General Requirements

The online application can only be submitted successfully when it includes names of recommenders and a personal statement if required by the program. The recommendation letters do not need to be completed in order for students to submit the application. The office will wait for letters to be submitted while processing the application. Click here for the Online Application. 

John Jay College will be waiving the $75 application fee for all SPRING 2025 applicants.

CUNY graduates from 2004 or after, do not need to send transcripts as John Jay College can access official college transcripts. Transcripts from CUNY schools prior to 2004 and all non-CUNY post-secondary institutions attended must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Admissions electronically. Official transcripts must be sent directly from your undergraduate institutions to Graduateadmissions@jjay.cuny.edu If your college or university does not have official electronic transcripts, we suggest that you email an unofficial transcript in PDF format to our office so we can process your application and have an official mailed to the Graduate Admissions Office. We will visit the campus periodically to receive mail but an emailed transcript is highly recommended for quicker processing. International applicants or students who studied outside of the United States should see special instructions for transcripts and professional evaluations here.

Please take note: if using Parchment, make sure to send all transcripts to John Jay College Graduate Admissions, not John Jay College of Criminal Justice. If there is no option for Graduate Admissions, please have your university email them to the following: graduateadmissions@jjay.cuny.edu. 

A personal statement is required for most master’s and certificate programs. The personal statement is an opportunity for applicants to demonstrate strong writing skills as well as provide additional details regarding their academic and/or professional accomplishments and/or challenges and why they would like to study at John Jay College. If applicable for those applying to our Forensic based programs, please provide in detail any specific research or research institutions you were involved with during your previous academic experience. Please also include any research you wish to pursue during your time within the graduate program. The personal statement should be approximately 500 words (1 to 2 pages) and describe how the applicant’s personal and/or professional goals can be achieved through graduate study at John Jay College. For those applying to MPA programs please use your personal statement to describe, in a well-developed essay of about 500 words, how your undergraduate studies; your volunteer, public, and military service, and your employment prepare you for study and future employment in fields of public service.

Two or three academic or professional letters of recommendation are required for most of our graduate degree and advanced certificate programs. See program requirements for specifics here. The online recommendation letters which can be found within the graduate application is strongly preferred. Students can include the email address of recommenders and a form (within the online application) will be sent to recommenders. Recommenders can complete the electronic recommendation form and email it back into the application. If not completing the electronic recommendation, students must print the recommendation form from within the application, give it to the reference, and letters must be sent to Graduate admissions and include the appropriate recommendation form utilized by each graduate program. The recommendation forms must be sent via email to Graduateadmissions@jjay.cuny.edu if not completed within the application.

The MA in International Crime & Justice program contains a writing sample. The student will be prompted from within the application to attach a 3 to 5 page writing sample about a specific topic. The sample must be typed and written as an educational research assignment with references if applicable. Please upload the writing sample within the application, when prompted.

We are waiving the GRE requirement for specific programs. If students have a GPA of less than 3.0 however we highly recommend that you submit GRE scores to improve your application. In lieu of GRE scores programs will review overall GPA, major GPA, and prerequisite requirements closely. The General GRE (Graduate Record Examination) is normally required for the Forensic Psychology, Forensic Psychology and Law, and the Forensic Mental Health Counseling programs. Applicants who have undergraduate grade point averages that are not super competitive may wish to submit GRE scores to improve their admissions applications, but they are not required for any other programs. The GRE code number for John Jay College is 2115. If required, official standardized test score report(s) must be sent directly to the Office of Admissions directly from the testing agency. Students can also email an unofficial score to Graduateadmissions@jjay.cuny.edu, which can be used while the official score is being sent. For those applying to the MA/JD in Forensic Psychology program, the LSAT scores may be submitted in lieu of the GRE. TOEFL or IELTS or Duolingo scores are required for students educated in countries where primary language is not English. See International Applicant instructions for specific scores required.

For those current John Jay Bachelor degree seeking students who wish to be part of the Dual Degree Bachelor and Master degree combinations (BA/MA), please refer to the BA/MA Dual Degree requirements page for the application process. The application process is different than for those applying for a standalone Master's degree. Any assistance should be requested with the corresponding academic program advisor for these specific degree programs. Click here to learn more about the admissions process and contact information.