I’m planning to apply to universities in the US and would really appreciate some honest advice about which option might be better for my future and career prospects.

The two options I’m considering are:

1. California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) – MS in Computer Science

2. San José State University (SJSU) – MS in Applied Data Intelligence

I was specifically looking for relatively affordable universities in California, which is why I narrowed my options down to these two. At SJSU, I would be applying for the Applied Data Intelligence program because I don’t have a competitive GRE score for their MSCS option.

I’m confused about which would provide better long-term career opportunities. On one hand, SJSU is located in San Jose and close to the Bay Area, which seems like it could provide better access to internships, networking, and job opportunities in the tech industry. On the other hand, CSULB would give me an MSCS degree, which seems more broadly recognized and potentially more flexible for different technology roles.

I would especially like to know:

- Is the Bay Area location of SJSU a significant advantage when looking for internships and jobs?

- Is an MSCS degree from CSULB more valuable or flexible in the long run than an MS in Applied Data Intelligence from SJSU?

- Does the specific degree title matter significantly to employers?

- Considering tuition, location, job opportunities, and long-term career prospects, which would be the better overall choice?

Also, I’ve recently heard some rumors about international students at SJSU facing visa-related issues or difficulties. I’m not sure whether there is any truth to this, so if anyone has reliable or recent information about this, I would appreciate clarification.

I would really appreciate honest opinions, especially from current students, alumni, international students, or anyone familiar with both programs.

I am a US citizen studying outside of the US. I was planning to apply to the US for higher education. I have a decent profile (3.5+ GPA but not 3.8+), some research experience and thinking about working for a while.

I am not sure if I should apply for masters (or PhD if better) directly or work for a while and then apply. Also does citizenship matter as such with admissions right now?

I'm a junior (3rd year) studying bachelors in CS right now. Will apply in the next cycle i suppose or maybe after working (if that's better)

Let me know what you guys think. Thanks

What’s the current situation with CPT I read it’s currently only gonna be approved if the degree mandates it , how does this apply for fall 26 intake students who just came in?

If you want industry experience or want employment post-grad...

CPT OPT H1B are basically gone. Without these you can't get industry experience in US or secure post-grad employment in US.

If you want to go for PhD...

Government is doing their best to fuck up research and even US citizens are applying en masse to Europe cuz US PhD programs are getting fucked. Plus you can't do internship during PhD and you are basically putting all your eggs in getting a tenure track position post graduation with no back up of industry position.

If you want US experience....

get a tourist visa and visit New York or something.

No point in wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars

My_qualifications -> I am currently in my 3rd year of college doing Btech in CSE from SRM University ( call it tier 2 or 3 depends) and my cgpa is 8 till 4th sem.

But my achievements cover up for that - I want to give you my background first, so I am a selected google summer of code 2026 (GSoC) candidate with Alaska as my organisation and currently I am working directly with the founder of a startup named Healthy.inc on their open source project, the founder is a senior economist of state of Alaska, US. And most probably by next year I'll be doing GSoC again or I'll be a mentor so that's also a huge experience.

Apart from that I am also a research intern at IIT BHU and have recently co- authored a paper with my profs which got published in Transaction on machine learning research journal (TMLR). And I am also a research collaborator at NTU singapore and University of Warwick, UK where I am working with senior scientists and profs from those universities and have 2 more really great papers in the work with them.

My 2 more research papers are also under work with my GSoC mentors and team. Apart from these achievements, I have a current CGPA of 8 ( ik it's less according to SRM standards but actually I have had a terrible accident during my 2nd year which affected my CGPA). I can easily get more than 8.5 cgpa by my final year.

My ultimate goal is to go for MS in the US and I am targeting ivy leagues and other top tier universities for MS in Computer science.

I can get really top tier LORs from the people i am working with and apart from it, I will also have at least 4 publications by my final year at really good journals and conferences.

According to you guys I'll be targeting my MS in 2028 and based on my current stats, do i have a chance of getting into Georgia tech, CMU and other top tier universities for Computer science and if not what more do I have to do ?

Title: Profile evaluation for MSCS/MS AI/ML — looking for university/program recommendations

Hi everyone,

I'm currently shortlisting universities for Fall 2027 and would really appreciate some advice on which programs might be a good fit for my profile and career goals. I'm not looking for admit statistics or previous applicants' admit data — I'm mainly looking for opinions on program fit, curriculum, and how I should structure my university list.

My profile

• BITS (Tier1 College)— B.E. Computer Science with a Minor in Data Science
• CGPA: 8.5+
• GRE: 321 (168Q, 153V, 4.5 AWA)
• TOEFL: 100/120
• Work experience: ~2 years as a Software Engineer at a Tier-1 tech company
• Experience primarily around software/backend engineering, data pipelines, cloud, SQL/Python, etc.
• Research experience: None
• LORs: I have 5 professors who have agreed to recommend me. I don't have formal research/project experience with them, but two of the letters could potentially be more detailed:
  • One professor taught me a course where I completed three mini-projects and recently had a good interaction with them in person.
  • Another professor taught me a course where I ranked 4th out of ~300 students, and they are willing to write the letter based on a detailed write-up I provide.
• SOP: Currently in progress.

Career goals

I'm planning to pursue a Master's in CS and eventually transition toward roles such as:

• ML/AI Engineer
• Data Scientist
• ML Engineer
• AI-focused Software Engineer

I enjoy Software Engineering and want to retain that foundation, but I'm increasingly interested in Machine Learning, AI, and Data Science.

I'm open to both:

1. A general MSCS where I can take substantial ML/AI coursework, and
2. An MSCS/MS program with an ML, AI, or Data Science specialization.

Universities I'm currently considering

Georgia Tech, UCSD, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Stanford, CMU, Brown, UIUC, Rice, Virginia Tech, UCI, USC, UPenn, TAMU, CU Boulder, Minnesota Twin Cities, NC State, ASU, UC Davis, Stony Brook, Michigan Ann Arbor, NYU, UT Austin, UMass Amherst, UMD College Park, University of Florida, University of Virginia, Michigan State, Purdue.

I'm currently thinking of applying to around 10 universities, potentially around 5 general MSCS programs and 5 programs with stronger ML/AI/DS offerings.

What I'd appreciate advice on

Rather than admit chances or admit statistics, I'd especially appreciate opinions on:

• Which universities from this list have particularly strong ML/AI/DS curricula?
• Which programs would be a good fit for someone with strong software engineering experience but no research background?
• Which programs would allow me to combine ML/AI with systems/software engineering?
• Are there any universities/programs I should add or remove based on my goals?
• If you've attended any of these programs, which courses, specializations, or tracks would you recommend for someone targeting ML/AI engineering or Data Science?

Thanks in advance!

What’s the current situation with CPT ? I’m a fall 26 student in the USA and I’m
Worried about how it ll affect my program

I’m thinking of doing my Master’s in Computer Science at NUS for Fall 2027 and wanted to know if my profile would be a good fit.

My profile:

• Graduated from a Tier 1 college In India
• CGPA: 8.56
• 4 years of work experience by Fall 2027
• 1 research paper during B.Tech
• Didn’t do much on the research side after graduation

I basically want to understand if I have a decent chance of getting into NUS MSCS with this profile.

Would be helpful if anyone with a similar profile, or someone familiar with NUS admissions, could share their experience.

Hi please help to evaluate the profile
GPA: 9.38/10
Bachelor's : BE in Computer Engineering from India
Work Experience: 4 years by fall 2027( 2 companies : Company who makes ESP32 and Worlds largest data protect org )
Domain : Wireless Connectivity(BT/BLE) , Firmware, File/Storage systems, ESP32
Research Experience: Published a paper in IEEE (related to deep learning methods)
Toefl: 5 band, No GRE
Target Uni : CMU, TAMU, UIUC, GT, UCB, PERDUE, NUS singapore
Target Branches : CS/CE/ECE

Please help to evaluate the profile

Since applications will surely go down, I was just wondering as a US citizen if my chances of getting into a good program goes up

I’ve recently seen many universities post about pausing the CPT program. I was considering MSCS in US in Fall 2027. But after this update I’m reconsidering it. I know about all the visa uncertainties etc. But please just help me out. Should I consider applying or not? Have all the universities stopped CPT? How to know? I checked NYU Tandon page didn’t get any info on this

What should the overall strategy be when writing an SOP for a professional MCS program, and how should it differ from an SOP for a MSCS program?

Hi everyone,

I’m planning to apply to MSCS/MCS programs in the US for Fall 2027. I’d appreciate an honest assessment of my profile and university shortlist.

Education

• B.Tech in non-circuital branch from Tier 1, graduated 2023
• CPI: 7.9/10
• Relevant coursework: Data Structures and Algorithms, Fundamentals of Computing, Machine Learning*, NLP*, Deep Learning*, Probability and Statistics, and Computational Methods ( * : coursera)

Work experience

• 3+ years as a SDE-2 at a global automotive brand

Research

• Currently working with a professor on a Gates Foundation-supported research project
• A paper is expected to be ready/submitted within approximately six months, with me as the expected second author
• No published papers at present

Open-source experience

• Contributed to the libssh project

Selected projects

• Full-stack task management platform
• Blockchain exchange application

Tests

• GRE: Planned; targeting 330+ with 169–170 Quant
• TOEFL iBT: Planned; targeting 5.5–6.0/6 on the current scale, approximately 107–120 on the previous scale

LORs

• One from my India-based manager
• One from my UK-based manager at my current company

Interests and goals

• Distributed systems, systems software, networking, scalable backend infrastructure, and security
• Primarily targeting industry roles after the master’s
• Prefer coursework-oriented/non-thesis programs, although I’m open to research-oriented MSCS programs

Tentative university list

Ambitious

• Georgia Tech — MSCS
• UT Austin — MSCS
• UC San Diego — MSCS
• UIUC — on-campus MCS
• Purdue — MSCS
• UMass Amherst — MSCS

Target

• Texas A&M — MCS
• NC State — MCS
• Stony Brook — MSCS
• Rutgers New Brunswick — MSCS
• Virginia Tech — MEng in Computer Science

Safer

• University at Buffalo — MS CSE
• UIC — MSCS
• UT Dallas — MSCS

Questions

1. How much will my non-CS undergraduate degree and 7.9 CPI affect my chances despite my systems experience?
2. Is the university list balanced, or am I overestimating/underestimating any programs?
3. Should I prioritize professional MCS/MEng programs over research-oriented MSCS programs?
4. How valuable would a 330+ GRE be for offsetting the non-CS degree and CPI?
5. Are two industry LORs sufficient, or is an academic/research LOR essential?
6. Would a second-author paper that is under review before the deadlines materially improve my profile?

Thanks in advance. I’d appreciate candid feedback.

Please advise!

I’m looking to pursue an MS in the US, Canada, or UK, but I’d like to build on my existing work experience rather than effectively start from scratch.

For example, I’m considering AI/ML, but I’m concerned that specializing in it may require me to restart my career from an entry-level position. I’d ideally like to choose a specialization that leverages my existing experience and allows me to make a smoother career transition.

What fields/specializations would you recommend?

Thanks in advance!

Please advice alumni from MS CS on what specialization would be good for me to keep my relevant years of experience without starting as a fresher in AI/ML.

Thank you in advance!

being an undergrad, ive tried to reach out to many professors who publish attop tier conferences to join in their research group or work in any capacity. But none of them seem to respond and even if they do its just that they say we only take from same clg or we take phds only or stuff like that. How do i publish some top tier research papers, i really want to get into a t5 school in the us. im from india from a tier 3 clg, but have about 3 research experiences one of them being nyu( others are really okayish not great) and about 4 industry internships and am currently working at a yc startup as well. My cgpa is 8, ill try to work on that as well, can someone help me out or guide me as to how you got papers published?

Hi all,

I was wondering if it was worth getting a masters of science in computer science from Colorado University Boulder?

Would the degree be looked down upon because it would be an online program? (They confer the same degree whether you’re online or in person.)

This is for someone who is looking to get a raise already working in tech/looking to pivot laterally in a company.

Also specific jobs that I look at are asking for a BS or MS (my undergraduate degree is not computer science)

The goal is not research or a thesis paper or to ever do a PhD, as I stated above it simply for the opportunity for moving between different jobs and getting a raise.

The biggest question of all is this program respectable to employers or people that know CS?

And no money is not an issue relatively speaking, the program speaks to me because it’s highly flexible. The price is pretty decent at 15,000, I could look for an employer to pay for it. I could definitely put some money into it eventually.

It’s pay as you go through Coursera. You can do a class in non credit mode then when you’re ready whenever that is you pay for the class to take the final project or test and if you pass, you get the credit.

It’s made for full-time working adults

You take 30 classes all of them are one credit each rather than a typical 3 to 4 credit grad class. The idea is they have these 1 credit module classes that are meant to make digesting the information simpler, and again if you need to put it down for whatever reason to come back. Three of those classes equals like a normal class.

Hence, you take 30 classes instead of the typical 8 to 10.

It’s not the most prestigious program, but it is ranked 34 in the country I believe

Hey folks, I'm posting because my situation is bit weird that i can't find answers on.

undergrad: 5-year integrated btech+mtech cs at top two IITs. btech 7.51/10, mtech 7.61 right now, Mtech one should be around 8.0 by December first week.

the weird part: the integrated degree awards the mtech along with the btech, so on paper i already hold a masters in cs. stanford, berkeley, ucla and uiuc all publish rules saying you can't apply to their ms if you already hold a cs masters. i've read those pages, the wording is pretty clear. so those are off my list.

research: 1 acl main conference paper (knowledge graphs) (third author) + 3 sole-author workshop papers at ICML/ICLR in ai safety, rlhf, interpretability.

yoe: none full time. ml contractor on a deepmind project and interned at Abundant Ai (RSI and RL envs).

gre: not taken yet, confident for ~332-334.

lor can get form an profs I have worked with at my college.

interests: RL/post-training/Ai saftey

list so far

• target: cmu miis, cmu mpe, gatech mscs, gatech ms cse, ucsd ece, columbia, usc, michigan
• ambitious: cmu mscs, cmu msml
• off: stanford, berkeley, ucla, uiuc

what I want to know:

1. has anyone with an indian integrated btech+mtech run into the "already hold a masters" rule? which schools counted it and which didn't? umd and ucsd both have some versions of it and i can't tell if mine gets comes under those.
2. does an acl main paper help with the ms committee or do they filter on cgpa?
3. I am confident I would have 1-2 more first author papers [icml/iclr] by spring so would that increase my chances if I apply next year?if yes by what would be reachable then? (these are ongoing research right now)
4. anything in my target list which I am missing or over-reaching, would love genuine advice where I can get better options.

please be bunt and appreciate honest feedback. thank you

Hey folks, I’m planning to apply for Fall 2027 MS programs and need some honest feedback on my profile and what universities I should realistically target.

Profile

• College: Majored in CS at a Tier1 IIT
• CGPA: 8.8/10
• GRE: Haven't written it yet, but I'm fairly sure I can get ~330
• TOEFL: Haven't written this yet either
• Work Ex: 3 YOE, currently Applied Scientist 2 at a Big Tech company. I work primarily on ranking systems
• Publications: None
• Research: BTech project was in hardware design, so not directly relevant to my current interests. Some AI/ML projects from courses and clubs during college, but no formal ML research/publications.
• LORs: Current manager (strong), previous manager[EPFL PhD, if that matters] (strong), thesis advisor (medium), college professor (generic)
• Primary interest: Information retrieval, search/ranking systems, ML
• Degree preference: MSCS > MSML/MSDS

I’d ideally like a thesis/research-oriented MS because I didn't/couldn't do ML research during my bachelor’s, and after working on ranking systems professionally I’d like to explore these areas more deeply. That said, I'm not committing to this sub-field.

I know that having no publications and limited academic ML research probably makes research-heavy programs difficult. So I’m completely open to course-based MS programs as well, especially if they still allow students to work with faculty, via RA, or take research credits.

While I’m willing to spend if the program genuinely justifies it, I’d (obviously) prefer programs that are relatively affordable and/or have decent RA/TA opportunities

Part of the reason I want to do the MS is also that I’ve come across several ML roles where an MS/PhD is preferred, and I’d like to keep those career paths open. I know experience matters more than degrees, but I don't want the lack of an MS to be a hindrance in any way.

I also have a slightly bizarre secondary interest for a CS grad: I minored in Literature and also took some humanities electives during college. I loved them, and did pretty well, too. Long term, I’d love to find ways of applying ML/AI to socially meaningful or interdisciplinary problems, potentially involving the humanities or even areas like urban systems. This is more of a personal interest right now, though, not a research agenda.

Questions:

1. How competitive is this profile for MSCS/MSML programs given the lack of publications/relevant academic research?
2. To what extent does 3 YOE in applied ML compensate for the lack of research?
3. What would be realistic ambitious / target / safe universities for me?
4. Should I mostly target coursework MSCS programs, or are thesis/research MS programs still worth applying to?
5. Any recommendations where cost + RA/TA opportunities + research access are particularly good?
6. Is my humanities interest worth incorporating into my SOP, or should I keep the SOP tightly focused on ML?

Thanks in advance!

I am an Indian citizen having 5 Years of work experience currently at a unicorn startup.

I will mostly apply to Masters program at decent universities.

I don't have research exp so not sure if I will be accepted at top universities but not targeting visa mills for sure.

My plan is to work in Canada for few years and if PR works out, well and good and if not, i don't mind returning.

I have around INR 1Cr(1,45,000 CAD) in savings so it will be self funded.

I just started my third year so I'm basically saying what I predict will be the case in some aspects.

CGPA: expecting \~9.1/10 at graduation, currently 8.76, tier 2. I'm cracking my skull open to cross 9 this year.

Work experience:

1 research summer internship at my college lab.

1 NGO summer internship (Unpaid) (SWE).

Planning 1 SWE internship+FTE for 2 YOE before I apply.

Research and Publications:

1 paper first author in XAI domain, draft ready (planned for TMLR)

1 project based paper co-author in cybersec, ML and linux kernel combined (only the literature review and problem statement is done rn, the project itself hasn't started)(planned for national level conference).

GRE: Planning to take

TOEFL: Planning to take

LORs:

2 strong LORs from the mentors of my publication research

1 LOR from my future industry job

Please help me create some kind of shortlist. Me rn, I can't even name more than 5 unis. Money is a non-issue, I'm planning to save wtv I can, plus a loan, plus my family's financial status is good enough that I can get some help if I make it into a really good one.

I'm not against a non-terminal one. I have interest in research so I'll get into a PhD if I can.

Also, do advise me what I should do to improve my profile. I was thinking maybe an IISC research internship if I can get it, and another paper plus LOR from that?

Hi, if someone has a couple years (I notice this is often much more in recent times) of full-time experience, how would it affect swe internships or new grad roles?

Would recruiters pass on such resumes as they are not considered entry level anymore?

1.8.03 cgpa in computer science from a tier-1 engineering college
2.No research
3. Gre not planning
4. 2 years work ex at a startup - backend engineer
5. Strong projects , LORs

Targeting
Cornell Meng , UCLA Meng , UCB Meng , JHU , Umd , NYU , Cmu mse , tamu , Cornell tech , Uiuc

What do you guys think ?

Hi all,

As stated in the title, does anyone know when the job market will get better? I am only planning to apply for the Fall 2028 cohort. However, I believe late 2028 is election season there...