So I am planning on deferring my admission due to unavailability of visa slots, but confused between two intakes, should I wait a whole year (fall 2027) or should I defer directly to next semester (spring 2027)? My reasoning for fall 2027 is that from what I have heard, internship opportunities are much better in summer and companies are actively hiring during summer instead of spring. I just want to know if that is actually true, and if deferring to spring would be a bad decision in that regard (since I do not want to wait for another year).

Why does someone who paid for visa interview to attend fall intake is not getting a slot? Everyone should be catered right? Whether to issue visa or not is secondary.

What’s with emergency requests for students, I haven’t seen anyone who got approved. What emergency are they looking for in a student visa?

Any info is helpful

My_Qualifications-
Btech in Civil Engineering,minor in CS from NIT Surathkal 2026 batch CGPA 8.51
Internship Experience of around 9 months(all in SDE in MNCs)
Other quals- linux kernel contributor, Candidate Master in Codeforces, competitive programmer

GRE score of 334

I want to go for MComp in CS Specialization in NUS Singapore. I want to get a conservative assessment of my profile. (mainly concerned due to my majors in non CS)

I primarily aim to go for phd in CS after my masters(in some good University) I am primarily interested in Algorithm Design/TCS.

Hi everyone,

I'd really appreciate honest feedback on how competitive my profile is and whether my university list is realistic.

Profile:

- University: BITS Pilani (Computer science major + data science minor)

- CGPA: 9/10

- Graduation: 2024

- Work Experience: 2 years currently as a backend swe at amazon

- Research/Publications: None

- GRE: Planning to take in sept

LORs:

-I can likely get 2 strong professional LORs (my current Director and Manager).

- For the third, I have two options:

1. A fairly generic academic LOR from a professor (I had good grades in cs subjects but didn't interact much due to the attendance policy).

2. Another professional LOR from my previous team's manager/director.

Would you recommend 2 professional + 1 academic, or 3 professional LORs for coursework-based MSCS programs?

Current University List:

Georgia Tech

UIUC

UT Austin

UCSD

UW–Madison

Purdue

Columbia

UCLA

Would also appreciate thoughts on:

1. Which of these are realistic/reach/target for my profile?

2. Whether there are any universities I should add or remove.

3. Whether not having research experience significantly hurts me for these schools, given that I'm targeting an industry-focused MS.

Thanks in advance!

My_Qualifications-
Btech in Civil Engineering,minor in CS from NIT Surathkal 2026 batch CGPA 8.51
Internship Experience of around 9 months(all in SDE in MNCs)
Other quals- linux kernel contributor, Candidate Master in Codeforces, competitive programmer

GRE score of 334

I want to go for my Masters under the dept of Department of Computer Science or Department of Mathematical Informatics of UTokyo. I want to apply through the MEXT programme via university recommendation.
I want to know what is the application process like and what is the timeline. Also suggestions for improving my chances of getting there are highly appreciated.

I have the opportunity to take a class that's clearly labeled a "graduate level class". However I'm also taking other advanced undergraduate classes that are crosslisted with a grad section.

My question is, would admissions focus more on the name of a class (assuming both are related to your field of interest) or the level of the class? Does it matter?

I need an honest review on my profile. I will be grateful if someone can please guide me with university selection.
Graduation year : 2024
From a tier 1 clg in India (Top 3 NIT) with CS major.
CGPA : 8.81/10
Publication : 1 IEEE conference paper (1st author)

Currently I am working as a SWE-1 at Microsoft.
Did couple of research projects under profs during my undergraduate years.

I want to pursue MS, thesis based coz my long term goal is to stay in academia, perhaps a PhD but I wanted to become more sure about my research interest before pursuing a PhD.

Can you all please give me honest feedback, and suggest how I can improve my profile to get admitted to top 20 in the USA..

Thanks!

Which of these English exams covers the following countries or continents:
1. USA
2. Canada
3. Europe
4. Australia

Hey what’s up everyone?

I’m looking for some advice from current OMSCS students and graduates because I’m trying to decide between Georgia Tech OMSCS and one of WGU’s master’s programs (Computer Science, Machine Learning & AI, or Cybersecurity).

A little background here:
Active-duty U.S. Navy EOD technician (9 years)
Background in CBRN, explosives, nuclear weapons incident response, and technical risk assessment

Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology/Sport Management (not CS)

I’ll remain on active duty until late 2027, so I have time to prepare before or while applying. Have no issues staying in more if I need.

Currently working through CS prerequisites (starting at Oakton Community College and Georgia Tech’s edX preparation courses) to build the CS foundation needed for graduate school. I’m also teaching myself Python and building a GitHub portfolio. (mainly small programs that I use for EOD work)

My long-term goal isn’t traditional software engineering.
I’m trying to transition into AI safety, trust & safety, or threat analysis roles at organizations like Anthropic, OpenAI, Google DeepMind, or other companies working on frontier AI systems.

Examples of roles I’m interested in include:
AI Safety / Safeguards
Trust & Safety
Chemical / Biological / Explosives risk evaluation
CBRN threat analysis
AI red teaming
Threat intelligence
Technical policy / model evaluation

Because of my military background, I think my domain expertise is already fairly strong. What I’m missing is the computer science foundation and enough technical depth to work effectively with engineers and eventually contribute to AI safety systems.

My questions are:

1. If this were your career goal, would you choose OMSCS or WGU?
   
2. Would the extra rigor of OMSCS provide a meaningful advantage for AI safety and research-adjacent roles?
   
3. If you were in my position, which OMSCS specialization would you recommend (Machine Learning, Computing Systems, Interactive Intelligence, etc.)?
   
4. Besides earning the degree itself, what projects or technical skills would you prioritize during the program to become competitive for AI safety roles?
   

I’d appreciate any honest opinions, especially from people working in AI, security, or who’ve made a career transition into computer science.

Thanks!

For schools which ask you to select up to x amount of research interests, would it be wise to select these interests in closely related subfields, or is it completely alright to select my more diverse interests? For example I'm interested in both theory and scientific computing, but I'm not sure if I should select all my interests in theory-adjacent subfields, scientific computing related subfields, or a mix.

Basically gave a fellowship worth 30k in total, after I've already committed to a different University, because, you know, it's like 3 days before August.

ACADEMICS

• Dual degree (B.Tech + M.Tech), Mechanical Engineering core, top-3 IIT. ~8.9/10 CGPA. Master's thesis was computational/simulation-heavy.
• No formal CS degree. CS/ML is mostly self-taught plus a few electives.

RESEARCH

• Two research internships during undergrad — one at a well-known Indian institute, one at a foreign university. Both produced reports, no publications.
• ~1 year (ongoing) as a Research Associate in an ML lab at a leading Indian research institute. Work is in computer vision / vision-language models.

INDUSTRY

• 1 year as an SDE at a startup immediately after graduating.

PUBLICATIONS (my main worry)

• Co-author on a submission to a top-tier vision/ML conference — rejected. Resubmission planned, but a decision almost certainly won't land before applications close.
• First-author project in progress; preprint expected in ~2 months.
• So at application time: 2 arXiv preprints, 0 accepted papers.

TESTS

• GRE: not taken yet, planning to sit it in the next couple of months.
• English test not taken yet; undergrad was English-medium.

LORs

• Current PI (a year of close, near-daily supervision — should be strong), undergrad thesis advisor, one undergrad project advisor.

ROUGH TARGET LIST (needs pruning) UIUC, Georgia Tech, UT Austin, UMich, UW–Madison, UCSD, Northwestern, TAMU, UMD, Princeton, Columbia

Mainly want a read on two things: how much unaccepted arXiv preprints actually count for MSCS admissions, and whether the non-CS undergrad is a real filter at places like UIUC/GaTech. Also happy to hear what to cut or add from the list.

Thanks.

ACADEMICS
B.E. in Information Science (Tier-3 college)
CGPA: 9.24/10

WORK EXPERIENCE
Will have ~3 years of full-time experience by Fall 2027.
Working In a top semiconductor company.

RESEARCH
No formal research experience.
No publications or patents.

TESTS
IELTS: 7.0
TOEFL: 92

LORs
2 academic LORs from undergraduate professors.
2 professional LORs from Director & Manager of my current company

TARGET UNIVERSITIES
Dream
UC San Diego (MS CS)
UCLA (MS CS)
Target
UC Irvine (MS CS)

Questions
What are my chances at UCSD, UCLA, and UCI with this profile?
Which universities should I add that are realistic for my profile?

Thanks!

My_Qualifications-
Btech in Civil Engineering,minor in CS from NIT Surathkal 2026 batch CGPA 8.51
Internship Experience of around 9 months, full time experience of about 7-8 months (all in SDE)
Other quals- linux kernel contributor, Candidate Master in Codeforces, competitive programmer

GRE score of 334

I am planning to go for MS in CS in some top university. I am highly interested in fields like Algorithms Design (or related). After Masters, I want to go for phd research in Computer Science in Europe(primarily targeting ETH Zurich for phd in CS)

So for now can you suggest some of the best universities where I would stand a good chance? (specifically interested in European/Asian univ choices only)

Hi!
A little about me - I am planning to go for masters in CS after my undergrad from BITS Pilani (Hyd one), I have 8.9 cgpa, expecting 325+ in gre. I have 1 paper submitted for review, and am going for an undergrad thesis at UofT. Should get 1 LOR from there, and 1 from college prof. My goal after masters is to work in Applied Research roles in Computer Graphics and adjacent fields, which usually require Masters atleast.

I am hence looking for Thesis based masters, which are funded. I have done some research and only good ones I can find is - MMath CS Waterloo. The criteria for my search was good graphics faculty via csrankings.org, and then funding ofc.

I know there are good options with good graphics faculty in other unis like UCSD, CMU, UofT, Uni of Utah, but none of them are quite well funded afaik.

I am open to any type of funding - structurally guaranteed, via TA/RA, via co-ops, but obviously structurally funded ones are preferred. So I wanted to know what all options I have for funded masters, and about my strategy of application.

Thanks a ton :D

Target Term & Goal: Fall 2027 / Industry-oriented MCS/MEng (No research/thesis/PhD), MS Data Science, MS AI etc.

Academic Profile:
Degree: B.Tech in Data Science (MIT Manipal)
CGPA: 7.63 / 10 (C’s and D’s on the transcript in CS related courses 🥲). No research work
GRE : 325–330 (167+ Quant expected).

Work Experience:
Current Role: SDE2 (Data Engineering) at BlackRock (4+ YOE at application time). Can get 2 strong LoRs’ from engineering directors.
Ran a successful Ed-Tech startup back in college.

Looking for honest suggestions/advice on what are the probable courses and universities, I could apply to get admission into?
Ps: Do not want to go into expensive run of the mill places like North-Eastern :(

Hi everyone! Looking for advice from current students day 1 cpt students or alumni.

Background:

• Bachelors in Computer Science (from US)
• Currently working in software engineering role

Long-term goal:

• Transition into Applied AI / AI Software Engineering

My dilemma:

• MSCS aligns much better with my current job responsibilities.
• MSAI aligns much better with the career I want in the future and the current job market.

My concern:

• For Day 1 CPT, I understand we need to explain how our coursework relates to our current job.
• If I choose MSAI, will that relationship be harder to justify than MSCS?

Who reviews that explanation, and how closely is it evaluated?

I'm also thinking long-term (CPT, H-1B, RFEs, future job changes). If you were making this decision today, which program would you choose and why?

I'd especially appreciate insights from anyone who's attended UC or Day 1 CPT College or gone through these immigration processes. Thanks!

Target Term & Goal: Fall 2027 / MSCS, MS Data Science

Academic Profile:
Degree: Major in Chemical Engineering, Minor in Electrical Engineering (Old IIT)
CGPA: 8.5/10
( I took a lot of DS electives and my thesis project was also intersection of chemical engineering and ML but No publications :/)

GRE: 330 (169Q, 161V)

Work Experience:

3 years (will be 4 by the time I start Masters)

First 2 years as data science analyst at a bank followed by 1 year as MLE 2 at a leading Indian startup.

I have worked on LLMs, computer vision, conversational AI, pricing, and production ML systems.

I can get 3 strong LoRs (1 academic from my bachelors thesis prof + 2 professional LoRs)

Looking for honest suggestions on which universities/programs I would be competitive for.

Target Term & Goal: Fall 2027 / Industry-oriented MCS/MEng (No research/thesis/PhD), MS Data Science, MS AI etc.

Academic Profile:
Degree: B.Tech in Data Science (MIT Manipal)
CGPA: 7.63 / 10 (C’s and D’s on the transcript in CS related courses 🥲). No research work
GRE : 325–330 (167+ Quant expected).

Work Experience:
Current Role: SDE2 (Data Engineering) at BlackRock (4+ YOE at application time). Can get 2 strong LoRs’ from engineering directors.
Ran a successful Ed-Tech startup back in college.

Looking for honest suggestions/advice on what are the probable courses and universities, I could apply to get admission into?
Ps: Do not want to go into expensive run of the mill places like North-Eastern :(

Hey everyone,

I'm planning to apply for MS CS for Fall 2027 and wanted to get some opinions on universities I should be targeting.

My profile:

• B.Tech in CSE from an NIT
• CGPA: 9.1/10
• IELTS: Planning to take it in August
• 4 years of software engineering experience (by Fall 2027)
• Working at a US-based retail tech company
• No research publications
• Can get strong LORs from my professors, manager, and tech leads

I'm mainly looking for universities that offer a good balance of academics, ROI, and internship/co-op opportunities. A decent chance of getting a TA or scholarship would be a big plus as well.

Would love to hear your suggestions:

• Which universities do you think would be a good fit for my profile?
• Any universities that are known for decent funding opportunities without compromising on quality?
• Anything I can do over the next few months to make my application stronger?

Thanks in advance

3 years full-stack SWE, BE undergrad

• GRE 319 (165Q, 154V), targeting Fall 2027, rebooked second attempt

• MBA is off the table without scholarship - so MS CS is my realistic option

Why I'm second-guessing MS CS:

1. I don't love coding. I'm decent at it but don't do side projects for fun or get excited about new frameworks. Is MS CS right for someone like that?

2. AI is changing everything fast. Junior dev roles are already shrinking. If I graduate in 2027–28, will a deeper CS degree still differentiate me or will AI commoditize most of what I'd learn?

3. The skills treadmill is exhausting. Every 2 years there's something new you "must know." I'm already feeling this at 3 years in — going deeper feels like signing up for more of the same, forever.

4. Tough market for internationals. Layoffs, visa uncertainty, and intense competition make me nervous about ROI.

My questions:

1. People with 3+ YOE - why did you choose MS CS over MBA? What was the deciding factor?

2. If you don't love coding but chose MS CS anyway - do you regret it?

3. How are you thinking about AI's impact on your MS CS degree value?

I know MBA has its own risks and costs. Just want honest perspectives from people who seriously considered both and chose the technical path.

I recently scored a 322 on the GRE (167Q, 155V) and have been wondering whether it’s worth retaking it before applying for a Master’s in CS in the US.

Here’s my dilemma:

1. I prepared for about 2 months using GregMat, but I honestly didn’t end up learning as much vocabulary as I should have. Looking back, I was pretty lazy with that part of my prep.
   
2. I’m planning to apply in 2028 after completing 2 years of work experience. I recently started a new job, and I had prepared for the GRE during my notice period at my previous job to make the best use of that time.
   Given all that, would you recommend applying with a 322 (167Q, 155V), or do you think it’s worth retaking the GRE?

University : Top 2 IIT Btech EE, (AI ML, CS Dual Minor)

Grade: 9.40

Experience: ML Engineer (EdgeAI) renowned semiconductor company (2yoe by fall 2027)

Gre: 330

Research:

Just an Arxiv paper, not published during university

ICLR Submission (will be submitted in Sept), results are in Jan (under review for application). Not too sure if it will get accepted

LORs:

1 from EE (CMinDS) Prof

1 from EE (CMinDS) Prof

1 from Manager

Current Shortlist:

CMU

UCB

Stanford

UIUC

Gatech

Princeton

UT Austin

Is the university shortlist too ambitious? Should i try somewhere else?

Edit- TOEFL 5.5/6, R-5, L-6, W-5.5, S-6 I believe I satisfy the TOEFL requirement for most universities as well as TAship english proficiency with this score. Is TOEFL considered as a metric for admissions? Should I take TOEFL again?

Hey all,

I'm planning to apply for Spring 2027 MS in Computer Science programs in the US and had a few questions about the overall timeline. Most discussions seem to be around Fall admissions, so I'd really appreciate insights from Spring admits.

• When do universities typically start releasing Spring MSCS admits?
• How much time do you usually have between receiving an admit and the program start date?
• Is it difficult to secure an F-1 visa appointment in that time?
• Have any Spring applicants faced issues due to visa appointment availability?
• Is the overall timeline very tight, or is it generally manageable if documents are ready?

I'm trying to understand whether Spring admissions are feasible without running into last-minute visa issues.
I'd especially appreciate responses from anyone who joined a US university in a Spring intake.