We do not have deadlines. We will process your application as soon as possible after we receive it from the Graduate School. However, the Graduate School has the final say (i.e., they may want to enforce their deadlines and not accept your application if it is late).

If you are an international applicant, there are recommended deadlines. These are as follows:

• January 15th for Fall & Summer semesters
• June 15th for Spring semesters
• International applicants may apply afer these preferred deadlines; however, the Office of Graduate Admissions cannot guarantee there will be sufficient time for late applications to be evaluated in order for applicants to make necessary visa/travel arrangements if admitted. 

Students can defer their application for one year. Deferring does not guarantee acceptance, just that your application will be evaluated again.  

• Students will update this information in the application portal themselves.  
• Per Texas Tech Graduate Admissions – International Post-Admission Staff: "Please understand that this deferral process allows you to defer your APPLICATION, not your ADMISSION. All students who begin the deferral process will be placed in department review again. Readmission is not guaranteed...It will be up to the department if they need to re-review for admission." 

GRE scores are currently waived until further notice from the Graduate School.

Official scores on the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) must be no more than five years old.

All international applicants must provide proof of English proficiency before their applications can be considered for admission.

Only your most recent measure of English proficiency is considered for admission purposes. This test is waived only for graduates of U.S. universities or universities in English proficiency-exempt countries. Applicants who have completed at least two consecutive years at a college or university in the U.S. or in an English proficiency-exempt country, are also exempt from the English proficiency requirement.  

Applicants may submit one of the following English proficiency measures: 

• Duolingo English Test (Online examination) - The minimum required Duolingo score is 100. There is no institutional code for Duolingo, but applicants will need to select "Texas Tech Graduate School" as the institution to send scores to. Duolingo scores are reported within 48 hours and are valid for two years. Coupon codes for the DET may be available. Email graduate.admissions@ttu.edu for for more information. 
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) – We accept the TOEFL iBT test or the TOEFL Essentials test. The minimum TOEFL iBT score required is 79. The minimum TOEFL Essentials score required is 8.5. The TOEFL score must be received directly from the Educational Testing Service. Texas Tech University's institutional code is 6827. TOEFL scores are valid for only two years.  
• International English Language Testing Service (IELTS) – The minimum IELTS required score is an overall band score of 6.5 on the Academic version. IELTS General Training results are not acceptable. There is no IELTS institution code for Texas Tech University. IELTS scores are valid for only two years. 
• Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) – The minimum required PTE Academic score is 60. PTE General and PTE Young Learners results are not acceptable. There is no PTE Academic institution code for Texas Tech University. PTE Academic scores are valid for only two years. 
• Cambridge C2 Proficiency Test (Cambridge CPE) – The minimum required Cambridge CPE grade is a score of 180 or above  There is no institutional code for the Cambridge CPE. The Cambridge CPE is valid for life. 
• Cambridge C1 Advanced Proficiency Test (Cambridge CAE) – The minimum required Cambridge CAE grade is a score of 175 or above. There is no institutional code for the Cambridge CAE. The Cambridge CAE is valid for life. 

Tuition and fees vary for each student. As such, applicants are encouraged to use the Student Business Services Tuition Estimator tool. Specific questions may be addressed to sbs@ttu.edu

For students interested in research assistantships (RA positions), it is recommended that you visit the CS Faculty webpage to determine if you are interested in assisting any current faculty. If so, you can reach out to faculty via email to inquire about potential assistantship availability that they may have for the upcoming semester. Please note that a response is not guaranteed.

Teaching assistantships (TA positions) are reserved for PhD students. New PhD students are required to obtain a recommendation from current CS faculty before they will be considered for a TA position.

Grader positions are reserved for master's students only. 

For international students seeking assistantships, you must be enrolled full-time, even if you are graduating.

Per the Office of International Affairs, a CPT, or "Curricular Practical Training makes it possible for F-1 visa students to gain specific practical work experience...It provides legal authorization for the F-1 student to be in a work environment whether or not payment of wages is involved." 

A student must have been in F-1 status for an academic year in order to be eligible for a CPT. 

Students are asked to meet with their graduate advisor when they are sent a CPT offer letter. CPT is authorized by the student's International Student Counselor (can be found in Raider Success Hub > Success Team) with an endorsement on your 1-20. 

Graduate advisors will guide you in the process and provide a CPT Letter to forward to your International Counselor at the Office of International Affairs.

Students are required to enroll in one (1) hour of CS 5000, the course that is associated with the CPT. In order to enroll in this course alongside of their CPT, the student must meet all registration deadlines established by the Graduate School, department, and the Office of the Registrar. CPT must be tied to the concurrent class which requires employment. It is only authorized on a semester-by-semester basis. 

Students who are unable to provide an offer letter will be unable to participate in the CPT. 

While CS 5000 will not count toward a student's degree hours, it will satisfy a student's comprehensive evaluation requirement. Registration for CS 5000 must coincide with university registration guidelines. The CS Dept. will not be able to add CS 5000 to a student's schedule should they receive an offer of employment after the deadline for students to add coursework has passed. Thus, we will be unable to approve your CPT application. It is the student's responsibility to remain apprised of this deadline each semester. 

The CPT can either be full time (does not require minimum enrollment), or part-time (up to 20 hours per week of work), which requires full-time enrollment. Full-time CPT of 12 months or more makes F-1 students ineligible for subsequent OPT (Optional Practical Training). 


The CPT process is coordinated through the Office of International Affairs. You may find important information on their website.

CPT is available for Fall, Spring and Summer semesters, contingent on adherence to university and departmental rules and deadlines. 

Please contact your CS graduate academic advisor for more information on the application process. 

Optional Practical Training is used by students to gain work experience in their field of study after completing a degree program. There are certain other situations in which OPT may be possible prior to the completion of a degree program.

Student Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) regulations allow up to 12 months of OPT at each degree level for a student in F-1 status. Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) students are eligible for an extension of 24 months of OPT. For information about STEM OPT, visit our STEM OPT page.

An application for post-completion OPT can be filed up to 90 days prior to the student's completion date and no later than 60 days after the student's program completion date.

It may take the government agency (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services or USCIS) up to 90 days or more to process an OPT application. Your International Student Counselor may be able to provide a current estimate of processing times. However, processing times are unpredictable so it is always best to apply early! You cannot begin working until you have received your Employment Authorization Card (EAD) in the mail from the government agency and until the start date listed on the EAD card. The ISSS office is not responsible for the length of time required to process your OPT application.

Instructions and forms may be found on TTU International Affairs Office website. 

Students may use Raider Success Hub to schedule appointments with their advisors. 

Students with last names A-L should direct questions to Erin Engelhardt, erin.engelhardt@ttu.edu. 

Students with last names M-Z should direct questions to Jessica Woodard, jessica.woodard@ttu.edu. 

For general inquiries, students may also email cs.grad_advisor@ttu.edu.
 

At this time, our office does not offer application fee waivers.

Students can request an invitation to commencement through the Graduate School

Students can defer their commencement ceremony. This can be coordinated through Enrollment Services.

It is recommended that you use tools such as Degreeworks to determine what courses you need to satisfy your degree requirements.

You can schedule an appointment with your academic advisor in Raider Success Hub to ask questions about Degreeworks.

Here are the things we recommend current students do to find scholarship opportunities that they can apply for: 

• Search for external scholarships using the existing databases: Search for Opportunities | Financial Support | Graduate School | TTU 
• Regularly check your TTU email address (at least three times each day) and read each email you receive carefully so that you are aware of scholarship opportunities when they are advertised via email. 
• Read your TechAnnounce each day so that you are aware of when scholarship opportunities are advertised here. 
• Use a Google search to find scholarships that you can apply for, spend about 1-1.5 hours each week researching scholarship opportunities. 
• Pay attention to bulletin boards on campus, as many of these will have student involvement opportunities that may be accompanied by a scholarship, or chance to apply for a scholarship. 
• Learn more about applying for scholarships, grants, and fellowships here: Resources | Financial Support | Graduate School | TTU 
• Remember that scholarships are not automatically awarded to you, you must apply for them. 

We encourage prospective students to review the leveling requirements for the program that they are interested in. These can be found by navigating to the program from our Graduate Programs Overview page. 

Students who do not have a background in computer science are welcome to apply. Again, we encourage all prospective students, regardless of educational background, to review the leveling requirements of the program before applying.

Our graduate admissions committee considers GRE scores*, transcripts, letters of recommendation, and a statement of purpose in evaluating applications for admission, as well as any other supporting documentation, such as a résumé, that you wish to send.

We consider all these factors holistically, with none of them serving as the single determining factor for acceptance. Because each semester applications are evaluated based on the total number of applications received that semester, there is no statistical data on minimum GRE or GPA associated with successful applications. The number of admitted students is also determined by the number of faculty who have openings in their research areas.

Graduate advisors are unable to review your application before submitting to determine if you will be offered admission into any of our programs. Applicants will only be evaluated once they have submitted an official application through the Grad School's application portal. 

We will not share with students contact information for faculty or staff members serving on the Admissions Committee. 

*The GRE is waived until further notice. 

Ultimately, whether a program is a good option for you is dependent on your career and personal goals. 

We encourage prospective students to reach out to faculty and graduate advisors to learn more. 

Our Admissions Committee works as fast as possible to provide all applicants with an application decision that is based on a holistic review of their application materials. 

If your application status is in department review, there is no further action required. 

Once a decision on your application is made, you will receive an email notification. We cannot provide an estimate on when you will receive a decision on your application. We appreciate your patience.