Graduate Program - GRE / English Test Requirements
GRE General Score Requirements:
The GRE general exam is required of all international masters applicants, residing in and outside of the U.S. The GRE is not required of PhD applicants or domestic masters applicants. PhD applicants may submit GRE scores. PhD applicants who do not submit GRE scores will receive equal consideration for admission.
GRE test scores expire five years after the test date, and expired scores are not accepted. Our program uses application deadline to determine GRE expiration. For example, a GRE taken more than five years prior to December 15 of the current year would not be valid for any international masters applicant seeking fall admission.
The average GRE scores (percent scoring below) of international applicants recently admitted to graduate study in the department are: Verbal Reasoning 60%, Quantitative Reasoning 87%, and Analytical Writing 49%. All three sections of the GRE are considered when evaluating applicants.
Our program offers international masters applicants the possibility of exemption from the GRE requirement if they document five cumulative years of full-time employment within the United States as an IT professional. To request consideration, applicants must check the box for this purpose in the CSC Supplemental Information section of the online application, upload a resume showing the dates of employment, and include recommendations from their supervisor(s) at the organization.
The institution code 5496 is the only code needed to report scores to NC State University. If ETS gives you an option to report a test to NCSU undergraduate admissions, select the NCSU Graduate School instead.
TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo Test Requirements:
English proficiency is a requirement for successful graduate studies at N.C. State. The Graduate School standards for demonstration of proficiency, which are necessary in order to be admitted to graduate study, may be found here, and should be read by any applicant for whom English is a second language. The average TOEFL score of international applicants recently-admitted to the Computer Science graduate program is 106. The average IELTS score is 8, and the average Duolingo score is 125. Students from countries not well represented in the department are encouraged to apply, even with English test scores significantly below this level.
Non-U.S. applicants who upload transcripts showing they have successfully completed at least one year of full-time study in a degree program at a four-year U.S. college or university satisfy N.C. State's English proficiency standards, need not submit TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo test results. In such cases, the Graduate School will waive the English test requirement as time permits its review, or after receiving our recommendation to admit.
English test scores expire two years after the test date, and we do not consider expired tests. To determine expiration for admission purposes, our program uses June 15 for fall terms and November 15 for spring. Therefore, a TOEFL test that expires on June 15 the same year as fall admission would be invalid and a TOEFL test that expires on November 15 the year prior to spring admission would be invalid.
The institution code 5496 is the only code needed to report scores to NC State University. If the testing agency gives you an option to report a test to NCSU undergraduate admissions, select the NCSU Graduate School instead.
