Deadlines

Applications for the Master of Engineering Program in Computer Science are accepted for both the fall and spring terms. All application materials must be received by:

  • October 1st ( for Spring admissions - January start )
  • February 1st ( for Fall admissions - August start )

*We do not process applications received after the above deadlines. If you have extenuating circumstances that prevent you from applying on time and would like to request approval for submitting your application late, please contact meng-admissions@cs.cornell.edu. Our decision to approve or disapprove a late submission will depend on how far past the deadline you wish to submit your application, the reason for the late submission, and whether we have completed our application review.

Required Materials

All application material must be submitted through our online application system. No exceptions will be made.

Click HERE to establish an online application account for the CS MEng program at Cornell Ithaca.

The application requires:

  • Letters of Recommendation (two letters required.)
    • Recent graduates and current students should try to provide at least one recommendation from an instructor, professor or another academic contact.
    • Current Cornell Computer Science students need only one LOR. Please enter a "filler" for the second contact.
    • It is also acceptable to provide LORs from intern/employment supervisors, team leads, and managers.
    • Letters should be submitted only through the online application system.
    • Please DO NOT check the "Letter will be mailed" box as this prevents the system from sending a request out to the reference 
    • If you choose to use the Interfolio service: Interfolio assigns a "custom document e-mail address" to each letter, which gets used IN PLACE OF the recommender's e-mail address on the ApplyWeb application. To find this custom document e-mail address, open your Interfolio account, click on the name of your letter/document, copy the email address, and paste that into your ApplyWeb application (in place of the recommender's personal e-mail address). More information can be found here: http://www.interfolio.com/online-application-deliveries/
  • Statement of Purpose.
    • ​Identify areas of computer science that are of particular interest and explain why.
    • Explain why you are interested in the CS MEng Program at Cornell University.
    • Review what makes you qualified for our program.
    • Discuss how the CS MEng program will help you meet your future goals.
  • Personal Statement

    • Your Personal Statement should provide the admissions committee with a sense of you as a whole person, and you should use it to describe how your background and experiences influenced your decision to pursue a graduate degree.

    • Additionally, it should provide insight into your potential to contribute to a community of inclusion, belonging, and respect where scholars representing diverse backgrounds, perspectives, abilities, and experiences can learn and work productively and positively together.

    • We recommend using this space to explicitly describe any obstacles you have overcome in your life's journey and how you overcame these obstacles and persevered to reach your goals.

  • ​Transcripts of all college-level work. Scan each transcript and upload it into the online application system or upload digital versions. The transcript must be legible and oriented correctly.
    • Some secure digital transcripts are not legible once uploaded.  Please make sure your transcripts can be shared as an upload before submitting your application.
    • Upload transcripts after grades from your most recently completed semester/term are posted. You will want the admissions committee to see your most recent grades.
    • Before matriculation, you will be asked to have an official electronic version of each transcript sent to the Graduate School records office. Additional information is available here: https://gradschool.cornell.edu/admissions/prepare/transcripts/
      • Cornell undergraduates will not be required to follow this step.
    • International students, please visit the Grad School application information webpage for additional information on transcript requirements.
    • IMPORTANT: Hard Copies of Transcripts should NOT be mailed to the CS Department.
  • GRE Scores are no longer required as part of an application to the CS M.Eng Program. 
    • Submitting scores will have no impact on the admission committee's decision.

Application Fee waivers are not offered by the CS M.Eng Office. We do not offer financial aid and therefore do not offer application fee waivers. The only exception is for those who might be applying for the CS M.Eng Diversity Scholarship. Candidates for the scholarship needing an application fee waiver should contact meng-admissions@cs.cornell.edu 

 

  • PROOF ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: All International students who earned their degrees from institutions in a country where English is not the official language and do not meet one of the standard exemptions outlined on the Cornell Graduate Admissions webpages are required to submit scores from either the TOEFL or IELTS tests.
    • TOEFL: The Graduate School mandates that applicants meet the following minimum scores in order to be considered for admission: Writing (>=20), Listening (>=15), Reading (>=20), and Speaking (>=22).
      • CS MEng requires that applicants meet the above section minimums. Most admitted applicants have exceeded the minimum.
      • Scores should be sent directly by the testing service to Cornell University Graduate School (institution code 2098) Department code is not required. Additional information on TOEFL requirements is provided by the Graduate School

    • IELTS: is also accepted as a test of English Language Proficiency. An overall band score of 7/0 or higher is required. 

  • Please see information about English Language Proficiency Requirements on the Graduate Admissions webpages including how to send  IELTS scores, exemptions, and timelines.
  • No tests other than IELTS and TOEFL are accepted as proof of English Language Proficiency at this time. If additional tests are added, the information will be available on the Graduate Admissions web pages. 

Additional information about your application:

  • Please do not send/provide any materials which are not specified as required for your application. No additional documents will be considered during the review unless prior permission has been granted.
  • A writing sample is not required.
  • Hard copies of application materials already submitted online are not required. Do not send a printed copy of your application.
  • No application materials should be mailed. All materials should be submitted through the application system.

Questions about the required application materials? e-mail CS M.Eng Admissions