Phd Admissions

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New! Doctoral applicants applying for Fall ’25 admission to the computer science PhD graduate program are not required to submit GRE scores. GRE scores will be considered, if provided, but are not required. This GRE score waiver only applies to doctoral applicants, and not to masters program applicants.

All applicants applying for Fall ’25 admission to the computer science graduate program are granted a reduced application fee, as follows: international students will only pay $100 (for the international evaluation fee, with the $70 application fee being waived), and domestic students will pay $0. To qualify for this reduction, doctoral applications must be fully completed before December 15, 2024. These reduced fees will be automatically applied at the time of application.

Hear from our PhD alumni

PhD students in the News!

Doctoral applicants are strongly encouraged to:

  • Check out our typical admission requirements thresholds before applying, as follows:
    • Grade point average: at least 3.5 on a scale of 4.0 for the final two years of undergraduate study, as well as for any graduate work completed; or at least 3.2 on a scale of 4.0 for all years of undergraduate study.
    • However, having a GPA higher than the minimum is no guarantee of admission
  • Contact directly specific faculty they are interested in working with
  • Watch the recording below of the departmental doctoral recruiting session which was held November, 2nd 2022.

PhD students in their first five years of enrollment are guaranteed a funded appointment for fall and spring that includes a full tuition waiver, a partial fee waiver, and a stipend. Students are also eligible for summer support. Students must remain in good academic standing and successfully perform the duties of their assistantships.

PhD program applicants typically have earned a bachelor’s degree and/or an MS degree in computer science or a related field.

Detailed information:


Application deadlines

Fall

  • December 15: recommended deadline for PhD applicants
  • February 15: all PhD applicants

Spring

  • July 15: all PhD applicants

Admission requirements

  • PhD applicants: bachelor’s and/or master’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, or a closely related field. In addition, U.S. students who have very strong undergraduate records in other fields are occasionally conditionally admitted and required to take one or more semesters of undergraduate CS courses.
  • Grade point average: at least 3.5 on a scale of 4.0 for the final 60 semester hours (90 quarter hours) of undergraduate study.
  • Minimum English competency test score: applicants whose native language is not English are required to take an English competency test. Minimum required scores are: iBT Internet-based TOEFL of 80, with subscores of Reading 19, Listening 17, Speaking 20, and Writing 21; New Paper-Based TOEFL (after August 2018) of 60, with subscores of Reading 19, Listening 17, Writing 21; Institutional Testing Paper-Based TOEFL (prior to August 2018) of 550; IELTS of 6.5, with all four subsections of at least 6.0; or PTE-Academic of 54, with subscores of Reading 51, Listening 47, Speaking 53, and Writing 56.

Application requirements

  • Graduate application completed online
  • Transcripts from all previous undergraduate and graduate work
  • Test scores sent directly by the testing service to UIC’s graduate admissions office
  • Letters of recommendation (3 for PhD)
  • Statement of purpose
  • Curriculum vitae

Core courses

Applicants have typically completed the following coursework as part of their undergraduate and/or graduate education. Applicants who lack this background can still be accepted into our graduate program, under the condition that they complete the required coursework during their first years of graduate study.

  • CS 111 Program Design I
  • CS 151 Mathematical Foundations of Computing
  • CS 251 Data Structures
  • CS 261 Machine Organization (optional)
  • At least one of the following: CS 301 Languages & Automata, CS 342 Software Design, or CS 361 Computer Systems

See the UIC Course Catalog for course descriptions.

Apply now