1. Can I make changes to my online application after it has been submitted?
   • For most programs you may make changes to your submitted application up until the application deadline, Dec. 13, 2023, at 3 p.m. EST.
   • Note: If you have applied to the Language Technologies programs or M.S. in Machine Learning or Robotics programs, you cannot make revisions to your application after it has been submitted. 
2. What if all my supporting documents do not arrive by the deadline?
   • These may not be considered in the review of your application.
   • It is your responsibility to make certain that your application is complete, and that the required materials reach us by the established deadline.
3. Can I submit my application even if I haven't received all of my letters of recommendation?
   • Yes, do not wait to submit due to recommenders. We prefer that your recommenders submit their letters by the application deadline, but it is ok if they arrive a few days late. 
4. Is there spring admission?
   • Most of our programs only have a fall admission. See our Graduate Admissions Overview page for exceptions.
5. If I applied last year and was not admitted, can I reapply this year?
   • Yes. However, you must complete a new application and upload all application materials again.
6. Should I contact faculty members directly?
   • You are free to contact professors with specific questions about their research. However, we request that you not ask to be accepted by a particular faculty member as a student, since under our admissions system individual faculty members do not make admissions decisions. Selection is made by the Admissions Committee, and students are not assigned an advisor until the beginning of the fall semester. This happens after students have an opportunity to attend project presentations by all faculty.
   • You may obtain email addresses for anyone in the School of Computer Science from the directory. 
7.  What is my User ID? 
   • Your user ID is the email address that you use to login to the application.
   • Note that this email address will be used for all correspondence from us and for your letter of notification. Make certain that it will be valid through the following year. 

1. Are there additional financial aid forms to complete?
   • No.
2. Will I be considered for financial support if I am admitted into a master's program?
   • No, master's programs generally do not offer financial aid.
3. Will I be considered for financial support if I am admitted into a Ph.D. program?
   • Yes. Ph.D. students will receive financial support (tuition, fees, monthly stipend) from a variety of sources, including CMU research assistantships, outside fellowships and government grants (e.g., NSF or other government institutions). Students are encouraged to apply for outside funding and fellowships; research assistantships are available for students without their own funding.
4. What if I cannot afford to pay the application fee?
   • We expect all applicants to submit payment with their online application. However, we do waive the required fee under certain circumstances. Fees for application to a limited number of our programs can be waived for participants in certain programs. In addition, if you are unable to pay the application fee, SCS will consider a fee waiver request. Visit the SCS Fee Waivers page for more information.
5. How can I pay the application fee?
   • You must pay the fee by credit card. We do not accept cash or check.
6. I submitted my application payment, but it is not working. What can I do? 
   
   • If your application payment is unsuccessful for any reason, the payment page will automatically reset so that the payment button will reappear. Wait and try again 10 minutes after your initial payment.

1. How do I obtain an I-20 form?
   • Refer to the Office of International Education page. This page contains a wealth of information for international students accepted to CMU.
2. I do not have a visa, but will need to apply for one. What do I select under Residency Status?
   • Select the one that will most closely match your status when you arrive on campus.
3. What should I provide as my current address?
   • Use the address where you will be available to receive mail through April. You may enter a permanent address if it differs from your current address. Do NOT enter a PO Box. The acceptance packets are sent by express mail (e.g., FedEx, UPS), and cannot be delivered to a PO Box.

If you will be studying on an F-1 or J-1 visa, and English is not a native language for you ("native language" meaning spoken at home and from birth), we are required to formally evaluate your English proficiency.

We require applicants who will be studying on an F-1 or J-1 visa, and for whom English is not a native language, to demonstrate English proficiency via one of these standardized tests: TOEFL (preferred), IELTS or Duolingo. We discourage the use of the "TOEFL ITP Plus for China", since speaking is not scored. 

We do not issue waivers for non-native speakers of English. In particular, we do not issue waivers based on previous study at a U.S. high school, college or university. We also do not issue waivers based on previous study at an English-language high school, college or university outside of the United States. No amount of educational experience in English, regardless of which country it occurred in, will result in a test waiver.

NOTE: Unfortunately, previous studies at a U.S. high school, college or university are NOT grounds for a language-test waiver. Also, previous studies at a non-U.S. English-language-instruction high school, college or university are NOT grounds for a language-test waiver.

1. I plan to take the TOEFL, IELTS and/or GRE in either November or December. However, the score will not be reported until after the final deadline. What should I do?
   • If you need to retake your TOEFL, IELTS and/or GRE for this application, we highly recommend you take the exam no later than Nov. 29, 2023. Reportable scores can take two weeks to process and we may not be able to review any scores that arrive after our Dec. 13, 2023, deadline.

TOEFL

1. My undergraduate and/or master's degree is from a U.S. institution. Do I need to take the TOEFL again?
   • If you are currently working on or have received a bachelor's and/or a master's degree in the U.S. and your native language is not English, you may submit an expired test score up to five years old. TOEFL scores taken before Sept. 1, 2018, will not be accepted.
   • Important: Applicants applying to MCDS and MHCI are required to submit a TOEFL score taken within the last two years. TOEFL scores taken before Sept. 1, 2021, will not be accepted. For more information about their policies, visit the MCDS or MHCI admission websites.
2. ETS does not hold scores that are over two years old. What can I do?
   • Upload a PDF of your expired score to your application. Be sure that your expired scores meet our requirements. 
3. My undergraduate degree and master's degree are from a non-U.S. institution. May I submit an expired TOEFL?
   • No. You will need to submit a TOEFL that is not expired. TOEFL scores taken before Sept. 1, 2021, will not be accepted.
     
4. My native language is not English, but I studied at an English language school outside the U.S. Do I have to provide English proficiency scores as part of my application?
   • Yes. If you will be studying on an F-1 or J-1 visa, and English is not a native language for you ("native language" meaning spoken at home and since birth), we are required to formally evaluate your English proficiency.
5. What version of the TOEFL is accepted?
   • TOEFL iBT
   • TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition
   • TOEFL ITP Plus for China (Note: We currently strongly discourage the use of the "TOEFL ITP Plus for China," since speaking is not scored. Applicants currently in mainland China are encouraged to take the IELTS test.)
     
6. What is the recommended TOEFL score?
   • A successful applicant will normally have a total iBT score of at least 100.

IELTS

1. Do you accept IELTS?
   • We prefer that you take the TOEFL, but we will accept the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The same restrictions of expiration dates apply with an IELTS.
2. Do you accept the IELTS Indicator? 
   • Yes. 
3. Do you accept the IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training? 
   • We will accept the IELTS Academic test. The IELTS Academic test is for people applying for higher education in an English-speaking environment.
4. What is the recommended IELTS score?
   • A TOEFL score of 100 is equivalent to an IELTS score of 7.
5. Where should I request IELTS to send my score?
   • We accept IELTS scores through E-delivery, please use the information below when setting up your IELTS scores for delivery to our institution.
     • Account Name:
       Carnegie Mellon University School of Computer Science
       Address: School of Computer Science
       5000 Forbes Avenue
       Pittsburgh, PA 15213
       United States

DUOLINGO

1.  What do I need to know about taking the Duolingo test?
   • We prefer that you take the TOEFL or IELTS, but if you cannot do that, you may take the Duolingo test. Be sure to use the same email address as you plan to use when you apply to a CMU program. Also be sure that Duolingo scores are sent to “Carnegie Mellon University — Graduate Computer Science Programs."
   • A Duolingo score of 120 is equivalent to a TOEFL iBT score of 97-102. 
   • Important: Make sure to request that Duolingo includes your subscores when they send your test results to Carnegie Mellon University — Graduate Computer Science Programs.

GRE

1. What scores should I enter if I have taken the GRE test more than once?
   • Enter the scores from your most recent test. All scores will appear on the official score report for the committee to review.
2. Is the GRE required?
   • Each program sets its policy on whether GRE scores are required or not. You can read short descriptions of each program's GRE policy on the Graduate Application Instructions page.
   • GRE scores will not be accepted if they are more than five years old.
3. Is the GRE at Home Test accepted?
   • We generally accept the at home version, but each program sets its own policy. Check the GRE policies list to be sure that the program(s) you are applying to accept the at home version.

GMAT

1. What if I have taken the GMAT?
   • Only the Societal Computing program will accept the GMAT.
   • If you are applying to Societal Computing, enter the date that you took the GMAT in the box provided for the GRE test date. Upload your GMAT test scores in the GRE spot.

1. I am in a five-year program and will be awarded a master's degree. Do I enter this in the Undergraduate or Graduate section?
   • This information should be entered in both sections.
2. What format do I use to enter my GPA and college/university point system?
   • Enter your GPA exactly as given by your college/university, e.g. 3.5, 4.9, 9.6, etc.
   • In the GPA Scale box, indicate the point system that your college/university uses (e.g., 4.0, 5.0, 10.0, etc.).
3. My school does not provide me with a "major GPA," how should I calculate it? 
   • To calculate your "major GPA," include the courses that you specified on your major.
4. Where do I mail my transcripts and how many should I send?
   
   • You are not to send your official transcripts until you have been admitted.
5. What if my fall semester grades are not on my transcript by the application deadline?
   • We do not require you to upload a copy of your fall semester grades.
   • If you are admitted, you should send us a final transcript.
6.  What should I enter in the "Class Rank" field?
   • On the education section of the application, there is the option to enter your class rank. For example, you could enter "2nd of 109 students in Computer Science Department," or "45 of 1450 students in School of Engineering." The response here should preferably be short. If you want to give us more details about your ranking, provide it in your resume. Remember that this is an optional field, and you should feel free to leave it blank if you do not have this information or if you do not wish to share it.

1. If I am applying to two programs, can I submit a different Statement of Purpose for each program?
   • Yes. However, if you are submitting different statements, submit them as one PDF file. Be sure to include a table of contents page.
2. I have already uploaded my Resume/Statement of Purpose, but I made revisions and would like to submit the new version. What should I do?
   • For most applications you can simply upload the new Resume/Statement of Purpose, even if your application has been submitted but before the application deadline. It will override the original one.
   • Note: If you have applied to the Language Technologies programs or M.S. in Machine Learning or Robotics programs, you cannot make revisions to your application after it has been submitted. 
3. Can I use AI tools to help me with my Statement of Purpose?
   
   • We recommend that you use AI tools only in a limited fashion. They are great for correcting grammar and spelling. They are terrible for expressing your own interests and experiences. Remember that you are solely responsible for 100% of what is submitted in your application. Please consider carefully how you use these tools as the use of them may impact your ability to be admitted.

1. What should I do if the deadline is approaching and one or more of my recommenders has not submitted their recommendation?
   • You may send a reminder email to a recommender (but no more than three times and not after the deadline) from your submitted application.
   • You can still submit your application even if you have not received all of your letters of recommendation. 
2. What if I want to submit more than three letters of recommendation?
   • Three letters of recommendation are required. However, space is provided for you to submit up to five. No more than five will be accepted.
3. Who should I ask to write letters of recommendation for me?
   • The admissions committee wants to know about your ability to do independent research, so you should select letter writers who can best speak to that point.
   • Professors who interacted with you extensively in smaller classes are also a good choice.
   • Employers are sometimes appropriate, but letters that are simply character references will not provide good support for your application.
   • At least two recommendation letters should be from faculty or recent employers.
4. If I submit my application before the early deadline, do my recommenders also need to submit early?
   • No they don't. If you submit your application early your recommenders still have until the final deadline to submit recommendations.

1. How long does it take to complete a master’s program?
   • About 1-2 years.
2. Is it possible to work on a master’s degree part time?
   • Most of our programs require that you be here full time.
3. Can I transfer into a master’s program from another college/university?
   • You may not simply transfer to a program. You must submit an application and be accepted into the program.
4. Once I begin a master's program in SCS, is it possible to change to another program?
   • It may be possible to transfer from one program to another after your first year of enrollment, subject to the transfer policy adopted by each program.
5. Will I be considered for financial support if I am admitted?
   • No, master's programs generally do not offer financial aid.
6.  When listing my programs on the application, how will this order affect my admission to each program?
   • The order of preference will not affect your admission. You will be equally viewed by all programs that you apply to.

1. How long does it take to complete a Ph.D. program?
   • About 5-6 years.
2. Is it possible to work on a Ph.D. part time?
   • Most of our programs require that you be here full time.
3. Can I apply to a Ph.D. program with only an undergraduate degree?
   • Yes. You do not need a master's degree to apply to a Ph.D. program.
4. Can I transfer into a Ph.D. program from another college/university?
   • You may not simply transfer to a program. You must submit an application and be accepted into the program.
5. Once I begin a Ph.D. program in SCS, is it possible to change to another program?
   • It may be possible to transfer from one program to another after your first year of enrollment, subject to the transfer policy adopted by each program.
6. Will I be considered for financial support if I am admitted?
   • Yes. Ph.D. students will receive financial support (tuition, fees, monthly stipend) from a variety of sources, including CMU research assistantships, outside fellowships and government grants (e.g., NSF or other government institutions). Students are encouraged to apply for outside funding and fellowships; research assistantships are available for students without their own funding.
7. When listing my programs on the application, how will this order affect my admission to each program?
   • The order of preference will not affect your admission. You will be equally viewed by all programs that you apply to. 
8. How do I apply to either the doctoral track in Algorithms, Combinatorics and Optimization (ACO) or in Pure and Applied Logic (PAL)?
   • If you apply through SCS, you must submit an application to the Ph.D. program in Computer Science. You should state in the first paragraph of your Statement of Purpose that you are interested in either ACO or PAL. If admitted, you will be allowed to choose that program during your first year.

1. How and when will I be notified if I am admitted?
   • Our programs make their decisions at various times during February and March.
   • You will be notified directly by each program that you applied to as to whether or not you have been admitted.
   • We realize that waiting is difficult; however, we request that you do not call our offices to inquire about the status of your application.
2. How do I track the status of my application?
   • Use your user ID and password to access the submitted online application form. 
   • Receipt of the required uploaded documents (score reports, transcripts and letters of recommendation) will be indicated in the corresponding section.
   • Allow three to four weeks past the deadline for all documents to be recorded, as it does take time to process each application.
   • Do NOT send email to ask the status of your application.
3. If I am admitted to a program, can I defer admission?
   • This policy may vary from program to program. After you are admitted, contact your program coordinator.

The SCS Graduate Application Support Program is a student-led initiative to offer feedback to potential applicants, particularly those from underrepresented groups. 

Learn more and apply to be matched with a mentor. 

1. If you encounter any technical issues while completing your application, report a problem.
2. For technical issues applying to programs in the Language Technologies Institute, MS in Machine Learning or M.S. in Robotics programs, contact us.