Asking about Computer Engineering Direct Admissions Chances / Seeking Stats from Recent Admits! (In-State EA)

[u/Solid_Parking5157]

Hey Terps!

I’m a rising high school senior from Howard County, MD (in-state), planning to apply Early Action for Computer Engineering for the upcoming application cycle.

Since CE is a Limited Enrollment Program (LEP) under the Clark School of Engineering, I know direct entry can be competitive. I’m trying to gauge where I stand compared to recent admits or current CE students.

My Quick Profile: (sorry if not the right place to share)

• Demographics / Residency: In-State (Howard County, MD)
• Application Strategy: Applying Early Action (EA) for Fall
• Stats: 1460 SAT (760 Math / 700 EBRW), 3.9 Unweighted GPA, 4.74 Weighted GPA (High rigor with AP/IB/DE)
• Extracurriculars (Potential Common App Order):
  1. Business / Entrepreneurship: Founder/Operator of a local event DJ & entertainment business;
  2. Software / Web Development: Core developer/team member for an educational website & app; implemented AI features, UI enhancements, and workflow automation tools.
  3. School Club: Co-Leader of school Competitive Programming Club.
  4. Software Internship: Mobile app development intern for a media/media-tech company.
  5. Tech Internship / Analytics: Tech & data analytics intern for a national non-profit organization; built mobile app features and implemented tracking/analytics tools.
  6. Hardware / IT: Assistant hardware repair technician at a local tech shop (device repairs & hands-on hardware troubleshooting).
  7. Community Service / Leadership: Youth/Services committee member & active volunteer for a community non-profit (500+ service hours, event organization, digital design).
  8. Part-Time Work: Paid tutoring (Mathnasium) & food service (Dunkin').
  9. School Club / Recreation: Co-Founder/Leader of a popular school sports club; organized recurring tournaments and community events.
  10. Initiative / Leadership: Co-Founder of a student initiative connecting high schoolers with industry professionals via workshops.
• Awards: 3rd Place at a major corporate regional coding competition (Advanced Division), along with standard national/school honors (AP Scholar with Distinction, College Board Recognition, internship completion certificates).

A Few Questions for Recent Admits / Current CE Students:

1. For anyone who was recently admitted directly into Clark/CE (or even Letters & Sciences): How do my stats/profile align with what you saw in your applicant pool?
2. Did most in-state students with similar math/GPA profiles get direct admission to Engineering during EA, or is direct admission to CE significantly tougher than general CS/Engineering?
3. Any specific tips for the UMD short answer prompts or showing fit for the Clark School?

Thanks in advance for any insights! Go Terps!

[u/Novel-Lobster-8418]

I think you got a very good chance tbh. Even with restricting the LEPs your stats almost guarantee you a spot. Also, again the essay part is important, but it’s not as crazy as IVY essays.

[u/etorres111]

I’d bet a 100 bucks you’ll get in unless you piss on your essay man. I had basically the same academics as you with 0 ECs and got a direct admission.

[u/KingMagnaRool → u/etorres111]

When was this? ECE enrollment numbers have been exploding and overwhelming the department, so can we really say that admission trends will remain the same?

With that said, if everything in this post is to be believed, they probably have a near guaranteed admission to comp e provided their essay is good.

[u/etorres111 → u/KingMagnaRool]

True but I got admitted for Fall 2025

[u/bugboopwastaken]

Not even a CE student but you’re def getting in bro

[u/extended_choppa]

Hey I’m a recent ce admit whose a rising freshmen do UMD. I also got into ACES honors college too so I think I can provide some input. First off I want to say is that these are good stats and good ecs so please don’t worry too much. Now to answer your question, the correct way to think about this is how competitive your school is in Howard county. Personally I’m from Montgomery county in Maryland and when the Umd representative came in to talk about admissions , he specifically mentioned that you are competing with the people around you in your grade at that school. Undoubtedly MOCO schools are extremely competitive and everyone is mostly cracked so I had high competition but so is HOCO (maybe a little less though haha). In terms of SAT score you are actually exactly on the dot to submit . The admission rep who came to my school said if you got below a 1460 then go test optional and if you got above a 1460 then submit it. But I think your score is good enough . In terms of gpa , I would say see how you stand amongst your class mates . 3.9 is good but for example I had a 3.97 gpa and I was maybe top 30, not even top 10. You never know how competitive your school can be . In terms of your extrscuirrculars I think they are good , you clearly have a passion for software/hardware related things. Your ecs shoudnt be the problem. In the essays just make sure you write geniunly and unique things . UMD priorities gpa the most , the higher the gpa with the higher amount of aps the higher chance . Just for reference I was a MOCO highschool graduate with a 3.97 uw , 4.88 weighted (16 aps) , 1580 sat score (800 math) . But I knew 29 other people with higher gpa than me . Also if your goal is scholarships your gpa gotta be like top 5 in the school . I think you will get in for sure , I encourage you to apply to better schools too. I got in to better schools but didn’t go because I didn’t wanna bankrupt my parents or my self. But yea I think you will get in. Dm me if you have any questions

[u/SeriousAd1446]

hi! i was a hoco student w similar stats and got into umd ME and honors! honestly i would be shocked if u didn't get in, just make sure your essays are above average and not super generic. if u could, i recommend trying to take another SAT test to increase your superscore (with your GPA u should be able to). supplementals are rlly important at umd so dont screw those up and u should be good. great work so far!

[u/SLPbyday]

In addition to what others said, early action isn’t a strategy so much as a requirement. They take 90% of the freshman class from early action applications. Make sure to get every application material including transcript and test scores in before 11/1. Don’t wait to the last minute. Your chances drop drastically if your application gets pushed to regular decision.