EARLY M.ENG Admit Pathway ​(also known as Early Credit Option)

The Early M.Eng Admit Pathway allows a student to count credits taken in the final semester of their undergrad career towards an M.Eng. degree. Depending on the number of credits needed to finish the undergrad degree requirements, many students taking advantage of this option can complete their M.Eng. degree in one additional semester registered as an M.Eng student.

  • Students must apply to have their "un-used" courses pre-approved to count towards their future M.Eng degree requirements. 
    • At least 10 credits must be taken toward M.Eng requirements in the early M.Eng semester if you intend to complete the M.Eng degree requirements in one additional M.Eng semester. The maximum number of credits allowed per semester, for M.Eng is 20.
  • Any M.Eng. credit-eligible courses taken that are not applied to the bachelor's degree and that are pre-approved (5000 level or higher), can be counted towards M.Eng. degree requirements. A Maximum of 15 credits can be counted towards the MEng degree requirements during the Early Admit Semester.
  • Students may not take advantage of this option if they have more than eight or less than one credit remaining to complete their undergraduate degree requirements.
  • Apply using the Early M.Eng Admit form
    • The form needs to be signed by your undergraduate major coordinator/advisor confirming that no more than eight credits are required to fulfill all remaining degree requirements.
    • Students should submit this form before the end of their final full undergraduate semester.
      • If you intend to graduate from undergrad in spring, the form is due before November 1.
      • If you intend to graduate in the fall, the form is due before May 15. 
  • Once a student has submitted the petition and application it will be reviewed and if approved, an Early MEng. admit agreement signed.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
  • Pre-approval of these courses counts for the CS MEng. degree only. If you wish to apply to another field, you should speak to their MEng. Office regarding their procedure for Early MEng.
  • Pre-approval is for the Ithaca campus CS M.Eng only. Cornell Tech does not accept Early M.Eng credits.
To qualify for the M.Eng. Early Admit Program a student must:
  • Be a Cornell student in their final semester of undergraduate study.
  • Have at least one (1) but no more than eight (8) credits remaining in their final undergraduate semester to complete all undergraduate degree requirements.
  • Have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.7 or better. Please note that this is a minimum requirement to apply; most admitted applicants have a GPA substantially higher.
  • The early admission option is for Cornell undergraduates only. Other applicants should click here for more information on the Cornell CS MEng. program.

Deadlines:

Early M.Eng Credit Forms should be filled out by the student, sent to their undergraduate major coordinator/advisor for a signature confirming that no more than 8 credits remain to complete all undergraduate degree requirements. Ask that the form, once signed, be sent to the CS M.Eng Office - Admissions. By the same deadline, students must complete the online application.  Information about the online application can be found here.

 
The deadline for requesting approval for Early M.Eng Admit Pathway and online application for spring 2025 is November 1, 2024. This will ensure the form gets processed and you will be added to the list of early M.Eng before the course add period starts in January. 
 
The deadline for requesting approval for Early M.Eng Admit Pathway and online application for fall 2025 is May 15, 2025. This will ensure the form gets processed and you will be added to the list of early M. Eng before the course add period starts in August.

 

Click here to get the form: Early M.Eng Credit 

For questions please contact the Computer Science Master of Engineering Program