Deadlines, Decisions, Requirements, and Guidelines

Deadlines

The OMSCS program accepts applications year-round for both Fall and Spring matriculations (there are no Summer admissions). The deadlines for submitting ALL application materials (listed in the next section), including any supporting materials, are:

  • Fall matriculation: March 15
  • Spring matriculation: August 15

We cannot guarantee that applications that do not have ALL the required application materials submitted by these dates will be reviewed in time for the applied semester.

The OMSCS calendar is synchronous with the Georgia Tech registrar calendar.

Decisions

Generally speaking, the OMSCS Admissions Committee begins releasing decisions approximately 2 weeks after the application deadline has passed. Please be patient while waiting for a decision—due to the volume of applications, it takes time for the applications to be reviewed and decisions to be released. Emailing the help desk or the Office of Graduate Education inquiring about the status of a decision will not speed up the review process (and indeed actually slows it down!). ALL decisions will be released 10-12 weeks after the application deadline.  After the deadline has passed, all applicants will receive a follow-up e-mail with a specific timetable.

Application Requirements

  • Personal information
    • Full name
    • Date & place of birth
    • Permanent & current addresses
    • Names & email addresses of recommenders
    • Criminal & academic misconduct history
    • Citizenship (click here for more information on accepted proof of citizenship)
  • Academic history
    • Colleges & universities attended
    • Official or unofficial transcripts (as defined by the Office of Graduate Education) from ALL colleges and universities you have attended
      • Diplomas are NOT acceptable substitutes!
    • Degrees earned
      • If you have earned the degree, your transcript MUST show the date of conferral. If it does not, your application will be rejected or put on indefinite hold.
  • For international applicants only:
    • TOEFL or IELTS score (see this page for the requirements)
  • Ethnicity
  • Residency
  • U.S. military affiliation
  • Awards, recognitions, fellowships, scholarships
  • Other universities to which you are applying
  • OMSCS Supplemental Questions
    • The Objectives section contains 13 free-form questions and 9 "Yes/No" questions.
    • The free-form questions are VERY limited in the response you can give.
    • ALL the "Yes/No" questions should have an answer of "Yes". If you answer "No" to ANY of them, you need to go back through your application and correct it until you can truthfully all "Yes/No" questions with "Yes".
  • Resume
    • This is REQUIRED! Your application will either be rejected or put on indefinite hold if it is not included.
  • 3 letters of recommendation
    • You should choose recommenders who know you well and can comment authoritatively on your scholarly characteristics (e.g., intellectual ability, knowledge of your chosen field, communication skills, etc.).
    • Generally, current and former teachers and supervisors make more compelling recommenders than former classmates or co-workers.

Additional Application Guidelines

Please read this page for helpful hints on how to create a stronger application. It will save you time when preparing your application!