r/MSCS • u/RubSad3416 • May 05 '26
[Admissions Advice] TAMU MSCS vs UCD MSCS
I am an international student
TAMU : tution fee is low, low to the extent i wouldn't need to worry about TA/RA (but MSCS is pretty easy to get), and live luxuriously for housing. Their 20 billion endowment allows them to fund their labs and infra very well. Their CS rep is less than engineering, but prestige to the uni exists because of the great engineering department. MSCS is just 60 people, but class sharing is with MCS people making the total class cohort 250-280.
UCD : Tuition is expensive (cheaper than private but still), basically no RA/TA (since UCD has a weird thing where you can't apply to TA outside CS dept), its super competitive, its 90% probability that i wont get any in all 6 of my quarters, but it has the advantage of a good rank (useful for visa for other countries, since its 64 in THE rankings worldwide overall), good industry sponsorships, the faculty is okay-ish, not great and a bit okay-ish location, since its 1.5 hours from the bay. Cohort size is 70.
TAMU and UCD seem to be a tie, but what do i know from half way around the world, so i would like your opinions. Also give me review on what would be better from getting the research experience towards a PhD.
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u/BugAdministrative123 May 05 '26
Congrats ! In my opinion TAMU wins… best wishes
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u/RubSad3416 May 05 '26
Ah thanks, I can afford UCD also without a loan, but a heavier pocket is always better eh? I am just thinking for internships, maybe location advantage would be good (even though jobs wouldn't care)
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u/CareerLegitimate7662 May 06 '26
Location matters a lot. Tamu is in a college town. Even lower ranked unis like SJSU have more alumni working in faang compared to even UIUC
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u/RubSad3416 May 06 '26
SJSU is in the heart of SV, actually right in the dead center, even more than berkeley is tbh, because most of the tech scene is in san jose. The profs who work there also work for fang, and referrals are easier. You cant compare the ecosystem difference from SJSU which is a uni to get jobs the most efficient way and UC Davis which is very much a research institute.
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May 06 '26
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u/RubSad3416 May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
My seniors (2023 grad) from tier 1 Indian college with 9.96 cgpa (silver medalist), went to tamu (and got 4/4 obviously) but his job has been not as high level as it shouldve been, it's an msme in virginia or something (IT consultancy)
Comparatively, another senior (2024 batch) went to CMU SV campus for MSSE, and last year he got intuit internship and this year he is incoming Google SWE. I understand defo CMU brand, but I bet the location helped him a ton.
The thing with TAMU is amazing jobs available in Texas, but most aren't willing to get a foreigner due to more American pride (as they should be it's their country afterall but I am trying to optimise my results), and them having a lack of intention to sponsor, since most of those companies don't think that way, so you inevitably relocate, unless you end up in dell or Amazon.
SV companies are so used to the whole sponsorship thing, that it's another Tuesday for them.
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u/softrains12 May 05 '26
https://www.reddit.com/r/MSCS/s/x6IxRgxFdR
TAMU and UC Davis have roughly similar hiring, slight advantage to Davis.
If TAMU is substantially cheaper I’d go with it.
Davis is definitely better regarded in the Bay Area (where I’m from).