Reading Between the Lines: The US Computer Science Graduate Admission Process

It’s the time of the year that prospective graduate students have to commit to a particular computer science graduate program. Those that got multiple offers are in the envious position to be able to choose between different programs, weighing potential advisors and schools. But the admission process can be opaque for students. Here, I’ll share some details in the form of an FAQ on what you can expect at each stage of the process.

The time between submitting your application and hearing back can be stressful, in particular if you don’t hear back for a long time. This post is meant to help you read between the line, so that you can judge what a non-response from a grad program means. I’ll talk mostly about PhD admissions, but sprinkle in some tidbits for MS admissions. I’ve previously written about what you can do to get into grad school.

It’s March or April. I haven’t heard back at all. Is there still a chance that I will get accepted?

To be blunt: it’s unlikely. US PhD programs often have three piles: definite admits, students on the waitlist, and rejects.

Unfortunately, only the definite admits will hear about a decision early, everybody else is kept in purgatory for a while. Our CS program informs definitely admitted candidates as early as late January or the first half of February. Domestic students are invited to visit campus in mid-February; international students are invited to participate in a virtual event at the same time.

So, if you haven’t heard back from a PhD program by the end of February, it means that you’re not in the “definitely admit” pile. There might still be hope though: you might be on the waitlist.

For MS students, the timeline is usually a bit longer: you should expect to hear in February or March.

Candidates on the waitlist are meant to fill slots that free up as students in the “definite admit” pile reject an offer of admission. Waitlisted candidates are considered promising students, but ranked slightly below others. Not every school has a waitlist; Utah only introduced one a few years ago. You might be told that you’re on a waitlist, or you might not hear back at all. Sometimes, waitlisted candidates may even hear back the latest: definite accepts go out first, rejects go out next, but wait-listed candidates may be in purgatory for a while. Whether a slot opens up when you’re on the waitlist is difficult to predict – it typically depends on whether other candidates who are vying for a slot in a particular area / with a particular professor accept or reject an offer.

Most schools don’t have a waitlist for MS students.

Can I e-mail admissions to learn more about whether I’ve been accepted?

Typically, an e-mail to a generic admissions contact or the director of graduate studies will not help you learn about your status. We usually don’t respond to these inquiries because we wait for official channels to give you the news instead.

Can I e-mail the professor I want to work with to learn whether I’ve been accepted?

You have better chances (though still slim ones) to get a response about your status from a professor you’ve interacted with, or who you listed in your letter as a potential advisor. Generally, individual faculty have a lot of influence over the admissions process. If they want to work with you (and have the money / time), you’re almost certainly going to be admitted.

This doesn’t hold for MS students: since most MS students typically focus and coursework and don’t interact closely with individual faculty members, it’s unlikely that a particular professor will know anything about your status, and professors (outside of the admissions committee) also don’t intervene on MS admissions decisions.

I’ve been rejected by a program. Can I ask for feedback on how to improve my application?

You typically won’t get individualized responses to an inquiry about what you can do to improve your application. That’s partially because it would take a lot of effort to respond (Utah’s CS program gets more than 1000 grad applications), and partially because people worry that you might use any advice in litigation against them. If you’d like feedback on your application, you should reach out to your letter writers who know you personally.

I’ve been accepted by a program, but haven’t heard back from my ‘dream school’ yet. When do I have to make a decision?

All major grad schools have agreed to use the same deadline by which students must accept an offer of financial support (that usually comes with a PhD offer): April 15. It’s strongly advisable to accept any offer you may have by that deadline. You might still be admitted if you respond later, but there are no guarantees anymore. Typically an offer letter lists a specific deadline.

We (at Utah) try to give offers to students on waitlist sooner, as we learn from rejections by other students.

I’ve accepted an offer but now I received a better one. Can I walk my acceptance back?

It’s not great but it happens. No one can force you to attend a PhD program, so yes, go ahead and rescind your acceptance, but do it as soon as possible.

I’ve been accepted to multiple programs. Should I decline offers I won’t take immediately?

Yes! The sooner the better. You might give a waitlisted student a chance to get admitted.

Professors keep ignoring my e-mail. What can I do?

I’m sorry, it sucks to be ghosted. But most professors delete a lot of e-mail from prospective students. Here’s how to get a response:

• Write only targeted e-mail to people you want to really work with. Don’t mass e-mail, we can spot mass e-mails (even if you paste a paper title of ours).
• Keep it short and to the point. Five sentences at most.
• Don’t chat-gpt us. We don’t care for a wall of very well written but empty text.
• Don’t get our research area wrong. This will almost certainly get your e-mail deleted.