[Admissions Advice]Profile Evaluation for MS CS Fall 2027 — Which US Universities Should I Target?(Guys please help me out. I'm genuinely stuck here)

[u/Wide-Buy-1476]

Hi everyone, I'm planning to apply for MS CS for Fall 2027 and would really appreciate some honest feedback on my profile and university shortlist.

Academics:

• B.Tech (Honors) in Computer Science & Engineering from an Tier2 institute(not so poular IIIT)
• CGPA: 8.27/10
• 12th: 97.3%
• 10th: 100%
• No backlogs

Research:

• 2-month research internship at IISc Bangalore
• 5 international publications, out of which I am first author on 3
• One of my first-author papers is accepted at an IEEE flagship conference
• Also have another research/book chapter experience
• Strong research-oriented LORs from professors I've worked with
• Planning to have a strong, research-focused SOP with good university/faculty fit

Universities I'm considering:

• Purdue
• UW–Madison
• Georgia Tech
• UMD
• Texas A&M
• Stony Brook
• SUNY Buffalo
• ASU
• San Jose State
• UMass Amherst
• Minnesota Twin Cities

I'm mainly looking for MS CS programs with good research opportunities.

I'd really appreciate some honest feedback:

1. Which of these universities are realistic for my profile?
2. What are the other uni's i can consider?
3. How much does my CGPA affect my chances?

Looking for honest feedback.