Current News:
Admissions deadlines: To be considered for admission during a given semester, all application materials must reach Virginia Tech by the following dates.
Due to the high volume of applications received, it is strongly recommended that you apply well in advance. This is particularly true for international applicants and any applicant who desires financial assistance.
Blacksburg and NVC Campuses: For application purposes, Blacksburg and the Northern Virginia Center (NVC) function as if they were two separate entities. Each campus processes its own applications; therefore, students must ensure that all application materials are sent to the correct campus for the program selected. See the NVC website for the NVC address. For a list of the degrees and programs offered at each campus location, please see their respective websites. If you are accepted at one campus, you cannot assume that you are also accepted at the other. If you want to re-direct your application to a different campus after it has been submitted, you will need to contact the Graduate School.
Completing Your Application: Applications must be complete before they are forwarded by the Graduate School to the CS Department for review. A complete application consists of:
Notification: You can track your application's progress online once it has been submitted. The Graduate School will send you an e-mail with instructions for checking your application status. The CS Department is not able to respond to emails or phone calls regarding the status of applications.
Pre-reviews: We do not do pre-reviews of applications. We will evaluate your application material once you officially apply via the Graduate School.
Minimum Background Requirements: Equivalent to two years of undergraduate training in Computer Science, including at least (a) an introductory course on programming and beginning data structures (typically referred to as "CS2"), (b) a sophomore or junior-level course in data structures (i.e., something that goes beyond the data structures content normally expected from a standard "CS2" course), and (c) a course in operating systems. In addition, we expect background in Mathematics to include courses in Linear Algebra, Discrete Mathematics, Statistics, and at least one year of Calculus.
Factors affecting the admissions process: Our primary admissions criterion is our expectation regarding your ability to have a productive career as a research-track graduate student. We base this assessment on the academic record (amount of Computer Science background, where previous degrees were obtained, class rank and grade point average, and scores on standard exams such as the GRE general exam, GRE Computer Science subject exam, and TOEFL), proficiency in English speaking and writing, letters of recommendation, and prior research or work experience. We do not declare any official 'minimum' GRE scores; performance on the GRE is just one factor taken into account.
Any academic materials below college or university level will not be considered or evaluated. Please do not waste postage sending secondary or public school records.
Financial support: The primary form of support available to incoming student include Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs) and fellowships. When making decisions on offers of Graduate Teaching Assistantships, we do not take financial need or ability of students to support themselves into account. However, international students who are not given a Graduate Teaching Assistantship will not be offered admission unless they have completed a financial certification form indicating sufficient resources available to complete their degree requirements.
MS vs. PhD programs: Applicants may apply to either the MS or PhD programs. Qualified students wishing admission to the PhD program, without first completing an MS, are welcome to do so. Note however that the PhD program has some requirements that differentiate it from the MS program, including a PhD qualifier process and a limit of two courses that can be taken in a given semester. For more information, see the graduate handbook.
Commonwealth Campus Program: The department rarely accepts students admitted under the Commonwealth Campus Program. In particular, we will not permit students to use this as a back-door entry into the regular graduate program. Students desiring to do graduate studies in Computer Science must apply to the CS graduate program through the regular admissions process. If you are admitted by the Graduate School as a Commonwealth Campus student at Virginia Tech, be aware that permission to register in Computer Science courses requires prior approval of the Computer Science department. We typically will not permit Commonwealth Campus students to take graduate-level courses.
Deferrals: While requests for deferral of admission will be considered, it is department policy to grant these only for exceptional reasons. Requests for a second deferral will not be granted. To make a request you must contact the CS Department by email only at gradprog@cs.vt.edu, explain why you need a deferral, and specify the term to which you would like to be deferred. You will be notified by email of the decision. Prior funding offers are not automatically repeated if a deferral is granted.
Reconsiderations: We will not reconsider an application that was declined. If you wish to re-apply, you will need to pay the application fee again and start the process over. However, the outcome will change only if there is a significant change in the information contained in the application.
Change of email address: If you change your email address during the application process, be sure to inform both the Graduate School and the CS department. Normally all communications sent out to applicants will go to the address specified on the original application.
International Students: TOEFL scores are required for all international students whose native language is not English and who have not earned a bachelor or master's degree from an anglophone univerisity (American, Canadian, British, or Australian). Departmental minimum scores are 550 (paper), 213 (computer), and 80 (internet).
All financial certification documents and any paper regarding immigration and visa issues should be sent to the Graduate School, not the CS Department. All questions regarding these issues should be directed to the Graduate School.
Because of differences in naming conventions among nations, it is essential that you clearly specify what you intend to be your last name (family or surname), middle, and first (given) name on all documents. It is also important that you be consistent in their use. If we cannot determine your name accurately in our records, your application materials could become separated, misfiled, or lost. For Chinese applicants, the most common problem results when the family and given names are switched somewhere during the process. For Indian applicants, the most common problem results from inconsistent use of abbreviated forms of the name among various application documents.
Waiver of Application Fee: The CS department is not involved in making decisions regarding waivers of application fees. This is handled solely by the Graduate School.