Frequently Asked Questions

• Where is Notre Dame?
• What is the history of Notre Dame?
• What types of projects are currently being researched in the Department?
• What are the course requirements for a graduate degree?
• What are the requirements for graduate students in the Department?
• How important are my English skills?
• What kind of assistantships are typically awarded to newly-admitted students?
• How much does it cost to rent a room/apartment in Notre Dame?
• How do I apply for financial aid?
• What information is necessary in an application?
• What are the minimum GRE and TOEFL scores for admission to the Department?

Where is Notre Dame?

Notre Dame is located near South Bend in Northern Indiana. Notre Dame is about 90 miles east of Chicago. Notre Dame is serviced by a number of airlines through South Bend Regional Airport (airport code is SBN). The University is the cultural center of the northern Indiana-southwestern Michigan area and offers cultural, social, athletic, and political events throughout the year. Saint Mary's College, a liberal arts college for women, augments Notre Dame's offerings. Both the the Morris Performing Arts Center in South Bend and the Debartolo Performing Arts Center on campus hosts road shows of Broadway plays and is the home of a first-rate symphony orchestra.

What is the history of Notre Dame?

The University was founded in 1842 by the Reverend Edward Frederick Sorin and 6 brothers of the Congregation of Holy Cross. It was chartered as a university by a special act of the Indiana legislature in 1844, and engineering studies were begun in 1873. The University's 1,250-acre campus is situated immediately north of the city of South Bend, an industrial center of about 130,000 people, approximately 90 miles east of Chicago. Its twin lakes and many wooded areas provide a setting of natural beauty for more than seventy University buildings, many of which have been erected in the past thirty years. The College of Engineering occupies a 160,000-square foot addition to Cushing Hall, the engineering building.

What types of projects are currently being researched in the Department?

The areas of research that the department participates in can be found here. A sampling of some, but not all, of the research projects in the department can be found here.

What are the course requirements for a graduate degree?

The M.S. degree requires 24 credits (8 courses) of course work plus one semester of research seminar and the Ph.D. degree requires 36 credit hours of course work plus two semesters of research seminar. Up to two (2) undergraduate, senior-level courses may be used towards satisfying the M.S. degree course requirements. The list of courses offered by the department is available here. More information about the degree requirements are available in the Graduate Studies Handbook.

What are the requirements for graduate students in the Department?

The Graduate Studies Handbook is a comprehensive document containing all the info for the graduate students in the department.

How important are my English skills?

Fluency in reading, writing and speaking in English is required. The University does occasionally offer English classes for those whose native language is not English. These skills must be acquired before beginning a graduate program in the Computer Science and Engineering Department.

In order to be certain that you can adequately benefit from the quality educational experience we provide, we ask that all non-English speaking applicants take the TOEFL test and have official copies of the test scores forwarded to the Department. We also recommend such students take the TSE. Ordinarily, we waive the TOEFL requirement only for applicants who come from English-speaking countries. Delay in receiving your GRE and/or TOEFL scores will not automatically cancel your application; in rare cases, we may choose to consider your application without the scores, but normally we will wait until they arrive. Please note, however, that their absence will weaken your application. If you are admitted, we reserve the right to ask you to take the tests at Notre Dame.

What kind of assistantships are typically awarded to newly-admitted students?

All incoming students are fully funded. First year graduates are admitted with a teaching assistantship, research assitantship or a fellowship. These assistantships provide stipends as well as remission of academic-year tuition. Research assistantships are available in numbers that depend upon the scope of the research program in progress. Fellowships and traineeships supported by federal agencies, industry, and the University are also available.

How much does it cost to rent a room/apartment in Notre Dame?

A limited number of on-campus living accommodations are available for both married and single graduate students. More information on the graduate housing, single family apartments and off campus housing is available from the Office of Residence Life.

How do I apply for financial aid?

Because of the high cost of graduate education, we ordinarily do not admit students without financial aid. All our applicants are considered for teaching assistantships, research assistantships or fellowships. The only exception to this is if the student can demonstrate the financial ability to pay for the entire degree program. Students on a student visa are not allowed to work off campus and campus jobs may not be readily available. In addition, such jobs cannot support a student who receives no financial aid.

What information is necessary in an application?

In addition to the University application, we require: three letters of recommendation, an official transcript of grades from both undergraduate and graduate programs, and the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) results. Non-native speaking applicants also need to take the TOEFL, and we recommend the Test of Spoken English (TSE) Exam. The GRE subject exams are not necessary. All grades from ETS must be official; photocopies are not acceptable. If you are admitted based on preliminary or unofficial copies of your transcripts, we will require official records or copies which have been certified as authentic. As soon as a decision has been made on your application, you will be notified. This might take up to several months past the due date.

What are the minimum GRE and TOEFL scores for admission to the Department?

The admissions committee considers all facets of an application before making admissions decisions. There are no minimum scores for admission to our department. Our admissions policy is highly selective. It is our past experience that students with a GRE totals exceeding 550 Verbal, 700 Quantative, 4 Analytical, in the upper 10% of their class, and an IBT TOEFL score exceeding 95, with a minimum of 23 on the Speaking section, tend to be competitive. Depending on the students demonstrated skills, there are always exceptions to these guidelines.