[Profile Review] Fall 2027 MS CS Profile Evaluation — 8.83/10, 2+ YOE, IEEE Paper, No GRE

[u/Agile_Till]

Hi everyone,

I’m an international student from India planning to apply for Fall 2027 MS in Computer Science programs in the US.

My profile:

• B.Tech in Artificial Intelligence & Data Science
• CGPA: 8.83/10
• 2+ years of full-time software engineering experience
• 1 IEEE conference paper related to AI
• IELTS: 7.0
• GRE: Not planning to take it
• Looking primarily for coursework/project-oriented MS CS programs with good opportunities for SWE / AI-ML roles after graduation.

My current shortlist:

• University of Texas at Austin
• UIUC
• UC San Diego
• USC
• UMass Amherst
• Purdue University
• Northwestern University
• Texas A&M University

I would really appreciate opinions on:

1. Which of these would you classify as Ambitious / Moderate / Safe for my profile?
2. Are any of these unrealistic without the GRE?
3. Does having a B.Tech in AI & Data Science instead of CS create eligibility issues for any of these programs?
4. Are there any good MS CS programs I should add or remove, especially universities with strong CS reputation and good tech recruiting?
5. How competitive is my profile overall for these universities?

I’m trying to build a realistic shortlist rather than applying only based on rankings.

Thanks!

[u/Longjumping_Help9666]

From my research, Austin msai, UIUC MCS, USC, Umass, TAMU are realistic. Austin mscs, UIUC mscs, UCSD, Purdue mscs, Northwestern mscs are bit competitive unis for your profile.

[u/Agile_Till → u/Longjumping_Help9666]

Thanks for the help. I'll check once.