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:

  • Application deadline for Fall matriculation: March 1
  • Application deadline for 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.

Please note that any academic work completed after the application deadline will not be considered for the purposes of evaluating your application. For example, academic coursework which is in progress and not completed before the application deadline will not be considered; an updated transcript showing coursework completed AFTER the deadline will NOT be considered.

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 application deadline has passed, all applicants will receive a follow-up e-mail with a specific timetable.

Application Requirements

The following information is required for your application:

  • Personal information
    • Full name.
    • Date and place of birth.
    • Permanent and current addresses.
    • Names and email addresses of recommenders.
    • Criminal and academic misconduct history.
    • Citizenship (click here for more information on accepted proof of citizenship).
    • Ethnicity.
    • Residency.
    • U.S. military affiliation.
  • 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.
  • Resume: A resume is required.
  • Miscellaneous information
    • For international applicants only: TOEFL or IELTS score (see this page for the requirements).
    • Awards, recognitions, fellowships, scholarships.
    • Other universities to which you are applying.
    • Answers to OMSCS supplemental questions: the Objectives section contains 13 free-form questions and 9 "Yes/No" questions. The free-form questions are 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".
  • Contact information for three 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.