Hi everyone,
Just had a question... is it common for universities to refer applicants based on their profile to another program?
In my case, I am applying for an MS in CS.
So far during the application and waiting for decision process, two universities that I applied to referred me to another program.
The first university responded within 2 and a half weeks (after submission of application) and said while they were not admitting me for their MS program, they thought I had much to offer and asked if they could forward my application without any fee to their MEng program. (to which I consented)
Another university responded, (much later after 2 and a half months) and did not approve my application but asked if they could forward my application to another department that was collaborating with their CS one. This was also without any fee, however because I wasn't too happy with the program, I did not respond back.
I would have thought this was usual fare in universities but after asking a few of my friends, none of them seemed to have such an experience.
Also googling online about this has not got me any result either. So why am I asking this? I am curious if anyone else is in a similar position vis-à-vis this.
Do universities do this based on potential of a candidate or just...potential money....