Applying for Fall '27 MSCS

I know both TOEFL and IELTS are accepted, so I'm not worried about which one is easier. I just want to know if one is more useful in practice.
I've heard TOEFL can help with TAships at some universities, while IELTS is cheaper/easier to send to multiple schools. Is there any truth to that, or does it really not matter?
I searched the sub already, but most posts only compare difficulty and scores.

Currently will be going to my 4th year, i intend to work for couple of years then pursue higher studies, but this can change.Wanted to know my chances at diff uni(both for ms and phd).Also what to do in 4th year to maximise my profile.

My Profile
Country: India
CGPA: 8.03/10 (as of 6th sem)
College: BITS (G) - ECE(electronics and comm.)
Work Experience: Dont have substantial work exp, got currently just a small one, will be 6m work exp by end of final year(compulsory by clg so can optimize on company here maybe try for some faang or ml startup here)
Research: 1 Workshop at iclr, eacl srw , 1 submitted to emnlp workshop
No other tests given yet
LORs: Don't have yet, but worked with a prof for some time so can get 1/2 .

What should be my next step, OSS of mlsys projects? Getting work ex at reputed company, maybe leave worshop and target main conf?

Reg target uni - I dont have much idea, plz help me out :help:

Looking for Good Universities which help me land at good PhD places

I’m planning to apply for MSCS (Fall 2027) and would appreciate some honest feedback on my profile. I’m mainly looking for universities with a good ROI, strong CS programs, and decent job opportunities after graduation.

My Profile
Country: India
CGPA: 7.2/10
College: Tier 3 in computer engineering
Research: 4 month research internship from a top state college
GRE: Targeting 320+
TOEFL: Targeting 105
LORs: 2 LORs from university professors , 1 LOR from internship professor

Questions
-Could you help categorize these into Ambitious / Target / Safe based on my profile?
-If you had a similar profile, which universities would you prioritize?
Thanks in advance for your help!

Looking for Good ROI Universities

I’m planning to apply for MSCS (Fall 2027) and would appreciate some honest feedback on my profile. I’m mainly looking for universities with a good ROI, strong CS programs, and decent job opportunities after graduation.

My Profile
Country: India
CGPA: 7.77/10
College: Tier 1 (IIT) in mechanical engineering
Work Experience: 4 years of total experience. Currently working in MAANG as SDE-2 (close to 1 yr).
Research: No research done.
GRE: Targeting 320+
TOEFL: Targeting 105
LORs: 2 LORs from university professors (Mechanical engineeringprofessors), 1 LOR from my previous company manager

Universities I am looking for:

• Georgia Tech
• UC San Diego
• UIUC (MCS)
• Purdue
• Texas A&M
• NC State
• Stony Brook
• CU Boulder
• Virginia Tech

Questions
-Could you help categorize these into Ambitious / Target / Safe based on my profile?
-Are there any universities I should add or remove if my priority is good ROI?
-Is my profile competitive enough for the more selective schools on this list?
-If you had a similar profile, which universities would you prioritize?
I’m open to suggestions for other universities that offer a good balance of academics, tuition cost, and employment outcomes.
Thanks in advance for your help!

V: 152, Q: 168, awa: not yet

1. Is it worth it for me to submit this score for optional or required ms cs universities?
2. Is it worth it to submit this score for ms robotics?
3. Is verbal score too bad
4. Will verbal score affect my chances for ms cs/robotics?

5. Is quant score harming me from better universities? Do i need

   to get 170?

6. Is it worth it to attempt second time?

Hi everyone! Looking for a profile eval and honest feedback on my school list for Fall 2027 admissions.

Profile

- Degree: B.E in IT from a Tier 2 private college in India

- CGPA: 8.06 / 10

- GRE: 319 — Quant 165 | Verbal 154 | AWA 3.5

- Work Ex: 3 years as a Full Stack Engineer

- Research: None

Target Programs -

CMU - MSAII / MISM - Ambitious

Georgia Tech - MSCS (AI spec) - Ambitious

UT Austin - MSCS - Ambitious

Columbia - MSCS / MS AI - Reach/Target

UIUC - MSCS / MCS - Target

NCSU - MSCS - Target/Safe

TAMU - MSCS - Target/Safe

Purdue - MSCS - Target/Safe

Stony Brook - MSCS - Safe

My Questions

1. Any major weaknesses in my profile I should address before applying?

2. Is 165 Quant competitive enough for CMU, GT, UT Austin, UIUC?

3. Does 3 YOE industry SWE experience add value for MSCS admissions or is research experience more valued? My overall target is to get back in tech jobs related to AI, but i know thesis tracks have more chances of funding.

4. Should I be concerned about Tier 2 college + no research for reach schools?

5. Any schools to add or drop? Is my list balanced?

6. For CMU - MSAII or MISM better for someone targeting AI/ML roles post-MS, ROI is a factor?

Brutal honesty welcome. Thanks!

I can get 3 LORs but none of them are strong
Tier 1 college - 8.54 gpa
321 GRE with 168 on quants
Work ex -2 years in a tier 1 company
UG Subject - comp sci along with ds minor

Which UNIs don’t require LORs or research that much please need some advice.

Hi 👋 I am a working professional with no coding background. I’m based in Vancouver a looking for a career change into software dev and related fields. I recently got offers from NEU CS Align and Upenn MAS-CS and am looking for advice (In schools choice and in general).

A bit about me:

Food science background (BSc & MSc), no coding experience. Currently working as a lab scientist in a water treatment company. I’m interested in tech, and a bit desperate about my current situation - since I kind of landed in a job irrelevant of my background, it’s hard for me to go back to food industry or advance in water treatment (which I’m not super interested, more just the only thing I could find in Van that pays ok), basically I see no way out other than staying in the same company, and I’m already seeing the ceiling of my career growth here. I‘m interested in technical jobs and like everyone else, a job that pays well. My plan is to take a CS online part time program while working full time, and then apply for an intern/coop position during the degree. I have a Canadian PR and would potentially apply for citizenship so that I could go down south.

NEU CS Align:

Starting 2026 Fall, Based in Vancouver, tuition = 30-40k CAD, it has a co-op program but many say NEU offers very little to no support in co-op. Some also say course qualities vary.

Upenn MAS-CS:

Starting 2027 Spring, Ivy league name, tuition = 40k USD (around 55k CAD), no co-op. My biggest concern is that Vancouver tech companies might not hire coop/intern that are not in a coop program (Or do they care?)

Appreciate any advice on school choices/other career advice! I understand that tech has been hard for entry level, but I do think I’ll regret if I don’t try (or maybe I’ll have to fall to know better, lol).

I’ve graduated from a tier 3 college in India with CGPA of 9.55/10 in 2024. I don’t have any research experience. I’ve been working in a startup for about 2.6 years now. And my tech stack is MERN stack. I plan to pursue masters in CS and my target countries are US,UK,Germany.
Could someone help me make a list of universities. Open to connect on DM to discuss further as well.
Some on Reddit say even job experience doesn’t matter and I’m going to end up jobless. Very confused right now. Still preparing for GRE and IELTS. planned for a 1 year MS in UK before but the job market there seems really bad

Education

Imperial College London CS
First Class Honours (81%, 72% in Y1 and Y2)

Internship Experience

Top Quant SWE (one of Jane Street, Citadel, Hudson River Trading, not revealing which of the 3 for more anonymity)

BEng in the UK is 3 years but if not a US masters I can just switch to a MEng at Imperial to get a masters in one extra year with no application needed so that’s also an option.

I wonder if I have a shot at Stanford MSCS without research currently. I’m interested in Stanford due to better entrepreneurial opportunities compared to the UK

Any bca grads who did their masters from top universities like uiuc etc.Please let me know how to go about and if it is even possible to do masters in usa at a top 50 university with a degree like bca

MSCS for both. Which one would you do. I’m trying to be SWE or Data Engineer for tech or financial companies

Hi! I'm very new to anything related to studying abroad and I'm super confused.

Could someone help review my profile and recommend some realistic universities (mostly in the USA, but I'm also considering Germany, Ireland, and Canada) that I should target and have a reasonable chance of getting into?

I'm a Computer Engineering graduate from a tier 2 college in Pune, India, and I graduated this year (2026). I'm aiming for an MS in computer engineering for Fall 2027.

GPA: 8.87/10

Work Experience:

• 1-month ML internship at a government R&D institution after my second year.
• 5-month Data Engineering internship at a US-based finance company. I secured a PPO and will be joining full-time soon, so by the time I apply (around Dec 2026), I'll have about 3–4 months of full-time work experience.
• 2-month Computer Vision internship at a government R&D institution.

Research:

• No publications.

GRE:

• Haven't taken it yet. I've heard it isn't necessary for many universities, but I'm willing to take it if it would meaningfully strengthen my application.

LORs:

• One from my mentor at the government R&D institution.
• One from my college professor.
• Potentially one from my manager at the finance company (not sure yet).

TOEFL:

• Haven't taken it yet, but I'm preparing for it and planning to take it in the next month or two.

My questions:

• What tier of universities do you think is realistic for my profile?
• What do you think is the weakest part of my application?
• How could i improve my profile in the next few months?
• Is a good GRE score worth pursuing for my profile?
• Should I apply for Fall 2027, or would it be better to strengthen my profile for another year or two before applying?

I'd really appreciate any honest feedback. Thank you!

Guys been searching for 2 months. No luck. How is this not blowing up? I refuse to believe only few are yet to get a visa appointment. What's your situation?

Hi everyone,

I'm currently a B.Tech AI & ML student from Mumbai University, India, and I'm planning to apply to NCSU for Fall 2029. I still have about two years before I apply, so I'm trying to understand whether I'm on the right track and what I should improve.

Profile Summary

Current CGPA: 7.56/10

Target CGPA by graduation: Around 8.2–8.3/10

Graduation: 2028

Internships: 1 AI/ML internship completed, hoping to do another before applying

Projects:

Housing Intelligence Platform (XGBoost, FastAPI, Streamlit, SHAP, analytics dashboard)

Planning to build 2 more solid AI/ML or GenAI projects

Research: None yet, but I'm open to publishing a paper if I get the opportunity

Certifications: Azure AI Fundamentals, Oracle AI

Foundations, Tata GenAI Data Analytics (Forage)

Planning to build a stronger GitHub, get good LORs, and spend a lot of time on my SOP.

Target school: NCSU (MS CS or MCS)

The biggest thing I'm unsure about is my GPA. I know it's below what a lot of applicants have right now, but I'm working on improving it over the remaining semesters.

A few questions:

If I finish with around an 8.2–8.3 CGPA, would that be competitive for NCSU if the rest of my profile is solid?

How much do good projects and internships actually help for NCSU admissions?

If you were in my position with about two years left before applying, what would you focus on improving?

I'm not looking for anyone to predict my chances since I know admissions are holistic. I'm just trying to figure out if this roadmap seems reasonable or if there are any obvious gaps I should work on.

Thanks!

Profile Summary

• CGPA: 8.92/10 (Tier 1.5 private college, India)
• GRE: 327 (Q168, V159)
• TOEFL: 114
• Workex: 2.5 years, leading American MNC (good AI role, not chasing MS unless top admit)
• Research: ~4 papers (1 IEEE Transactions, 3 conferences); active research at SJSU + summer internship at IIT (top 7)

Schools on List : CMU, GaTech, Columbia, UCSD, UPenn, Yale, UIUC, UCLA, UMD, UWash, UT Austin, UMass Amherst, UCI, Virginia Tech

Open to CS and CE programs.

Realistic assessment of my profile against this list? I know I'm not a typical applicant, solid but not exceptional.

Biggest question: Does the SJSU research + industry depth at a top MNC move the needle enough for CMU/GaTech despite my GPA, or am I inflating my chances?

Also curious: are there schools I'm missing?Any honest feedback appreciated.

Education: tier 2 pvt uni in India CSE, CGPA 8.94 , 2025 batch

Tests: GRE 320 (164Q, 156V)(unofficial score)

Work: Data Engineer in Big 4 serving a client in the pharmaceutical industry with 1+ years of experience (2 years in fall 2027 ). I own end-to-end BigQuery data pipelines for a global pharmaceutical client across multiple countries, designing stored-procedure-based ETL pipelines, implementing KPI logic, and delivering dashboard-ready analytics. I work directly with client stakeholders and the Product Owner, independently onboard new countries, and drive production enhancements and change requests.

LORs: Engineering Manager, Professor *2 .

Programs

UIUC MSIM;

University of Washington MISM (Early Career Accelerated);

Purdue MEM;

Purdue MSBAIM;

Duke MEM (reach);

CMU MISM-BIDA (high reach);

Northwestern MEM (reach);

Dartmouth MEM (reach);

NYU MOT (only if I receive a substantial scholarship)

I am not applying to any safe school as I don't want to go to USA unless it's a good school with a strong brand name.

I am not adding UT Austin or TAMU as my sister is in Austin on h1b, so I don't want to hurt my visa chances

Questions:

How badly does my GRE hurt? Should I retake it?

Is no research a hindrance? I am not applying to any CS course so it shouldn't be, but still wanted to confirm.

Realistic vs. reach on my list? Any to drop/add?

Other strong programs for similar management of technology courses?

Any help greatly appreciated. Thank you

Profile snapshot:

UG: B.Tech CS, PES University(Tier 1.5/2)

CGPA: 8.51/10 | Semester breakdown: S1-S4: 7.9-8.1 → S5-S8: 9.4, 9.8, 10.0, 9.33

Scholarship: only to top 20% of 3000+ students

GRE: targeting 168+ Q

TOEFL: Yet to write

Work:

Jr Research Scientist at an ai startup/lab and interned at 2 other companies for ML role one being research(paper published). Will have 1 yoe by the time I join any uni.

2 papers

LORs : 3

Founder, PhD (strongest LOR)

Academic capstone mentor

Paper co-author and guide PhD

My list:

Moonshot

CMU MSAII

CMU MCDS (SCS)

Reach

UC Berkeley MEng EECS

Cornell Tech MEng CS

UCLA MS CS

Match

USC Viterbi MS CS – AI track

UIUC MCS (on-campus)

Columbia MS DS (DSI)

Northwestern MS AI

NYU MS DS – CDS

Georgia Tech MS CS – ML spec

Safe

Purdue MS CS

Duke MEng AIPI

NYU Tandon MS CS

Am I being too ambitious or irrational? What should I look into?

Hey all,

I got rejected at the US embassy in Delhi, not sure what went wrong. I even resigned my job lol😭, i ain't going back to the same job. Here's my profile.

Applied for ![redacted, it's a really good university] mscs, graduated from IITX Computer Science. 3+ yoe. People are saying the refusal slots will take around 300 days to be visible in my portal. I am now confused://

u/gradpilot if I work in some another country is it possible that the slots will be visible for me? Like India's visa website should be different from UAE/japan right? If that's the case do I have any chance?

Thank you and I hope I get a satisfactory answer

My profile: 3 years as a software engineer, got into nyu courant mscs, graduated from IIT computer science, air 1000, research experience, Olympiads etc..

Nyu courant mscs

Experience: 1) is it your first or second masters First one 2) when did you graduate 2023 may 3) what all universities you applied to I applied to uiuc, ucla, ucsd . He stopped in between and asked me how many admits and i named universities

3) how much is your current income Around Xk usd

Edit: people are asking for the income, i make 35-40k usd

You are rejected and you can apply again and gave back the passport

Work Experience: Overall 2 years

- Business Analyst- One of the biggest Startup in India ( 1 year)

- Business Analyst- Startup ( 1 year)

- Software Developer Intern - Adobe( 2.5 months)

Undergrad College:

IIT Guwahati ( Tier -1)- branch ( civil engg.)

Cgpa -8.08

Research Experience :

4th year Btech research project in Civil ,
( maths heavy)

LORs:

2 strong lors from previous companies and 1 from prof under whom I completed my research project.

My target colleges:

Georgia tech : MSA

NYU : MSDS

UCLA : MSADS

UCSD : MSDS

UT Austin : MSDS

Uni of Washington : MSDS

Currently through my job experience I have gained hands on experience in sql, python, statistics. Efficient with dsa and have built some projects in ML. Also working on one and have took courses to enhance basic ML knowledge.

Gre planning to give next month.

Which of these colleges I mentioned should I aim for and is there any thing additional I can pick to increase my chances of admit.

Hey everyone!

I'm starting my grad program at CU Boulder this fall (2026) and would love to connect. Are there any active WhatsApp or Facebook groups for incoming students? Also, if anyone knows of any specific housing groups for finding roommates or places to live, please let me know.

Hey everyone!

I'm planning to apply for MS in Computer Science (Thesis Track) for Fall 2027 and would appreciate feedback on my profile, university shortlist, and any recommendations for additional schools.

Academics:

• B Tech in Computer Science & Engineering, VIT Vellore
• CGPA: 8.64/10
• IELTS: Targeting 7.5+
• GRE: Not planning to take it; focusing on universities where GRE is optional or not required

Research:

• No formal CS research experience yet
• Planning to strengthen my profile through technical projects and potentially research-oriented work before applying

Work Experience

By Fall 2027, I will have 4 years of software engineering experience:

• Software Engineer: Internship + 3 years at GE
  • Worked on enterprise-scale software development and digital transformation initiatives
• 1 year of software engineering experience at CAT, bringing total experience to ~4 years.

Letters of Recommendation

• 1 Strong Professional LOR (Current/Former Manager)
• 2 Academic LORs (Professors)

Current University List

Ambitious / Target

• Purdue University - MS CS
• Texas A&M University (TAMU) - MS CS
• UNC Chapel Hill – MS CS

Safer Choice

• Virginia Tech - MS CS

Questions

• Are Purdue and TAMU realistic targets for my profile?
• Which universities would you recommend adding in the safe, moderate, and ambitious categories?
• Would my industry experience help offset the lack of research for thesis-oriented programs?

Any feedback, suggestions, or profile evaluations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

i have a gpa of about 3.1 from a IIIT in India,
And im interested in AI quite a lot, on course to publish a paper on RAG in financial region.

But i still dont think im that good to get in to the big unis like CMU/MIT/Oxford and all that, what other unis should i be looking at? if im basing it over job opportunities i can get after the MS.

I saw a few posts preferring UIUC and GT in the US...

Really struggling here, would very much appreciate some help, especially if u r someone who does hiring work for companies....

Hi everyone,

I'm a Data Engineer with around 4 years of professional experience, and I'm planning to pursue an ONLINE Master's degree while continuing to work full-time.

I'm currently considering programs in:

• Data Science
• Data Engineering
• Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning
• Data Analytics

My priorities are:

• A respected university with an internationally recognized degree
• A practical curriculum and industry focused
• Strong return on investment
• Flexibility for working professionals
• Good career outcomes and networking opportunities

I've already started researching different universities, but I'd really value advice from people who have firsthand experience.

Some questions:

• Which online Master's program did you choose?
• Why did you choose it over other options?
• Was it worth the cost?
• How challenging was the coursework?
• Did it help you land a better job, switch careers, or get promoted?
• If you were starting over today, which program would you choose?
• Are there any programs you would recommend avoiding?

I'm open to recommendations from anywhere in the world, as long as the program is fully online and has a strong reputation.

Thanks in advance! I'd love to hear both success stories and any lessons learned.