Graduate admission FAQ

The CS&E department does not have a rolling application cycle. Ph.D. applicants can expect admission results between February and May. MS and Certificate applicants can expect admission results between February and April.

The department only accepts applications for fall admission; there is no spring admission cycle for our CSCI Ph.D. and MS programs.

The Computer Science & Engineering department expects all applications to be completed by the close of the application cycle.  Please submit all of your application material to the program by the deadline to be considered for your program of choice. 

The important dates to remember are: 

• December 15th 11:59 PM CST: Ph.D. in Computer Science applications are due to be considered for fellowships and departmental financial aid.
• January 5th 11:59 PM CST: All Ph.D. applications are due.
• January 5th 11:59 PM CST: Priority deadline for Computer Science MS applicants.
• March 1st 11:59 PM CST: Application cycle closes for all domestic and international Computer Science MS applicants.

We do not have rolling admissions. The admissions committee will review all applications after our application deadlines listed above.

• Computer Science Ph.D. applicants typically receive notifications between February and May.
• Computer Science MS applicants typically receive notifications between February and April.

• Requirements and application for the Ph.D. program
• Requirements and application for the M.S. program
• Requirements and application for the Data Science M.S. program
• Requirements and application for the Data Science Post-Baccalaureate Certificate program

The Ph.D. program is not intended to be completed online. There are research components to the program that require students to work closely with their faculty advisor on campus.

If you do not have a traditional computer science background, it is strongly suggested that you meet the cs background requirements to be considered for the program. Without meeting these requirements, your application may not be considered competitive. If you have fulfilled background requirements, include this coursework in your submitted transcripts and note your efforts in your Personal Statement/Statement of Purpose (4000 character limit).

Potential applicants can be admitted to the University of Minnesota as non-degree students in order to take prerequisite courses.

Students are able to transfer a limited amount of credits from another institution.  More information about this can be found in the U of M's Policy Library.  We will review transfer coursework only once a student has enrolled in courses through our program.

No. The department does not pre-screen material prior to application to any graduate program.

The department very rarely accepts change requests or material updates to an application. Please don't submit your application until you have checked it multiple times and have all required materials ready for upload and entry.

Yes. The department must have official test score documentation to begin the review process. 

International applicants who haven't studied at a domestic institution must have a TOEFL or IELTS score. Waivers for language tests are rarely approved. Keep in mind that this may impact an applicant's ability to receive financial support through teaching assistantships, which require a language score on file. It is also one less factor to use in the admission process. If you are requesting a waiver, that means you would likely have a strong language test score, which could improve your application. 

All non-expired scores will be reviewed and considered by the admissions committee, not just the most recent or top scores.

Due to the number of applications we receive, we cannot check an individual application's status. Students will receive all information regarding the status of their application from the Graduate School.

When your file with the Graduate School is complete, it will be forwarded to the department for review. Once a decision is made, students will receive an email from the Graduate School indicating such.

Yes. Recommendation providers can submit their recommendations at any time, before or after an application has been submitted. Additionally, applicants can send reminder email notifications from their application status page after submission.

Yes, you need to submit new application material.

No. The admissions committee looks through each application and assesses the quality of a student and the best fit with the program. The decision of the admission committee is final. Students are welcome to reapply for admission to the program during the following application cycle.

Tuition and fees for the current academic year are set by the University.

The department does not fund M.S. students at the time of entry into the program. M.S. students have the opportunity to apply for teaching assistantships later on in their program.

Other funding opportunities outside of the department can be found here:

• Fellowships and Grants
• CS Page on Funding

Our department offers several information sessions throughout the year. We don't offer department-specific tours.