B.S. program application

Overview

Admission to a major in the College of Science and Engineering is a competitive process based on the successful completion of specific technical courses and a grade point average (GPA) based on technical courses (the technical GPA).

Students who have completed the necessary technical courses and have a 3.2 or above technical GPA at the end of the fall semester will be guaranteed admission to that major. We encourage all interested students to apply to the computer science major as soon as they have met the eligibility requirements (in other words, do not delay applying to a major).

The College of Science and Engineering website has more information on applying to your major as a CSE student.

Application requirements

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Prerequisite courses

Students are eligible to apply once they have met the following minimum requirements for prerequisite courses and technical GPA.

Students must have completed or be currently enrolled in the following courses with a grade of C- or better:

Technical GPA

Meet the technical (unbracketed) grade point average (GPA) requirement for courses taken at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities:

  • Students with a 3.2 technical GPA will have guaranteed admission to the major in fall semesters.
  • Students below a 3.2 technical GPA, but above a 2.00 technical GPA, will be considered for admission to the major based on space available in the program. In recent admission cycles, we have been able to admit nearly 90% of all applicants, including most students below the 3.2 technical GPA mark.

More about your technical GPA

The technical grade point average (or technical GPA) is calculated using your University of Minnesota - Twin Cities grades in specific courses. Courses taken at other institutions may fulfill degree requirements; however, they will not be included in the technical GPA calculation.

An "unbracketed" technical GPA is used as part of the criteria for admission to the major. This means that all attempts at a course (which resulted in a letter grade of A - F) or its equivalent will be used to calculate the technical GPA. Your technical GPA can be found on a "What If" APAS Report for the B.S. in Computer Science.

Failure to apply in a timely manner will result in a major declaration hold which may prevent future registration.

Please note: students are only eligible to apply to the major two times.

S/N grade implications (COVID-19 grade policy changes Spring 2020 - Spring 2021)

Students must have a tech GPA, therefore one tech course must have been taken A-F. This course does not need to be a computer science course. Contact [email protected] with any questions.

Recommended: Submit a Personal Statement!

The Personal Statement (formerly named self-advocacy statement) is a way for students to provide additional context and information regarding their academic performance, describe their plan for success in the computer science major, and how they have contributed to the community, department, or field of computer science.

We strongly encourage all applicants to submit a statement. Anyone can submit this form.

Important dates
Admission TermApplications BeginApplication Deadline
Spring semesterOctober 1December 30
Fall semesterMarch 1May 25


To apply for admission to your major, log in to the admission to the major database. All applicants will be notified of their admission decision via email within three weeks of the application deadline.

New transfer students

New transfer students admitted to the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities will either come in as pre-majors (not yet accepted in a major program) or, if they meet all eligibility requirements, will be admitted directly to the major.

  • Students transferring to the university without having completed the five prerequisite courses (Calculus I, Calculus II, CS I, CS II, and Discrete Structures) will be admitted to CSE as a pre-computer science student. These students will need to apply when they are eligible (see information above).
  • Students transferring to the university with all five prerequisite courses completed, and with a GPA in technical coursework below the cutoff the department set during the last application cycle, will be admitted to CSE as a pre-computer science student. These students will need to apply in their first semester taking technical coursework at the University of Minnesota.
  • Students transferring to the university with all five prerequisite courses completed, and with a GPA in technical coursework meeting the cutoff the department set during the last application cycle, are eligible for direct admission to the major. Students in this situation will be contacted by the department to ask if they would like to be admitted directly to the major.
Historical admission results

Below is a table of historical admission statistics in previous semesters. The statistics below only include CSE applicants.

Semester Applied (Admit Start)ApplicantsAdmittedPercentageLowest Tech
GPA admitted
Spring 25 (Fall 25 start)15815698.73%2.3*
Fall 25 (Spring 26 start)18517494.05%2.0
Spring 26 (Fall 26 start)TBDTBDTBDTBD

* Some students were admitted with lower Technical GPAs than listed via our Personal Statement review process.

Goldy Gopher on a gold background

CS&E Undergraduate Advising Team

[email protected]