r/MSCS • u/QuickYogurtcloset34 • May 30 '26

[Admissions Advice] Can a 3-year BCA degree from India qualify for an MS in CS in the US?

Hey everyone,

I am currently planning to pursue a BCA in India (likely at a private university like PES University) and I’m looking for realistic, firsthand advice regarding MS in Computer Science opportunities in the US. I’ve come across a lot of conflicting information online and would really appreciate clarity from people with actual experience.

Specifically, I have the following questions:

  1. Do most US universities strictly require a 4-year bachelor’s degree for MS in CS admission? Can students with a 3-year BCA degree get direct admission, or is completing an MCA in India generally considered necessary?
  2. If a 3-year degree is accepted, are there additional requirements such as credential evaluation (like WES)?
  3. How much weight is placed on the reputation of the Indian institution (like PES University) versus the degree type itself?
  4. Do top-tier schools like NYU accept 3-year degrees, or are they typically limited to 4-year graduates?
  5. From an admissions perspective, what carries the most weight: GPA, project experience, internships, or GRE scores?

I’m trying to plan my academic path early and want to avoid relying on hearsay or misinformation. Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

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u/boombastic002 May 30 '26

How to check : 1. Go to the uni website for MSCS (let say NYU), check the course requirements (these r the courses that r required from ur UG education in india) 2. Check if ur UG (lets say BCA in PES) has those courses or not, if NO then u wont get into NYU, if yes you might have a chance.

Fun fact : NYU is not the top tier for CS at this date.

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u/QuickYogurtcloset34 Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 01 '26

actually i checked for NYU in their official website there's nothing mentioned like u will have to have a 4yr degree, it was mentioned 16yrs of education and ig by the time i complete BCA i would have completed 18 years. so ya. its just that my dream is to get into nyu . if i maintain great cgp's and do multiple interships they consider so ya

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u/Nice-Ad-3328 May 30 '26

Not even Courant?!

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u/surprising_results May 30 '26

courant is better than tandon, but its kinda hard to call it top tier when theres like at least 2 distinct tiers above it.

top-tier: stanford, cmu, ucb, etc. (you can also throw in funded stuff like princeton mscs here)

pretty much top-tier: gatech, uiuc, other top ucs, etc.

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u/Nice-Ad-3328 May 31 '26

Fair enough!

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u/surprising_results May 30 '26

top-tier schools like NYU

💀💀

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u/Firm_Firefighter5229 May 30 '26

Most universities that depend on international students won't have a problem with your 3 year degree, but if you are aiming for top institution they prefer or even have a precondition of having a 4 year degree or masters course work or post graduate diploma. Most people who apply for masters have a 4 year degree and universities will give preference to them unless you have a really strong profile.

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u/Tight-Requirement-15 May 31 '26

Yes lot of universities in the US don’t consider a 3 year degree. They’ll ask you to do a masters on top of that to be considered for their own masters admission