Chances of being accepted with a low GPA

[humdrum]

Hello,

Ive got a pretty low GPA in my undergraduate CS studies - 2.5. I know, i messed up big time...

Im looking to apply for masters in CS, what schools can i realistically expect will admit me?

Assuming I get a couple of LOR's and a great GRE score - What are the chances that a top 30 school will accept this kind of a profile?

Also, what advice would you give to mitigate the effects of a low GPA?

btw, i did my undergrad from a top 10 school in India.

[belowthree]

As an international student it's going to be a lot lot tougher. Really at this point you'd need a stunning research background and probably a leaning towards PhD programs. Also look outside the top 30.

(I had a 2.7 when I applied and ended up getting accepted to four of the ten PhD programs I applied to. One of which was UWisc. So it is possible, but I was also domestic and had a strong research background, so these are advantages I had that you probably do not.)

[humdrum]

@belowthree - Thanks for the advice.

Is it easier to get into the PHD program rather than the Masters? Because PHD is usually accompanied by a monetary grant i would have guessed otherwise.

What kind of research were you involved in? Was it undergrad research or was it on the job?

Also, do you have any papers published?

[belowthree]

Didn't get a chance to publish before applying. Most of the research experience ended up showing up in LoRs. It was undergraduate research, though not really that standard because I was working on my own projects.

I'm not sure of the relative ease in terms of PhD vs. MS. MS is supposed to be easier, but if you've got bad credentials and you're trying to claim you ought to be admitted because you're an excellent researcher, then asking for admittance into an MS program instead of a PhD program may make people think you're actually just trying to go into industry. But it really does depend, it certainly can be easier for a prof to get you slipped in as an MS student if someone does want you. That happened to me at one of the schools I applied to.

[humdrum]

@belowthree Thanks again!

Does anyone have some experience with European universities? What kind of rules do they have with regard to low GPA?

[J.s.]

@belowthree Thanks again!

Does anyone have some experience with European universities? What kind of rules do they have with regard to low GPA?

I'm an international student in one leading EU University, and I plan to apply for Graduation Schools in US this year. According to my previous experience, the grading systems aren't totally unified here. The situation is as similar as in US. Every university has its own way of translating the foreign grades, mostly according to their previous admission records. So, basically, if you rock in your own country, you don't need to worry too much about that.

Good luck, buddy!

Edited November 23, 2009 by J.s.

[karl_marx_jr]

Dude, applied with 2.75 from an international instute gre:780 v:530 a:3.5 with one international publication and got reject from northeastern (rank 61) packets reached on november, application under comitee review on 15 jan, got reject on 20th. Looking at their short decision period makes me inclined to (I'm sure) believe that they didnt even read my app because of low gpa.

My advice is apply higher (first 50) because NEU kind of crap ones have too many applicants and they even dont read your SOP. Their admissions are only about acads. They only steal your money. My advice is for everybody with low gpa, app higher because everyone think that they must app lower with bad gpa.

[kirti09]

I was recently rejected by Purdue (MS Infosec - CERIAS). The rejection came in jan. From previous years results I figured CERIAS results are out only in feb or March. Considering how early they decided on my application, I can only think of my undergraduate GPA and department as a major contributor. My undergrad GPA is 3.51 (not bad!) and department is Electronics and Telecommunications. But I have 5 years of development experience and plenty of software related skillsets backing up my application. I also did a very good research in my final year of engineering (no papers/publications though!). To add up, I believe my SOP is very decent.

Hence I really feel bad about this rejection. Guys, any idea what could have happened in my case? (ohh btw, my GRE is 1290 - 740Q 550V and TOEFL is 109 Speaking - 27. But does Purdue really care about your GRE scores?)

[Hank Gorman]

Hello,

Ive got a pretty low GPA in my undergraduate CS studies - 2.5. I know, i messed up big time...

Im looking to apply for masters in CS, what schools can i realistically expect will admit me?

Assuming I get a couple of LOR's and a great GRE score - What are the chances that a top 30 school will accept this kind of a profile?

Also, what advice would you give to mitigate the effects of a low GPA?

btw, i did my undergrad from a top 10 school in India.

I entered Southern Methodist University with Undergraduate GPA 2.75, and institutional GPA was 3.18. I was accepted there for Master Science in Telecommunications without GRE. I would recommend you to apply to a Master program at some institution likes University of Illinois - Springfield, Nova Southeastern University. Then improve your grades, and I am sure you'll have a chance for Ph.D at top institutions.