Admissions ########### .. toctree:: :hidden: :maxdepth: 1 Additional Requirements for International Applicants ********* Deadlines ********* No Application Deadline for Plain Admission ------------------------------------------- Applications are continuously evaluated and students will be promptly admitted to the nearest starting term or semester. Earlier admission means that you get to register online for classes earlier, and some classes may fill up. In particular, registration for Fall starts in April, for Spring in late October, and for Summer in February. It is to your advantage to be admitted before those times for the earliest access to advising and registration. Deadlines for Teaching Assistantships ------------------------------------- While regular admission does not have a deadline, see :doc:`../services/assistantships` for application deadlines to be considered for such an award. *********************** Admission Prerequisites *********************** If you have questions after reading the information below, contact the |gpd|. You are encouraged to :doc:`../general/visit`. General Prerequisites --------------------- .. important:: These prerequisites apply to all applicants. .. note:: You can apply and be accepted without having all the undergraduate prerequisites listed for degree programs. For admission to the graduate degree program in the Department of Computer Science, submit the items below that **are not listed as optional**. You may also submit further items if you feel they would help bolster your admissions case. If you are an international student read the section on `international student prerequisites `_. 1. Completed application form, preferably completed `online `_. .. note:: This form is used for many programs in graduate school, and not all graduate programs are available to students in all locations. .. important:: For navigating the application, note that the programs are in the **School of Arts and Sciences**, and all are offered by the Computer Science department, so the Information Technology and Software Engineering degree names are prefixed by "Computer Science" .. warning:: The application requires you to fill in *all* the personal data before showing you all the programs that you can apply to and other parts of the form. 2. Those who would like to get financial assistance should see :doc:`../services/assistantships` or `for non-departmental financial aid `_. 3. Submit official transcripts, in English, of all undergraduate work and any post-baccalaureate work by official electronic submission between your institution and Loyola *or* in sealed envelopes sent from the academic institution. .. important:: Do not open such envelopes yourself! .. note:: If you do not have easy access to the sealed official documents, you can *initially* submit copies for a *conditional* admission. You can send a transcript in the semester before your graduation, showing all the courses you will be having for graduation, even though grades are still missing from the final courses, and still be eligible for conditional admission. **Do not send transcripts too early to show a listing of all the courses you will end up taking for your degree**. In all cases, final officially-sent transcripts are required by the end of your first semester at Loyola. 4. GRE scores **are not required for admission**. If you choose to submit them, Loyola's institutional code is 1412; the department code is not needed. .. 5. **One** letter of recommendation is required, though *three* are recommended. These are usually from referees familiar with your academic work, however, if you have been out of school for a long time, then letters of recommendation from work supervisors will be acceptable. 5. An informal Statement of Purpose document is highly recommended, though not required. .. note:: This extra information helps with initial advising for you, and occasionally the narrative will clear up some questions about the application. Additional Requirements for International Applicants ---------------------------------------------------- .. warning:: Do not forget the general prerequisites! Here are *additional* requirements and an option for international student admission to the graduate degree programs in the Department of Computer Science. Though there is no admission deadline, be sure to leave time to get the necessary official English test results and transcript evaluations to Loyola before admission, and allow time after admission for obtaining a visa. If the process takes too long, you can request to roll your admission over to the next semester. Submitting and Verifying transcripts ==================================== Students with transcripts issued by international universities or colleges must be *evaluated* by an outside evaluator for GPA calculation and determining if the degree is equivalent to an American Bachelor's degree (four-year degree or 3-year degree with an extra year of study after that), .. note:: Applicants may send international transcripts for a general evaluation with **Grade Average** to `ECE `_ for international evaluation and *allow 4-6 weeks* for them to evaluate transcripts and get the results to Loyola. `Educational-Perspectives `_ can also be used as an alternative to ECE. .. important:: *No other transcript evaluation service is accepted by Loyola*. If you are in a rush, you can pay extra for expedited service. .. note:: If you do *not yet have your undergraduate degree*, you must send transcripts to the evaluator when all your final courses are shown, though some without grades. This is usually *in your final semester*. The evaluators can only determine the equivalence to a US 4-year degree if they see all the relevant courses listed on the transcript (again, possibly some without grades yet). The conditional admission requires the university to receive another official transcript, showing degree completion, though this transcript can be sent to Loyola during your first semester here as a student*. If you have international graduate-level coursework after 4 years of college-level work, you need a *course by course* evaluation to *transfer* international graduate credit. If you are expecting to get transfer credit, it is most economical to ask for the course by course evaluation the *first* time transcripts are submitted to an evaluator. .. note:: Be sure the *rest* of your application is submitted when making this request, so it can be properly considered. Official notification of a passing English test score must be included at that time. Requesting that Loyola handle the evaluation will require *extra time*, since the transcript forms must be received first by Loyola and sent off again to Educational Perspectives. Required English Exam ===================== The English requirement is waived for students meeting certain criteria, for example, US citizens, permanent residents, and citizens of certain countries. For a complete list, please see the `LUC International Admission `_ page. All other students will have to take an English exam such as TOEFL, IELTS, PTE, and Duolingo. Please see the `LUC International Admission `_ page for more information on minimum scores. If you do not meet the minimum scores, you can still be admitted conditionally to the ICAP program which requires you to complete the English Language Learning Program (ELLP) to determine your placement in ESL (English as a Second Language) preparation courses. For more information, please see the `LUC International Admission `_ page .. Waiving the English Exam .. ------------------------ .. The English requirement is *waived* only for students who satisfy at least one of the following: .. 1. U.S. citizens and permanent residents. .. 2. Students with Bachelors or higher degree from accredited institutions in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand, who primarily attended their classes in those countries. Students are exempt who will complete one of these programs before matriculation at Loyola, even if they have further degrees from another country. .. .. note:: .. Graduating from a program offered in English from any *other* country does *not* exempt the student from the English requirement. .. .. note:: .. If you do not yet have the necessary test results for one of the above avenues, and your application is complete except for the English requirement, then the |gpd| is happy to look at your application and *informally* let you know if you should expect the `Graduate Program Director's `_ recommendation for admission, *after* obtaining a sufficient official English score for one of the routes above. Later, the Graduate School Dean's approval is still needed for final admission. .. .. note:: .. Having your university courses officially offered in English does *not* exempt you, though it should make passing the English exam easier. .. Taking the English Exam .. ----------------------- .. International students (except for U.S. citizens or permanent residents) must have their English tested *before* any kind of admission. Different routes are depending on the results. .. The Loyola Graduate School accepts just three approaches to the English requirement and a few explicit exceptions: .. 1. The usual way is to earn at least 79 on the Internet-based TOEFL test (or 550 on the old paper-based test), at least a 6.0 (overall band score) on the IELTS academic test, or at least a 53 on the Pearson English Language Test (PTE Academic). .. .. important:: .. The new 3-score Internet-based TOEFL test requires at least Reading: 21, Listening: 21, and Writing: 23. The official results must come to Loyola directly from the testing agency. Loyola’s institutional code is 1412; a department code is not needed. In response to new difficulties where students are not able to take the TOEFL or IELTS test, we also accept the Duolingo online English proficiency tests with a score of at least 105. .. With *lower scores*, see the other options below. .. .. important:: .. You can *retake* an English exam as many times as you need *before* admission to get up to a passing grade.If taking one of these tests, be sure to sign up for an early test date, since results usually take 2-3 weeks to be delivered *officially* to Loyola. .. 1. If you have a TOEFL in the range 70-78, then you may be admitted conditionally to the new ICAP program where: .. * You will be required to take an English Placement Test administered by our English Language Learning Program (ELLP) to determine your placement in ESL preparation courses.The results of that exam will determine the required ESL courses you must take during your first term at Loyola. You will take ESL classes until your English language skills are strong enough for success in degree program courses. .. * If you receive a final grade of at least a B+ in all of your advanced or bridge ESL courses, you will be invited to take an exit exam at the end of the term. A combination of your course-work and exit exam score will be used to determine your readiness for degree work in the following term. .. * We offer ICAP admission to students who have demonstrated their academic abilities in the classroom but may need additional English language preparation and support to succeed in the degree program at Loyola University Chicago. Students in this program **are classified** as full-time graduate students. .. .. note:: .. It is important to note that if testing indicates further language study is needed, you will be required to continue in the ELLP for another term. .. For more information about Loyola's ELLP, please contact `ELLP@luc.edu `_ , or `(773) 508-3880 `_. .. .. important:: .. You can choose to bring up your English score to the level of regular admission some other way and apply again later for regular admission. .. However, the ICAP program gives you conditional admission and allows you to be on campus for various Computer Science activities, like seminars, hackathons, etc. .. If you have not had an English test or the result is too low for ICAP, and you want to improve your English at Loyola, in preparation for possible graduate study, you can *first* apply to our full-time ESL program, http://www.luc.edu/esl/, and do well enough in courses and a comprehensive exam. .. .. important:: .. Only sufficient achievement in *Loyola's* ESL program is a substitute for one of the standardized tests above. Enrollment in an ESL program at another school is not a substitute for the TOEFL or IELTS. With any other ESL program, one of the standardized tests is still required. .. .. note:: .. Loyola's ESL is a separate program from the Graduate School. If you were admitted directly to our ESL program, not to the Graduate School's ICAP program, then an appropriate certification from this ESL program merely satisfies the English requirement for Graduate School applicants. It does not imply the Graduate School Dean's approval for your admission. Visas ===== International applicants who will be on an F-1 visa (including those who are seeking financial aid from the department) are encouraged to submit proof (affidavit) of financial support to our International students' office *simultaneously* with filing their application. The form should be linked on the page http://luc.edu/iss/forms.shtml under something like the name, Declaration of Finances for Graduate & Professional Students. This will help save a lot of time in processing the visa papers, namely I-20 or IAP-63. Students who are chosen for the merit awards or scholarships will be notified regardless of their financial standing or ability to support themselves financially. .. note:: Students who have written and defended a doctoral dissertation in English: make sure you note this in your application.