Asian College of Journalism Entrance Test

Evidence snapshot: 12 August 2026

Institution: https://www.asianmedia.org/acj/" class="inlink">Asian College of Journalism (ACJ)

Location: Taramani, Chennai

Admission level: Postgraduate diploma

ACJ admission is not decided by a national rank or a fixed multi-year cutoff. ACJ evaluates shortlisted applicants through a real-time online written test and an online interview. The official assessment areas are English-language skills, general knowledge and awareness of current affairs. Selection is communicated directly by the institution.

The Asian College of Journalism is run by the Media Development Foundation, a not-for-profit public trust established in 1999. Its postgraduate journalism education is designed around professional reporting, writing, editing, multimedia production, media law, public affairs and newsroom practice.

The verified admission page identifies two programmes:

1. Postgraduate Diploma in Integrated Multimedia Journalism

2. ACJ–Bloomberg Postgraduate Business and Financial Multimedia Journalism programme

One application can cover either programme or both. Applying to both does not require two application fees under the verified 2026 procedure.

This is an institution-specific selection process. There is no national ACJ counselling authority, centralised college preference list or transferable ACJ score.

ACJ is most relevant to graduates who want intensive professional journalism training rather than a broad academic degree in communication theory. The curriculum and continuous assessment require sustained reporting, production, reading and deadline work.

It may suit a candidate who:

• follows public affairs and can explain why a story matters;
• wants reporting, editing, audio/video, data or digital newsroom skills;
• is comfortable receiving detailed editorial feedback;
• can work under frequent deadlines;
• wants to build a portfolio during the course;
• understands that journalism requires accuracy, verification, fairness and ethical judgment.

The business and financial journalism programme is more specialised. Candidates should consider it if they want to learn companies, markets, banking, economic policy and data-based business reporting—not merely because the programme carries the Bloomberg name.

A bachelor's degree is mandatory, but graduates from any discipline may apply. Candidates awaiting their undergraduate results are also eligible to enter the selection process. They must later provide the marksheet or degree certificate within the deadline prescribed by ACJ.

The verified 2026 page asked enrolled candidates to provide the evidence ideally during the first week of classes and set a final deadline in March 2027. This date is cycle-specific and must be refreshed every year.

The official page does not prescribe a particular undergraduate subject, entrance-test age limit, domicile condition or category-wise academic cutoff. A science, commerce, engineering, humanities or professional-course graduate can apply, but admission still depends on the application, test and interview.

Because teaching and assignments are in English and the test explicitly assesses English skills, functional written and spoken English is essential even though a separate language certificate is not listed.

The form is submitted online through ACJ's official admission route. In the verified 2026 cycle, the application fee was ₹2,360 including GST. Candidates applying to both programmes paid one application fee.

The official procedure allowed online transfer/payment and a demand draft in favour of the Media Development Foundation, payable at Chennai. Payment methods and exemptions should be checked on the live form before submission.

Application checklist:

1. Choose Integrated Multimedia Journalism, Business and Financial Multimedia Journalism, or both.

2. Enter identity, education and contact information consistently.

3. Present academic and work experience accurately.

4. Explain journalism interest with evidence rather than generic claims.

5. Submit a complete form and fee by the applicable shortlist/test deadline.

6. Save the submitted form and transaction evidence.

7. Monitor the registered email and spam folder for test/interview instructions.

ACJ first assesses applications and then requires shortlisted candidates to take the entrance test. Submission of a form should not be confused with automatic test admission.

The official 2026 admission page states that the written test is conducted online in real time. The listed 13 June 2026 session ran from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., giving a two-hour test window. The interview followed either on the same day or the next day, with the individual time communicated at least three days before the test.

Officially stated assessment areas:

• English-language skills;
• general knowledge;
• awareness of current affairs;
• interview performance across the same broad capabilities and programme fit.

ACJ does not publish a permanent question count, section-wise marks, negative-marking scheme or fixed syllabus on the admission page. Those details should not be invented from coaching portals or an old paper. The live test instructions sent to shortlisted candidates control the format.

What “English-language skills” is likely to demand

Preparation should focus on abilities directly useful in journalism:

• clear and grammatical writing;
• reading comprehension;
• summarising without distorting meaning;
• identifying the central news point;
• logical paragraph structure;
• precise vocabulary rather than ornamental language;
• distinguishing fact, allegation, opinion and inference;
• editing for redundancy, ambiguity and unsupported claims.

This is a preparation inference from the official assessment label and the journalism programme—not a claim that ACJ guarantees a particular question type.

What “general knowledge and current affairs” should mean

A journalist needs context, not a pile of isolated trivia. Candidates should follow:

• Indian politics, institutions and constitutional issues;
• courts, law and civil liberties;
• economy, budgets, inflation, employment and business;
• international affairs and India's external relations;
• climate, science, health and technology;
• media ownership, regulation, misinformation and journalism ethics;
• major social issues and under-reported communities;
• important cultural and sporting developments.

For every major story, practise answering: What happened? Who is affected? What evidence is available? What remains disputed? What historical or institutional context makes it important?

The interview is not simply a personality round. Candidates should be ready to discuss:

• why journalism and why now;
• why the selected ACJ programme;
• recent stories they followed closely;
• how they verified a disputed claim;
• differences between reporting and advocacy;
• ethical choices involving anonymity, privacy, conflict of interest and corrections;
• academic, professional or portfolio work;
• willingness to work across text, audio, video, photographs and data;
• what they expect from a demanding residential newsroom-style programme.

A strong answer is specific and open to challenge. “I like writing” does not establish journalism aptitude. A better answer connects curiosity, public-interest questions, reporting experience and the skills the candidate wants to develop.

Candidates should not bluff about news. It is safer to state what is known, what is uncertain and where one would verify it.

ACJ states that selected candidates receive an email within one week after completion of the online interview. There is no published national merit list, category-wise closing rank or central counselling round.

After a selection email:

1. Verify that the message and payment instructions use ACJ's official domain/contact details.

2. Read which programme has been offered.

3. Check the seat-locking amount and payment deadline.

4. Calculate the complete cost, including tuition, accommodation, food, caution deposit, equipment and personal expenses.

5. Read the refund rule before paying.

6. Apply separately for scholarship consideration where required.

7. Provide the degree/marksheet and other admission documents on time.

8. Confirm accommodation rather than assuming a room is included.

In the ACJ–Bloomberg 2026 fee schedule, selected candidates had to lock the seat with ₹1,00,000 within seven days. That page also stated that fees would not be refunded after admission even if the candidate did not join. These are financially significant terms; the current programme page must be checked before payment.

For the ACJ–Bloomberg Business and Financial Multimedia Journalism programme, the official 2026 tuition fee was ₹7,08,000. The same official page separately listed:

• campus accommodation for July 2026–April 2027: ₹1,29,800 including GST;
• annexe accommodation: ₹1,35,700 including GST;
• food for the year: ₹1,32,400 including GST;
• refundable caution deposit: ₹10,000, subject to liabilities;
• an accommodation advance for students seeking housing.

Using the campus accommodation figure, tuition + accommodation + food + caution deposit totalled approximately ₹9,80,200, before travel, laptop/equipment and personal expenses. This is a dated illustration, not a permanent fee quote.

The Integrated Multimedia Journalism programme has its own official fee page and must not automatically be assigned the Bloomberg programme's tuition. Students should save the exact fee schedule attached to their offered programme.

ACJ publishes several support routes:

• limited merit-cum-means scholarships that may cover full or partial tuition and, in special cases, living expenses;
• SAF–Madanjeet Singh scholarships for eligible students from the eight SAARC countries, covering specified tuition, travel, shared accommodation, food and pocket expenses;
• Jawaharlal Nehru Scholarships for selected Integrated Multimedia Journalism students on a merit-cum-means basis;
• a Bloomberg-linked full scholarship announced for a student in the business and financial journalism programme for the verified academic year.

Scholarship consideration may require a separate email or application. A candidate should not assume that selecting a checkbox in the main admission form completes every scholarship application.

The Integrated Multimedia Journalism curriculum is organised over two semesters. ACJ's official overview describes early core courses including:

• Key Issues in Journalism;
• Media Perspectives;
• Media, Law and Society;
• Tools of the Modern Journalist, including photojournalism, newspaper design and News and Numbers.

The programme also includes ACJ's Covering Deprivation course, electives, a 5,000–8,000-word dissertation/long-form paper, advanced reporting and production, and work in video/audio studios and an integrated newsroom. ACJ says the curriculum includes an AI module and entrepreneurial journalism component.

The official diploma page states that assessment is continuous rather than based on one final examination and describes 100% attendance as mandatory, with rare exemptions. This is important for students expecting a flexible or part-time-style programme.

Daily news file

Choose five important stories across different beats. For each, write:

• a two-sentence summary;
• the primary source;
• the strongest counterpoint or uncertainty;
• the institutional background;
• one follow-up question a reporter should ask.

Weekly writing practice

Practise one summary, one explanatory piece and one short opinion analysis each week. Then edit for unsupported adjectives, long sentences, vague attribution and missing context.

Verification drill

Take a viral claim and identify the original document, date, speaker, complete context and independent corroboration. Record what cannot be verified.

Interview notebook

Prepare concise notes on ten stories, three ethical dilemmas, two pieces of journalism you admire, your programme preference and examples of work that demonstrate curiosity or deadline discipline.

Business-programme preparation

Understand basic financial statements, inflation, interest rates, fiscal/monetary policy, markets, company disclosures and how economic data affects people. Complex terminology should be explainable in plain language.

ACJ does not publish a stable marks cutoff or closing rank. Selection is based on institution-level assessment of the application, online test and interview. Therefore:

• there is no responsible five-year category cutoff table to display;
• a past applicant's score cannot be treated as an admission threshold;
• test performance and interview performance should be understood together;
• “selected within a week” is a communication timeline, not a counselling round.

Any page claiming a guaranteed ACJ cutoff without an official ACJ document should be treated cautiously.

The exact upload/reporting list must come from the form and offer email. Candidates should ordinarily prepare:

• government photo identity and date-of-birth proof;
• undergraduate marksheets and degree/provisional certificate;
• latest marksheets for result-awaiting candidates;
• passport photographs;
• application and fee receipt;
• test/interview communication;
• selection/offer email;
• community certificate when claiming an announced exemption or support;
• scholarship income and supporting documents;
• accommodation and payment acknowledgements.

1. Treating ACJ as a national rank-based examination.

2. Assuming every applicant automatically receives a test invitation.

3. Preparing only static GK and neglecting analysis of ongoing stories.

4. Using decorative English instead of clear, verified writing.

5. Bluffing in the interview.

6. Applying to both programmes without understanding their different focus.

7. Quoting the Bloomberg programme fee for the Integrated programme.

8. Paying a lock-in amount without reading the non-refund rule.

9. Ignoring accommodation and food when calculating total cost.

10. Assuming scholarship consideration is automatic.

11. Missing email because the interview schedule entered spam.

12. Expecting a lightly scheduled university course rather than intensive continuous assessment.

Who can apply?

Graduates in any discipline and candidates awaiting undergraduate results, subject to later submission of degree evidence.

Is there an age limit?

The official admission page does not publish a specific age limit.

Is the test online?

The verified process used a real-time online written test followed by an online interview.

What does the test assess?

English-language skills, general knowledge and awareness of current affairs.

Is there negative marking?

ACJ's public admission page does not specify it. Follow the shortlisted-candidate instructions.

Does ACJ publish a cutoff?

No stable public marks cutoff or rank series is provided.

Can I apply to both programmes?

Yes. The verified procedure required only one application fee.

Is a journalism bachelor's degree required?

No. A bachelor's degree in any discipline is accepted.

When is the interview?

It follows the test, generally the same day or next day under the verified procedure, with individual timing communicated beforehand.

How is selection communicated?

ACJ states that selected candidates receive email within a week after the interview process.

Is the programme residential?

ACJ offers campus/annexe accommodation, but availability, cost and payment are separate matters to verify.

Are scholarships available?

Yes, including limited merit-cum-means and named scholarship routes, each with its own conditions.

Is there central counselling?

No. Admission is handled directly by ACJ.

Is the diploma assessed through one final exam?

The Integrated Multimedia Journalism diploma page describes continuous assessment and no final examination.

Where should applicants verify the latest rules?

On ACJ's official Eligibility & Procedure, Fees and Scholarship pages.

• https://www.asianmedia.org/acj/" class="inlink">ACJ official website
• https://www.asianmedia.org/acj/home/eligibility_procedure/" class="inlink">Eligibility and admission procedure
• https://www.asianmedia.org/acj/home/program_overview" class="inlink">Integrated Multimedia Journalism programme overview
• https://www.asianmedia.org/acj/home/postgraduate_diploma" class="inlink">Integrated Multimedia Journalism diploma
• https://www.asianmedia.org/acj/home/scholarship" class="inlink">Scholarships
• https://www.asianmedia.org/acj/home/saf_scholarships" class="inlink">SAF–Madanjeet Singh scholarship
• https://www.asianmedia.org/bloomberg/" class="inlink">ACJ–Bloomberg programme
• https://www.asianmedia.org/bloomberg/home/fees" class="inlink">ACJ–Bloomberg fees
• https://www.asianmedia.org/acj/home/calendar" class="inlink">Academic calendar

Keep the programme explanation and preparation guidance stable, but refresh the application fee, test sessions, degree-submission deadline, tuition, accommodation, food, refund terms, scholarships and programme names from ACJ's live pages before every admission cycle.