to become acquainted with us and make advising decisions after they arrive and have the opportunity to get to know our faculty.

A four-year bachelor's degree is the minimum qualification for admission to a graduate program, and our graduate school requires a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0.

Students are exempt from the TOEFL or IELTS requirement if they are citizens of one of these countries OR if they have recently earned a degree at a university in the United States, OR if they have recently earned a degree from a university in one of these countries.

For other applicants, proof of proficiency is needed. The minimum acceptable English test scores are as follows:

TOEFL: 102 (Reading: 20, Listening: 22, Speaking: 25, Writing: 20) (pre-2026 scoring)

TOEFL: 5 (Reading: 4, Listening: 5, Speaking: 5, Writing: 4) (2026-present scoring)

IELTS: 7.5 (Reading: 6.5, Listening: 6.5, Speaking: 7.5, Writing: 6.0

Duolingo English Test (DET): 140

International students can request test centers to send score reports Colorado State University, using our institution code 4075. Photocopies will not be accepted.

No, we do not require the GRE for admission.

If you have not yet received your MA degree, we recommend applying for our MA program first. An MA degree is required for admission to our PhD program.

We offer teaching assistantships to all students who are admitted into our program. This assistantship covers tuition and provides a monthly stipend. Information about funding opportunities for MA students can be found at the bottom of this page: M.A. in Communication Studies - Communication Studies | Colorado State University (colostate.edu).

We offer teaching assistantships to all students who are admitted into our program. This assistantship covers tuition and provides a monthly stipend. Information about funding opportunities for PhD students can be found at the bottom of this page: Ph.D. in Communication - Communication Studies | Colorado State University (colostate.edu).

Guidelines for Students:[1]

Generative AI has become an increasingly common tool in academic and nonacademic spaces; however, the use of generative AI is not without significant challenges, including academic integrity concerns and ethical issues. As with all student work, it is essential that applicants prepare their materials in ways that are free from plagiarism, represent the author’s own voice, and authentically share the writer’s experiences, skills, background, and thought processes. The applicant should be the sole author of all materials submitted for review in the admissions process. Additionally, it is the responsibility of each applicant to familiarize themselves with any department- or program-specific guidelines regarding the use of generative AI in their application materials.

Specific Guidance for Students[2]:

Applicants should not represent the ideas or work of others, including work completed by generative AI, as their own. The ethical and appropriate use of generative AI in your application might include:

1. Using generative AI to search for guidance and general suggestions or information on the application process as well as to assist with research on programs and universities.
2. Using generative AI tools to review the grammar and spelling of application materials that you have substantively authored yourself.
3. Using generative Ai tools to aid and check translation of single words or phrases in application materials.

The unethical and inappropriate use of generative AI materials in graduate applications might include:

1. Using generative AI tools to complete outlines, drafts, or entire written products required in the application process. This includes (but is not limited to) directly copying and pasting content from generative AI output and submitting it as your own original work.
2. Using generative AI to translate substantial portions of your application materials from one language into English.
3. Using generative AI to fabricate technical skills, letters of recommendation, etc.

While this guidance is specific to generative AI, it mirrors similar ethical guidelines and expectations for how applicants might involve other people in the drafting and creation of their application materials. For example, you might ask an advisor to read and provide comments or suggestions on a statement of purpose; however, it would be inappropriate to ask an advisor or colleague to completely draft your personal statement.

[1] Materials in this section were adapted from resources published by the University of Minnesota (https://grad.umn.edu/guidance-generative-ai-graduate-education), Northwestern University (https://www.northwestern.edu/careers/grad-law-schools/using-ai.html), and the University of Michigan (https://rackham.umich.edu/admissions/applying/guidance-and-policies-related-to-use-of-genai-for-rackham-applicants/).

[2] Materials in this section were adapted from the University of Michigan (https://rackham.umich.edu/admissions/applying/guidance-and-policies-related-to-use-of-genai-for-rackham-applicants/).