Medill Admissions

Welcome MSJ Admitted Students!

Congratulations on your acceptance to the Medill at Northwestern University! This page is designed to help you begin the MSJ program in the Summer, Fall or Winter.

We will update this page frequently so please check back. Contact the Office of Graduate Admissions and Financial Aid if you have any questions.

Advice from MSJ Students
Want to find out why some of our current MSJ students chose Medill? View these videos that explore life at Medill, the Chicago newsroom experience, the Washington, DC program, and global journalism at Medill.

Activate Your NetID Account. You will receive your NetID and a temporary password with your admit packet. This will allow you to setup your Northwestern email account. It is very important for you to activate your account since this will become the preferred means of communication leading up to your arrival on campus.

Apply for Financial Aid. If you are eligible for and plan to apply for financial aid, complete all required documents and submit to the Medill Financial Aid Office. Please DO NOT submit an application for financial aid if you are waitlisted, even if you have been asked to consider an offer of admission for an alternate quarter of entry. You are not eligible to apply for financial aid until you have been formally admitted to Medill for a specific quarter of entry. International students are not eligible for financial aid and should not complete these forms.

Complete I-20 Form (international students only). The process for submitting your I-20 has changed since the original instructions were issued in your admissions letter. The International Office is now allowing students to email their I-20 Request Form directly to their office. For instructions on how to submit the form, click here.

Join the Admitted Student Facebook Page. New content will be added regularly to the Facebook page created exclusively for admitted students. Join the page to network with other newly admitted students and stay up to date on happenings at Medill.

Submit Your Deposit. To secure your seat in the class, please submit a non-refundable $500 tuition deposit to the Office of Graduate Admissions and Financial Aid by the date indicated on your admit letter. You can submit your deposit either by credit card or by check. View these instructions on how to submit your deposit.

Submit the Admission Health Record and Required Immunizations Form. You must complete the Admission Health Record and Required Immunizations Form and submit by these dates:

  • For Summer 2013 admitted students, this form is due by May 1, 2013.
  • For Fall 2013 admitted students, this form is due by July 1, 2013.
  • For Winter 2014 admitted students, this form is due by December 1, 2013.

The completed form must be sent to: Northwestern University Health Services, Health Information Management Services, 633 Emerson Street, Evanston, IL 60208. If you have questions, please visit NU-Health Information Management Services or contact them at 847.491.8100. Failure to submit this form will delay your registration.

Submit the Insurance Coverage Selection Form. You must complete the Insurance Coverage Selection Form to indicate whether you plan to enroll in the NU Student Plan or if you will waive coverage of the plan. (International students may not waive coverage and are required to enroll in Northwestern's student plan.)

  • For Summer 2013 admitted students, this form is due by July 8, 2013.
  • For Fall 2013 admitted students, this form is due by October 1, 2013.

The completed form must be mailed to: Northwestern University Health Services, 633 Emerson Street, Evanston, IL 60208. If you have questions, please visit NU-Student Health Insurance or contact them at 847.491.2113. Failure to submit this form will delay your registration.

Stay Tuned for More Information on Required Technical Equipment. Medill requires graduate students to bring a laptop, certain software, and some other tech equipment along when they start at Medill. However, because technology changes so fast, we haven't included specific requirements for equipment and software with your admission packet. Instead, we'll send you a letter with specific requirements closer to the start of your quarter of admission. We recommend that you hold off on buying equipment and software for Medill until you receive this letter. If you'd like to get a general idea of what has been required in the past, go to the list of the required equipment for the Winter 2013 entrants, but again, hold off on purchasing anything until you receive the official information. There is a note about this in your admit packet, and we'll send an update as soon as we can.

Provide Final Transcript. If you were in the midst of finishing your degree when you were accepted to the MSJ program then you will need to provide the Office of Graduate Admissions and Financial Aid with an official copy of your final transcript. The transcript must show the date your bachelor's degree was awarded by your undergraduate institution.

Begin Researching Your Housing Options. Graduate housing applications are available at www.northwestern.edu/gradhousing. If you're thinking about off-campus housing, visit www.northwestern.edu/offcampus for links to Web sites that specialize in advertising places to rent or sublet. (Off-campus housing arrangements are entirely the student's responsibility and we don't make recommendations or endorsements of any particular listings.)

Orientation
Summer MSJ Orientation will be on Monday, June 24, from 9 am to 5 pm. Fall MSJ Orientation will be on Thursday, September 19, from 9 am to 5 pm.