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SCS Graduate Online Application

• Applications and all supporting documents, including letters of recommendation, for the Doctoral Programs in the School of Computer Science and for the Masters Programs in the Robotics Institute and the Language and Technologies Institute must be received by the final deadline December 16. You may submit your application by December 2 to avoid higher application fees.
• If you submit your application by December 2, the application fee is $75 for one program and $50 for each additional program. The early deadline does not imply an early decision. Between 12:01 am EST on December 3 and 11:59 pm on December 16 the application fee increases to $125 for one program and $75 for each additional program.
• Transcripts are due December 3. Test scores reports and letters of recommendation are due December 16.

If you register to take the TOEFL for a SCS graduate program, please use our Institution Code 4256 for Carnegie Mellon University - School of Computer Science and the Departmental Code 78. A successful applicant will normally have a total iBT score of at least 100.

To apply for admission to graduate programs within the School of Computer Science, read the following instructions carefully and make certain that you have met all requirements when you submit your application.

Complete the online application form for admission to graduate programs within the School of Computer Science. With the online SCS application form, you may apply to two Ph.D. programs, and/or the Masters programs offered by the Robotics Institute and the Language Technologies Institute. The online application must be completed and submitted electronically as instructed by December 2 with a final deadline of December 16. Letters of recommendation must be requested and submitted electronically by December 16.

Descriptions of the Ph.D. programs can be found on the Doctoral Programs page. Descriptions of the Masters programs can be found on the Masters Programs page. You may use the SCS graduate online application form to apply to any of the Doctoral Programs and the RI and LTI Masters Programs. To apply to other Masters Programs offered by departments within SCS, please contact the individual programs directly for specific application instructions and forms.

All applicants must take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test and have scores sent directly to Carnegie Mellon University (Institutional Code 2074, Departmental Code 0402). See individual program requirements for complete details. Please refer to the GRE testing schedule to determine test dates. No application will be considered complete until we have received these scores. GRE scores will not be accepted if more than five

If your native language is not English, then you must submit the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). If you are currently working on or have received a bachelors and/or a masters degree in the US and your native language is not English, the TOEFL is still required, but you may submit a copy of a previous TOEFL report even if it is more than two years old. Request your score be sent directly to Carnegie Mellon University (Institutional Code 4256, Departmental Code 78). A successful applicant will normally have a total iBT score of at least 100. We prefer that you take the TOEFL, but we will accept the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Request that your official score report be sent to:

Martha Clarke, Admissions Coordinator
School of Computer Science
Carnegie Mellon University
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3891 USA

Submit one transcript from each college or university, even if no degree was granted. You must upload an unofficial transcript in either PDF, JPG, or GIF. Any other format will not be accepted. Mail one copy of each official transcript to Martha Clarke, Admissions Coordinator, at the address given above. Transcripts are due December 2.


Submit your current Resume. Outline your education, research experience, work experience, publications, scholarships awarded, prizes and honors received, society memberships, and any other extracurricular activities.

Submit a Statement of Purpose. Prepare a concise one or two page essay that describes your primary areas of interest in research, your related experiences, and your objective in pursuing a graduate degree at Carnegie Mellon. Your essay should be specific in describing your interests and motivations. When describing your research interests, you should explain why you think they are important areas of study and why you are particularly well-suited to pursuing them. You should describe any relevant education, research, commercial, government, or teaching experience. If you are applying to more than one program, you may (but are not required to) submit a separate Statement of Purpose for each program. You must upload your Resume and Statement of Purpose in either PDF, MS Word, or text format. Include your name and User ID on the essay.

Notes for specific programs:

Human-Computer Interaction applicants: Indicate your intended area of emphasis in the first paragraph of your Statement of Purpose. If appropriate to your background, you may include a link to your portfolio. If you are unable to provide a link, you may mail a CD of your portfolio to Martha Clarke, Admissions Coordinator, at the address given above.

Software Engineering applicants: Concisely summarize your background in software development, experience with particular parts of the software life cycle, and how your industrial experience prepares you for graduate-level academic work. Submit this information in the Supplemental Information section under Experience (Research, Industry) in the online application.

Computation, Organizations and Society applicants: Indicate your intended area in the first paragraph of your Statement of Purpose along with the name of a possible advisor. For those with industrial or government experience, please describe how this experience prepares you for graduate-level academic work. Submit this information in the Supplemental Information section under Experience (Research, Industry) in the online application. Applicants may also submit a short prior publication related to their research interests.

Masters in Robotics System Development applicants: Please provide some background information on your academic/industrial career to date, and why/how that leads you to be interested in CMU's unique industry-oriented MRSD degree-program. In order to aid in our candidate evaluation it would be helpful for us to understand your career aspirations, how you see the mix of technical/management education in the MRSD-program assisting you in achieving these, and what you see yourself doing in 5 to 10 years after graduation.

Masters in Computer Science applicants:  Please discuss your purpose in pursuing a Masters degree in Computer Science.  For example, you might explain how advanced study in Computer Science fits into your future career ambitions.  There are no right answers, and you do not need to have worked out your future plans in detail.  We just want to see that you have thought your purpose through.  If your background is unusual, this is also the right place to explain it to us.

Submit three letters of recommendation. Recommenders should know you relatively well and be able to evaluate the quality of your previous work. At least two should be from faculty or recent employers. With the online application, letters will be requested and submitted electronically. Paper recommendations will not be accepted. Letters of recommendation are due by December 16. All deadlines are final. Letters received after this date may not be considered in the review of your application.

Submit the online application, pay the non-refundable application fee, request the required test scores, and mail only transcripts to the address below:

Martha Clarke, Admissions Coordinator
School of Computer Science
Carnegie Mellon University
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3891 USA

A non-refundable application fee of $75 is required for one program and $50 for each additional program if submitted by December 2. Between 12:01 am ETS on December 3 and 11:59 pm on December 16 the application fee increases to $125 for one program and $75 for each additional program. You may pay the fee by credit card. The credit card payment system is part of the online application, and instructions are given when you submit your application. If you do not want to pay by credit card with the online application, you may pay by a check or money order drawn on a U.S. bank, made payable to Carnegie Mellon University.

It is your responsibility to make certain that your application, supporting documents, and letters of recommendation reach the Admissions Committee by the final deadline. You may check your submitted application to make certain that it is complete.