US COLLEGES THAT ACCEPT 3 YEAR INDIAN DEGREES...???

[METALHEAD666]

HI PPL,

I've got a 3 year bachelor's degree from India in computer science(A+ RATED INSTITUTION FROM MUMBAI)

gpa=3.6

gre:327/340

toefl=110/120

what are my chances...can u suggest some good US UNIVERSITIES PREFERABLY IN THE CALIFORNIA REGION.

[Usmivka]

The length of your degree should not matter. Someone who completes a BS in 3 years at a US school would not be viewed less favorably than someone who took 4-5 years to do the same degree. I don't know how universities will look at your particular combination of degree and test scores, but if the admissions committee is not familiar with the granting institution, your test scores, research, and published papers will be more important than they would be otherwise. Pretty much any UC or CA state school would love to have an international student paying full tuition, their budgets are hurting.

[finknottle]

It will be difficult for you to get into a good CS program. If you have a B.E./B.Tech from an accredited institution, it is all right. If you have a B.Sc. (not referring to a B.S from IISC which is still 4 years) or M.C.A or some other variant, it will prove difficult. The difference is not so much about the duration as it is about the degree itself and the reputation of your institution. A B.E or a B.Tech is a 4 year program, but you can do it in 3 if you overload courses. A B.Sc. is a 3 year program to begin with. Most US universities ask for an equivalent of a 4 year program. Also, A+ from Mumbai doesn't count for a whole lot unless you are referring to IIT Mumbai. And don't target just California. Your visa will get rejected as a potential immigrant.

Edited May 20, 2012 by finknottle

[TakeruK]

I don't agree but maybe it's a program dependent thing. Unlike undergrad students, Graduate students' tuition are paid for by the department in our funding packages (but maybe this is field dependent!). So, an international student will cost much much more than a domestic student. Not only our tuition is higher, there are more overhead in grants that pay us too. So with hurting budgets, public schools are admitting fewer and fewer graduate students.

The fraction of international students at the UC schools is only 10% (compared to the east coast schools which have ~30%). My profs told me that my chances were better at private high ranked US schools than lower ranked public US schools because of the funding issue. They were right -- I got rejected at all the UC schools but ended up accepted at private schools like Caltech and Cornell (which are much higher ranked in planetary sciences than most UC schools, I think).

I also think the US does frown upon 3 year degree programs. A 3 year program is different from someone completing a 4-year US degree in only 3 years. The US grad school system seems to want its students to spend a long time in school. One grad advisor told me that if I wanted to do a post-doc in the US, I should not go to Europe for PhD (where the program is only 3 years for PhD) because US schools won't like that my PhD was so short (I could do a first post doc in Europe then go to the US though).

By the way, this is from a Canadian student perspective. I feel that US schools would much prefer to admit their own students or at least students who went through programs similar to their own undergrads. But I could be wrong! Just sharing what I saw.

[emmm]

I have heard of people having trouble getting into programs with 3-yr degrees (not just from India). Not sure what to recommend -- trying for a master's first?

[adelashk]

I know for a fact that someone was rejected from a top 10 CS school due to his 3-Year degree. They specified that was the reason why his admission was revoked. You might have a chance at top 30 schools.