Frequently Asked Questions

 

Do I qualify for an English proficiency waiver?

English waivers are credited to those who received (within 36 months before admission) a baccalaureate degree or graduate or professional degree from a school where English is the primary language of instruction in a country where English is the native/official language.

 

How do I apply for financial support?

Financial support in terms of fellowships and teaching assistantships are offered to top applicants with a doctoral degree objective. There is no need to apply for it. All faculty members have access to all applications and those faculty members in need for research assistants will contact applicants through the CS graduate office. MS applicants are not considered for funding during the application process but might apply for funding anywhere at Purdue after enrolling.

The first-year stipend rate for 2023-2024 is $23,389 for the academic year (fall and spring semester). Students who are also supported in the summer will receive a yearly salary of $31,390.50. 

Senior PhD students receive stipend increases following completion of specific academic progress milestones:

1. Satisfactorily completing semester 1-5 requirements
2. Passing the preliminary examination

 

What are the requirements needed to be recommended for admission?

The CS grad admissions committee’s recommendation for admission into our graduate program is based on a holistic approach. It is based on a combination of the following criteria: CS course background and GPA, letters of recommendation, your statement of purpose, research experience, publications, and English proficiency if required. GRE scores are not required. Your goal should be to convince the CS grad admissions committee that you have a foundation for our required grad courses in Algorithms, Systems, Compilers and Programming Languages (i.e. have at least the knowledge base equivalent to the content of Purdue CS 381, 354, 352, 250, and 252) are proficient in English, and are a good fit for the research interests of our faculty. PhD applicants are also expected to show potential for independent research. We do not pre-evaluate applications because we will not know how competitive an application is until after the deadline when all applications have been submitted. In the past, competitive applicants had a very strong CS background, a GPA of at least 3.5/4 or 85/100 or 8.5/10, and total TOEFL scores of at least 100 and subsection scores of at least 22, or IELTS scores of at least 7.5.

 

Are GRE scores required?

GRE scores are not required and are not considered by the Admissions Committee during the evaluation process even if they are included in an application. 

 

How long should I make the Statement of Purpose?

There is no specific word limit for the Statement of Purpose for the CS department but it is best to keep it concise and follow the outline given here: https://www.cs.purdue.edu/graduate/admission/SoP.html. We recommend staying within 300-500 words, but that is not a hard requirement.

 

I qualify for an English proficiency waiver, why is the English score still marked “Awaiting Materials” in my application?

Waivers are credited during the decision-admission process when the review committee looks at an applicant’s transcript(s). The English score section of the application will not automatically populate when you enter your university information. An application is included in the review, even though marked: Awaiting Material/English Scores.