Graduate Admissions

Our Top 5 Computer Science graduate department has four Top 5 or better graduate specialty programs in Artificial Intelligence (#5), Programming Languages (#3), Systems (#4), and Theory (#5). The University of Illinois, one of the nation's premier public universities—a Big Ten Academic Alliance member, has over $731M in research spending (FY21). The Grainger College of Engineering offers elite, in-demand graduate master's and doctoral degree programs.

Groundbreaking resources. Brilliant faculty and classmates. Supportive environment. Endless opportunities. Our programs are designed to help you become the computer scientist you want to be. 

Explore Graduate Programs PDF

Application Fee Waivers

The Department of Computer Science will provide a limited number of application fee waivers to a subset of outstanding applicants who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, plan to obtain a doctoral degree or a Master of Science (MS) degree in Computer Science on a full-time basis, and come from communities that are underrepresented in Computer Science.

Qualifying applicants must request the waiver by following these instructions: (i) In the Application Fee Waiver section, answer “Yes” that they are eligible for a fee waiver. (ii) An additional question will ask if they are applying for the Computer Science MS and PhD waiver, to which they should answer “Yes.”

Applicants will be informed whether the department approves their application fee waiver request or if the applicant will be responsible for paying the application fee. Please email questions about the fee waiver to academic@cs.illinois.edu.

Degree & Program Options

We offer a variety of graduate study options to fit any educational goal.

Explore Degrees & Programs

Applications Process & Requirements

All applicants (including current Illinois Computer Science graduate students) must apply through the University's Graduate College.

Additional requirements may apply for international students.

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Dates & Deadlines

Important dates and deadlines vary depending on the degree program.

See Application Deadlines