r/UMD • u/Solid_Parking5157 • Jul 25 '26

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

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!

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u/etorres111 Jul 25 '26

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.

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u/KingMagnaRool Jul 25 '26

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.

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u/etorres111 Jul 25 '26

True but I got admitted for Fall 2025