How do I apply for a computer science major?
As with many computer science (CS) programs at other institutions, enrollment in Michigan’s CS major programs has grown rapidly over the past decade, and the number of interested students exceeds our teaching capacity. As a result, in order to provide a high quality education and to maintain a healthy community, we have implemented a selection policy that limits enrollment into the CS majors. The selection policy applies to students in both the College of Engineering and the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA). Students may apply for selection for the CS major through one of three pathways.
Advance Selection for First-year Applicants
Prospective students may apply for advance selection into a CS major at the time of application to the University of Michigan via the Common Application after choosing either Engineering or LSA. Most students will be selected via this pathway, but capacity constraints mean that many students admitted to the University will not be selected for the CS majors.
Those who receive advance selection into a CS major must also meet their college declaration requirements (Engineering or LSA) before officially declaring the CS major.
Admission to U-M is determined independently of whether students receive the opportunity to enter the CS major. If you are accepted into Engineering or LSA, we hope you will explore other opportunities for computing at the University of Michigan.
For more information, see the CS advance selection FAQs on the Computer Science and Engineering website.
External Transfers to the CS Major
Prospective transfer students to the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts or the College of Engineering who would like to pursue the Computer Science major must indicate they wish to be considered for advance selection on the Common Application. There will be a CS request section on the Common App Academics page where the college options are indicated.
Recommended prerequisites for transfer admission into the Computer Science-LSA major:
- Two semesters of calculus
- One semester of computer programming
Students applying to transfer into the Computer Science-Engineering major must have completed the following prerequisite courses, with a letter grade of a “C” or better:
- Calculus I
- Calculus II
- One Calculus Based Physics + Lab
- One General College Chemistry + Lab
- One Computing Course (Engineering 101 or C++ preferred)
- One English Composition
Completion of the prerequisites does not guarantee admission into the computer science major.
Departmental credit is not accepted for transfer admission. Using the Transfer Credit Equivalency Database, please ensure that your prerequisite coursework is directly equivalent to the U-M course and not transferable as departmental credit. Any AP/IB exam credit must meet the U-M guidelines, regardless of whether your current institution granted you exam credit. Prerequisite coursework cannot be filled by placement exams administered at other institutions. For questions, contact engin-our@umich.edu.
CS for Current U-M Students
Students admitted to U-M in fall 2023 or later who did not request consideration for the CS major at the time of application to U-M, but who have subsequently developed an interest in CS may apply for selection as Enrolled Discoverers. Prerequisites for the Enrolled Discoverer pathway are listed on the CSE website, and the application will also be posted there beginning April 1. Capacity constraints mean that not all who apply will be selected for the CS major.
For More Information
Please visit our website for details on the selection process for CS majors. If you have additional questions about CS admissions, please contact csugadmissions@umich.edu.