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 fall semester will be guaranteed admission to that major. All other students who have completed the necessary technical coursework for their intended major (as identified by each department) will be considered for admission to that major on a space-available basis.

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

Application requirements

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

Prerequisite courses

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 or above technical GPA will have guaranteed admission to the major
  • Students with a 2.0 or above technical GPA will be considered for admission to the major on a space-available basis

The demand for computer science education at the University has been increasing for over a decade, and it has outpaced the University's investment in our instructional capacity. Therefore, the Department is being forced to impose stricter limits on admission to the major at least for the near future. Learn more about these changes and suggested next steps.

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 csciug@umn.edu with any questions.

Self-Advocacy Statement (SAS)

The 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 who believe they will have a technical GPA below 3.2 at the time of the review to submit a statement. Anyone can submit this form.

Important dates

Admission Term Applications Begin Application Deadline
Spring semester October 1 December 30
Fall semester March 1 May 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

Admission to the major is based on the space available (teaching and classroom capacity). This is to ensure students who are admitted to the program can register for required classes as they need them and graduate in a timely manner.

The demand for computer science education at the University has been increasing for over a decade, and it has outpaced the University's investment in our instructional capacity. Therefore, the Department is being forced to impose stricter limits on admission to the major at least for the near future. Learn more about these changes and suggested next steps.

Below is a table of historical admission statistics to provide a sense of how competitive admission has been in previous semesters. This is to ensure students who are admitted to the program can register for required classes as they need them and graduate in a timely manner. Below you will see a table of historical admission statistics to provide a sense of how competitive it has been in previous semesters. Keep in mind that every cycle is different. The statistics below only include CSE applicants. CLA applicants are competing for admission to the major in the same pool as CSE applicants.

Semester Applied (Admit Start) Applicants Admitted Percentage Lowest Tech
GPA admitted
Fall 15 (Sp 16 start) 155 148 95.48% 2.4
Sp 16 (Fall 16 start) 162 154 95.06% 2.4
Fall 16 (Sp 17 start) 179 164 91.62% 2.5
Sp 17 (Fall 17 start) 203 191 94.09% 2.5
Fall 17 (Sp 18 start) 184 172 93.48% 2.5
Sp 18 (Fall 18 start) 213 199 93.43% 2.5
Fall 18 (Sp 19 start) 195 183 93.85% 2.5
Sp 19 (Fall 19 start) 220 210 95.45% 2.6
Fall 19 (Sp 20 start) 209 204 97.61% 2.5
Sp 20 (Fall 20 start) 226 221 97.79% 2.5
Fall 20 (Sp 21 start) 230 217 94.35% 2.7
Sp 21 (Fall 21 start) 212 209 98.58% 2.5
Fall 21 (Sp 22 start) 204 193 94.61% 2.4*
Sp 22 (Fall 22 start) 218 211 96.79% 2.4*
Fall 22 (Sp 23 start) 308 263 85.39% 2.8*
Sp 23 (Fall 23 start) 211 187 88.63% 2.9*

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

 

Related links

Apply now!

Submit the online application form.

Questions?

For questions about applying to the B.S. in Computer Science, contact:

CS&E Undergraduate Advising Team
csciug@umn.edu