Apply

• Begin the VCU Graduate School Application.
  • Filter by start term: “Fall 2026”
  • Filter by academic level: “Master’s Degree”
  • Filter by school/academic department: “School of Business”
• Search for “Branding” and select “Apply Now” to find the Brandcenter concentration to which you’re applying.
• Create an account for the Graduate School portal using your preferred email address.

Upload transcripts for all schools attended.

• Unofficial transcripts are acceptable at this stage. Official transcripts will be required upon enrollment.
• Applicants who have studied outside of the U.S. must provide academic documentation/school records for all schools attended. Visit the International Admissions website and the Academic Documentation section for detailed expectations, requirements, and instructions for how to submit your school records.

Provide the contact information for one reference—academic or professional. They’ll be sent an email to submit their reference.

Pay the $75.00 application fee to complete and submit the VCU Graduate School application.

Within two days of submitting the VCU Graduate School application, you will receive a link to the Brandcenter Portal, where you will complete the second part of the application process—the Brandcenter application.

*If admitted, you will need to return to the VCU Graduate School portal to officially accept your offer of admission with the university, so be sure to bookmark this portal and document your login credentials.

• Within two days of submitting your VCU Graduate application, you will receive a link to your Brandcenter portal, where you will complete the Brandcenter application and submit the required documents.
• When you receive the email with the link to the Brandcenter portal, create your account.

Upload your resume.

Respond to the application prompts below.

• If you are eligible to receive federal aid and are considering taking out loans or applying for scholarships to help fund your Brandcenter education, you should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
• The VCU school code for the FAFSA is 003735.
• Brandcenter applicants should submit the FAFSA as soon as possible, even if your admission status is undetermined.
• Visit Brandcenter Tuition & Aid and VCU Student Financial Services for more information and resources.

• All applicants are eligible to apply for Brandcenter scholarships.
• The scholarship application will be available in your Brandcenter portal.
• In order to be considered for scholarships, your admissions and scholarship application must be completed by the March 17 deadline.
• Students who wish to be considered for need-based scholarships must also complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid if they are eligible to do so. View the FAFSA eligibility criteria.
• Visit Brandcenter Tuition & Aid and VCU Student Financial Services for more information and resources.

Some applicants may be asked to schedule a virtual Admissions Interview after submitting their Brandcenter application. You will be notified via email if you are selected for an interview.

In addition to the VCU Graduate School and Brandcenter applications, international applicants must submit additional documentation to the VCU Office of Admissions. Visit International Admissions for full requirements and contact [email protected] with questions.

International applicants must hold the equivalent of a four-year U.S. bachelor’s degree, or, if you have a degree from a three-year program, be eligible for graduate education in your country of citizenship.

You must provide academic documentation/school records for all schools attended. Visit the International Admissions website and the Academic Documentation section for detailed expectations, requirements, and instructions for how to submit your school records. Contact [email protected] with questions.

• VCU requires Proof of English Efficiency. Visit International Admissions to learn more about the types of accepted tests, minimum scores, and how to submit your materials.

Visit International Admissions to view the requirements for financial certification.

1. Tell us why you are applying to the Brandcenter, why you selected your specific concentration, and what you hope to do with a Brandcenter degree.

We’d love to see your personality shine through with quick video responses (2 minutes or less) which help us get to know you in a way words alone can’t. If a video is not your style and you’d prefer to write it out, that works too (150 words or less).

• Video response (2 minutes or less) (recommended) – submit by sharing a link
• Written response (150 words or less)

1. Choose a piece of advertising (brand campaign, commercial, brand stunt, product innovation, or social campaign) that a brand has made that made you wish you had been a part of it. Tell us about it and tell us what made you love it. (150 words or less)

2. Provide a visually driven campaign for one of the following brands. Create three distinct pieces of communication that visually demonstrate and exaggerate the promise and power of the product in an unexpected way. See the examples provided for inspiration.

Choose from one of the four brands below:

• Tide To Go Pen – Get rid of stains without slowing down
• SeaKind– Sea life’s favorite sunscreen
• Mike’s Hot Honey – It’s honey, but hotter. 
• Liquid Death – Water with attitude

3. Please attach 5 samples of your graphic design work. Portfolio website is preferred, but if you don’t have a site, you can share a PDF of your work.

1. Submit a review of a real place in your neighborhood (restaurant, park, shop, etc.). You may submit this review as a video or a long-form piece of writing. We’re looking for originality and creativity. Your review could be funny, informative, persuasive, or inspiring, but make sure you’re sharing your unique point of view

• Written response (500 words or less)
• Video response (2 minutes or less)

2. Write 5 possible captions for the cartoon below.

3. Write a tagline and headlines for both of the following brands: Liquid IV and the Libby app. 

• For both brands, create one tagline – this is your core idea.
• Then, write five unique headlines that bring that idea to life.
• Here is an example of what we’re looking for using LaCroix. (Please note LaCroix is not one of the brands you’ll use)
• You may use stock images to mock up ads, or just submit a google doc, or a PDF of your writing.

4. Submit 2-3 samples of your original writing. Ads, short stories, poetry, blog posts, personal essays, comedy sketches, etc.—anything that best highlights your creative abilities, skill set, and personality. Please do not include school essays or research papers. (Provide a link or upload a PDF)

1. Choose a piece of advertising (brand campaign, commercial, brand stunt, product innovation, or social campaign) that a brand has made that you loved. Tell us about it and tell us what made you love it. (150 words or less)

2. Pick two brands in the same category that you have personally used in the past year. Tell us which one you’d bet on to still be relevant in five years and which you think is more vulnerable than people realize. Reasoning should come from something you’ve experienced rather than something you’ve read about. (200 words or less)

3. Of all of the movies you’ve seen, tell us which movie is your favorite and which movie is the best. Explain your rationale in a video or written response.

• Written response (200 words or less)
• Video response (2 minutes or less)

4. Tell us about your leadership style. How did it develop over time, when has it worked for you and when has it been challenged? Leadership can come from work, clubs/organizations, team projects, etc. (150 words or less)

5. Your agency is pitching for the French’s mustard advertising account and you are leading the pitch team. You are only allowed to ask the client 5 questions beforehand. Tell us what 5 questions you’d ask and your rationale for selecting each question.

1. What character from a novel, show, or movie would have the best TikTok account?

• Tell us why and what kind of content they would deliver.
• What would their TikTok Handle be?
• What would their most recent post be?
• Optional, but encouraged: We’d love to see your creativity. Film their latest post. Have fun with it! Share the link to a video here.

2. Tell us about a subculture which you are not a part of that interests you and why. (250 words or less)

3. Pick a location from the following categories to observe and explore: Retail, Outdoors, or Sports.

• Which location did you choose?
• Share five insights (not observatoins) from your visit.
  • An observation is a specific, neutral fact you noticed without any interpretation. No interpretation, no “why.” An insight is the underlying need, motivation, or tension the observation reveals. It explains the reason behind the behavior.
• What brand could tap into one of those unique insights and why?
• Upload a picture that corresponds to each insight (These should be pictures you take – not a stock photo)
• Here is an example

Brandcenter’s early application deadline will be January 17, 2027. The regular application deadline and Brandcenter scholarship deadline will be March 17, 2027.

Applications received after March 17 will be reviewed on a rolling and case-by-case basis depending on program availability.

*The application is not yet open for our next cohort, which will begin classes in Fall 2027. Check back for updates.*

You can expect to receive a decision approximately 6-8 weeks after the application deadline.

If you miss the application deadlines, Brandcenter moves to rolling admissions.

You are welcome to submit your application past the deadline, but a decision is not guaranteed to be made on your application by our 6-8 week turnaround. Note that if you complete your application after the early decision deadline and before the regular decision deadline, you will be considered for the regular decision deadline. Any applications received after March 17 will be reviewed on a rolling basis and case-by-case basis depending on program availability.

All applicants are eligible to apply for scholarships through March 17.

Your application is considered complete when you have submitted both the VCU Graduate School application as well as the Brandcenter application.

No, you may not submit your application as a website. You must respond to application prompts in the online Brandcenter supplemental application.

Brandcenter does not need official transcripts during the application process. Unofficial transcripts can be submitted for the application review process.

Upon admission to the Brandcenter, you will need to send your official transcripts with your final coursework and degree listed to VCU Graduate Admissions.

Any applicants who have studied outside of the U.S. must provide official academic documentation electronically to the International Admissions Office at [email protected]. in addition to their transcripts as a required part of the admission process. For more information, visit International Admissions. Contact [email protected] with questions.

No, you may not hand deliver your application or email a PDF. All application pieces must be submitted through the online portals for both the VCU Graduate School (Step 1) and Brandcenter (Step 2) applications.

No, you may not apply to more than one concentration. You can only select one concentration on the application. Please contact Admissions if you would like to have a conversation about choosing your concentration.

International students do not need to submit financial documents as part of the application. They will only need to provide financial documents if they are admitted and choose to enroll in the program. For more questions about what financial information is required once an international student is accepted, view the VCU International Admissions page.

No, you cannot typically switch concentrations or take classes outside of your concentration.

The courses for Brandcenter students are prescribed; as such, students are unable to take additional courses or be enrolled in concurrent programs, either at Brandcenter, VCU, or elsewhere, during their time in our program.

As for concentration changes, exceptions may be allowed in very limited circumstances and within a specific timeframe. We have a class audit policy, if you are interested and eligible, you may be permitted to audit a certain course outside of your degree requirements. More info about these policies will be available at Orientation.