PhD Applications Communication Studies Fall 2025 Cycle

[CLudmila]

7 hours ago, Martyna said:

Hi, there! I am also an international student! Where are you from? 😁 It's always hard to find international applicants on those forums. Are you applying straight from undergraduate or do you hold masters as well? 

Hello, Martyna! I hope you are having a good day. I am from Chile and am applying after getting a master's degree and professional experience. I am currently working as a professor at the School of Communication in some local universities. Where are you from? Best!

[Martyna]

55 minutes ago, CLudmila said:

Hello, Martyna! I hope you are having a good day. I am from Chile and am applying after getting a master's degree and professional experience. I am currently working as a professor at the School of Communication in some local universities. Where are you from? Best!

I'm from Poland, but completed higher education in the UK where I've been working for the past few years. Sounds like you have amazing experience! I wish I could work in the education sector too, fingers crossed it will be possible after PhD (if I get accepted) 😅🤞

[Kurt93]

Hi there, has anyone heard from Uof Oregon?

[ninalang]

Hi @Kurt93, I'm waiting too! I haven't heard from UO yet.

[Kurt93]

I hope we’ll get an acceptance mail soon. 🤞🏻 @ninalang Do you know how the process works, will there be an interview first or offers and rejections notified directly? I'm international and things are a bit different in the UK

Edited January 2 by Kurt93

[Martyna]

1 minute ago, Kurt93 said:

I hope we’ll get an acceptance mail soon. 🤞🏻 @ninalang Do you know how the process works, will there be an interview first or offers and rejections notified directly? I’m international and things are a bit different in the UK 

Hi there! Also applying from the UK. Last year, I got an interview at the University of Oregon. They sent an invitation around the 9th of January if I remember correctly, and I had an interview around the 20th of January. After about 2.5 weeks, I received my rejection. 

[Kurt93]

Thank you for your answer @Martyna If you applied this year, I hope you will be accepted

[Martyna]

Just now, Kurt93 said:

Thank you for your answer @Martyna If you applied this year, I hope you will be accepted

Thank you so much and good luck to you too! 🤞

[colorvegas]

Hey! I saw on the results page that someone got accepted to UConn today. Was this any of you? If not, have any of you applied to UConn and heard back?

[CLudmila]

Hello everyone, I saw that the admissions for the PhD in Communication at Cornell University have been updated. If anyone has received a response, was it by email? How did they communicate your status? Thank you in advance. I wish you the best in your process.

[letsdothisss]

56 minutes ago, CLudmila said:

Hello everyone, I saw that the admissions for the PhD in Communication at Cornell University have been updated. If anyone has received a response, was it by email? How did they communicate your status? Thank you in advance. I wish you the best in your process.

I saw the following image on reddit (uploaded 7 hours ago), so presumably it was through an email?

 https://preview.redd.it/over-260-applications-for-cornells-communication-phd-program-v0-wo7wwdzvqfbe1.png?width=1477&format=png&auto=webp&s=11beecdf94bb3ea5fe7ef9dc919189d2f5bc913d

[CLudmila]

32 minutes ago, letsdothisss said:

I saw the following image on reddit (uploaded 7 hours ago), so presumably it was through an email?

 https://preview.redd.it/over-260-applications-for-cornells-communication-phd-program-v0-wo7wwdzvqfbe1.png?width=1477&format=png&auto=webp&s=11beecdf94bb3ea5fe7ef9dc919189d2f5bc913d

Thank you! 

Edited Tuesday at 04:20 AM by CLudmila
Make it shorter.

[colorvegas]

Does anyone have any thoughts on why some people would receive decisions on their applications and not others?

[CLudmila]

11 minutes ago, colorvegas said:

Does anyone have any thoughts on why some people would receive decisions on their applications and not others?

I think that this admission process is becoming highly competitive. From the link shared by @letsdothisss, I read that application rates have increased in many fields, including Communication.

Factors that may influence quicker decisions could include:

1. A strong match with a professor’s project or prior work

2. Funding (arriving with a scholarship)

3. In cases of rejection, failure to meet basic admission requirements, or not being able to demonstrate alignment with the department's research interests, or even, possibly having a very junior profile, lacking experience or outstanding metrics. 

But every university and program is a unique world. I hope the best to everyone. 

 

Edited Tuesday at 04:34 PM by CLudmila
Spelling.

[Martyna]

37 minutes ago, colorvegas said:

Does anyone have any thoughts on why some people would receive decisions on their applications and not others?

Yes. They're sending acceptance decisions to the best candidates, they won't send all the rejections straight away though. If they offered 10 spots to the best applicants, they are waiting for people to respond, once someone rejects them, they'll make an offer to another person who wasn't their first choice but still a strong fit. This is how they usually work their way down the silent waitlist, not every program does official waitlists. This is why sometimes you will hear about your decision in May, some people even in August! 

[colorvegas]

Just received an acceptance email from the University of Delaware. Surprisingly very quick, I submitted my application on Jan. 5th. I also received information about funding/assistantship.

[Martyna]

21 hours ago, colorvegas said:

Just received an acceptance email from the University of Delaware. Surprisingly very quick, I submitted my application on Jan. 5th. I also received information about funding/assistantship.

Congratulations!! You're on a winning streak this cycle! Out of curiosity, what's your background? You must have outstanding experience and awards with so many acceptance letters! 👏🎊

[colorvegas]

6 minutes ago, Martyna said:

Congratulations!! You're on a winning streak this cycle! Out of curiosity, what's your background? You must have outstanding experience and awards with so many acceptance letters!👏🎊

Hi! Thank you very much. I have a lot of quantitative research experience. I am currently a Masters student finishing up my degree (GPA- 3.92) I have presented 3 papers at NCA. I also have qualitative coding experience outside the field of communication which I am 2nd author on a paper that is about to be published. I also think my personal statement was very compelling with the story I told and how it has motivated me to become a researcher in the field of communication. If you have any other specific questions, feel free to ask!

[Martyna]

8 minutes ago, colorvegas said:

Hi! Thank you very much. I have a lot of quantitative research experience. I am currently a Masters student finishing up my degree (GPA- 3.92) I have presented 3 papers at NCA. I also have qualitative coding experience outside the field of communication which I am 2nd author on a paper that is about to be published. I also think my personal statement was very compelling with the story I told and how it has motivated me to become a researcher in the field of communication. If you have any other specific questions, feel free to ask!

This all sounds so impressive! Well done! I don't have as much research experience, so I'm starting to worry 😅 the waiting period is so stressful 😫 

[colorvegas]

25 minutes ago, Martyna said:

This all sounds so impressive! Well done! I don't have as much research experience, so I'm starting to worry 😅 the waiting period is so stressful 😫 

I am crossing my fingers for you! How many places have you applied?

[Martyna]

28 minutes ago, colorvegas said:

I am crossing my fingers for you! How many places have you applied?

11 total, I saw some people applying to 20+ but I just wanted to apply to the ones where I genuinely want to go and see the fit. Maybe I should have opened myself to more opportunities? 

[CLudmila]

21 hours ago, Martyna said:

11 total, I saw some people applying to 20+ but I just wanted to apply to the ones where I genuinely want to go and see the fit. Maybe I should have opened myself to more opportunities? 

Hi, Martyna! From my perspective, if you are distributing your chances (top, target, and safeties), your number is quite good. It's hard work and demands a lot of money, too. I am applying to 16 PhD in Communication programs + 3 in another related field because I got a scholarship as an international student, and I NEED to be accepted during this cycle. This time is stressful, and it is plenty of anxiety, but keep the hope. Good luck! Best!