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  1. Admissions

Undergraduate Admissions

Congratulations on your interest in joining Pitt SCI! Our dynamic combination of leading-edge coursework and outside of the classroom opportunities will prepare you for an exciting career in the computing and information professions.

Admission guidelines are available in the University Catalog. Navigate to either the most recent catalog publication or, if transferring from another school within the University, to the year you were admitted to the University, then to the SCI section of the catalog.

Deadlines

Applications and all required documents must be submitted by the specified deadline. Course requirements must be completed, and submitted documentation must show final grades for these courses. Applications that are incomplete (such as those that do not include final grades for the required classes at the time of application), will receive rejection notices within the regular notification period. Notification timeline is three to four weeks after the deadline, regardless of when the application is submitted.

Applicants should apply for a term in which they intend to take courses. Admitted students who do not enroll in their admission term will have their admission cancelled and be asked to reapply for a later term.

Fall applicants who expect to need campus housing are strongly encouraged to apply by the early fall deadline.

Residency Requirement
All students must earn a minimum of 30 new credits in residency at the School of Computing and Information, including at least 15 credits within the major program. At least half of the major program credits must be earned at the University of Pittsburgh.

Admit Term

First Year Deadlines

Transfer, Reinstatement, and Second Bachelor's Deadlines

Fall

Domestic students: Rolling

International students: April 1

Early deadline: March 1

Late deadline, international students: May 1*

Late deadline, domestic students: June 15

Spring

No spring entry

All students: October 1

Summer

No summer entry

All students: February 1

* All international external transfer, reinstatement, and second bachelor’s applicants. International students applying for transfer within the University may follow the domestic deadlines.

First Year Students

SCI is a four-year undergraduate school, admitting its first-year students through Pitt's Office of Admissions and Financial Aid (OAFA) website. Applicants interested in beginning their studies at SCI as a first-year, non-transfer student should refer to OAFA's website for application prep checklists, access to the application, deadlines, etc.

International Students

Applicants are required to submit original or certified, official secondary school records; literal translations of your records if they are not in English; and an official credential evaluation of all international documents (transcripts, marksheets, certificates, examination results, etc.) from an approved evaluator. See details on the OAFA webpage for International Transcript Evaluation. The application process should be started 9 to 12 months in advance of the intended enrollment date.

An applicant whose native language is not English must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and submit official test results.

For more information on international student applications, including TOEFL requirements and exceptions, refer to OAFA’s international student admissions webpage.

Reinstatement

Students who have left the University for one calendar year or more (whether of their own volition or as a result of a suspension), who did not complete work at another institution, and who wish to continue their studies must apply for reinstatement through the school.

For more details regarding the different definitions and regulations for readmitted and reinstated students, see the Readmission and Reinstatement section of the SCI Catalog. Application links can be found on the Take the Next Step page

Transfer and Second Bachelor's Degree

The following requirements apply to all students applying for internal transfer*, external transfer, dual-degree declaration, second bachelor’s degree, and readmission. More details for each type of application follows below.

  • Complete at least 24 credits with a GPA of at least
    • 2.75 (Pittsburgh campus) or
    • 3.00 (Regional campuses, second Pitt bachelor’s, and external transfers)
  • Finish the equivalent of the first-year SCI Curriculum with grades of “C” or better in each course.
    • Programming: Computer programming is a central component of all studies in computing. Students must complete a course in which they learn to solve programs through algorithmic thinking and programming in a language such as Java, Python, C, or C#. Computing courses lacking programming, such as web design, office software including word processors and spreadsheets, and graphic design and CAD, do not satisfy this requirement. For Pitt students, common courses include CS 0007, CS 0010, CS 0011, CS 0012, and CMPINF 0401.
    •  Quantitative Skills: Quantitative skills are the bedrock for success in the computing and information fields. Students must complete two courses. For clarity, we present the two categories that correspond to SCI’s General Education Requirements for completing a BS degree. For admission, students may complete one course in each category or two courses in the same category. Note that some majors within SCI have more specific quantitative requirements. Students considering a specific major are strongly encouraged to consult the requirements of their intended major to determine which quantitative courses are most relevant to their studies.
      • Mathematics: Courses in university-level mathematics covering topics in calculus, linear algebra, or theoretical mathematics. For Pitt students, common courses include MATH 0120, MATH 0220, MATH 0280, MATH 0400, and MATH 0413.
      • Statistics: Courses in university-level statistics. For Pitt students, common courses include STAT 0200, STAT 1000, and STAT 1100.
    • Introductory Composition: Communication in its various forms is central to all disciplines and professions. Students must complete a course in which they use composition as a creative form of critical inquiry; craft essays that position their ideas among other views; compose with precision, nuance, and awareness of formal conventions; and revise by rethinking assumptions, aims, and effects of prior drafts. For Pitt students, common courses include ENGCMP 0200 and other ENGCMP variants of “Seminar in Composition.”
    • Completion of CMPINF 0010: Big Ideas in Computing and Information course is strongly recommended for Pittsburgh campus internal transfer applicants.
  • Sample courses of study within SCI can be found within the Catalog pages for individual majors offered within the school.

Please note that these requirements are for eligibility and do not guarantee admission. Individual undergraduate programs reserve the right to close admission to a major once capacity has been reached. Course requirements must be completed and submitted documentation must show final grades for these courses. Applications that are incomplete, meaning they do not include final grades for the required classes at the time of application, will receive rejection notices within the regular notification period.

*Pittsburgh and regional campus (i.e., internal) transfer applicants should note that the criteria listed above applies only to students admitted to the University of Pittsburgh in Fall 2019 or later. Internal transfer applicants admitted prior to Fall 2019 must be admissible directly to a major (major eligibility requirements) and meet the admissions criteria outlined in the Catalog published in their University admit term in order to be considered for admission to SCI (see the Archived Catalogs).

External transfer students

Students at other institutions who wish to apply for admission as transfer students to the School of Computing and Information should submit a Transfer Application and supporting materials to the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid.

Please note applicants’ grades must be posted for the courses required for admission for the application to be considered complete.

Incomplete applications, where grades are not posted for admissions pre-requisite classes by the stated final deadline, in-progress courses, and other courses lacking grades as they appear in the application materials, will be sent application rejection notices during the standard notification timeframe.

Internal (including regional) transfer students

Students in Pitt’s undergraduate schools or regional campuses at the University should initiate the process of transferring into an SCI program by submitting an Undergraduate Academic Program / Plan Add / Change form with their current campus’s Records Office or other administrative center. Students currently on inactive status in the school of last registration must first be reinstated in that school before the transfer process can be completed.

Note: All credits and previously approved exemptions to academic requirements will be re-evaluated by SCI. In some instances, this may mean that not all transfer credits or previously approved exemptions or waivers will be accepted or applied toward a student’s SCI career. All credits will be subject to the transfer credit policies listed in this catalog.

Dual degrees

Students in Pitt’s undergraduate schools may pursue more than one undergraduate degree within the University simultaneously. Students wishing to apply for a dual degree with SCI should confer with their academic advisor. When ready to apply, they should initiate the process by submitting an Undergraduate Academic Program / Plan Add / Change form with their current school’s Records Office or other administrative center.

Second bachelor's degree, Pitt

Students who have already earned an undergraduate degree at the University of Pittsburgh with a minimum GPA of 2.75 and who are returning to complete a second degree in a major offered through SCI will be considered for admission.

Students who fall into this category should apply directly to the School of Computing and Information. Application links can be found on the Take the Next Step page. Applicants should note the following:

  • Course work for the second degree will continue to be recorded on the original University of Pittsburgh undergraduate transcript
  • All appropriate course work from the first degree will apply to the second degree
  • The cumulative GPA and credit total will be based on all credits from the first degree and any new course work completed that applies to the second degree
  • Students must earn a minimum of 30 new credits
Second bachelor's degree, non-Pitt

Students who completed a degree at another institution should submit a Transfer Application and supporting materials to the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid.

Post-baccalaureate and guest students

Students who have completed an undergraduate degree and wish to take additional undergraduate courses on a non-degree-seeking basis (post-baccalaureate) or students enrolled in an undergraduate degree program at another university who plan to take courses for credit at the University of Pittsburgh with the intention of transferring those courses back to their home institution (guest students) should apply directly to the College of General Studies (CGS). Eligibility and application instructions are available on the CGS website.

Non-degree-seeking status at CGS is not encouraged for students interested in later applying for internal transfer to SCI. Instead, these students should apply directly to SCI as first-year students through the OAFA website.

Readmission

Students who previously attended the University of Pittsburgh before attending another institution and who wish to return to the University are considered transfer students and must reapply following the guidelines for transfer students. Former students who have enrolled in other institutions may apply for readmission with advanced standing. Such students should submit a Transfer Application and supporting materials to the University’s Office of Admissions and Financial Aid.

For more details regarding the different definitions and regulations for readmitted and reinstated students, see the Readmission and Reinstatement section of the SCI Catalog page.