Northwestern University

A critical part of your application, which gives you the opportunity to articulate your motivations, aptitude, and vision, through two sections. The section questions and word limits are on the Admissions Overview page, without a cycle label.

You must upload a current resume or CV in the online application.

Listed under 'Application Requirements': 'The admissions team will review candidates for evidence of self-directed work in Computer Science such as shared code repositories (e.g., Github), open source publications, and developer's forums such Stack Overflow. Applicants should provide URLs to accounts and/or repositories.' Admissions FAQ ('What are you looking for in the portfolio?'): 'The portfolio section is typically used to show any additional work you want us to consider, such as your GitHub or other platform that shows your programming experience.'

At the time of application, applicants must submit an unofficial copy of academic transcripts from each college or university they have attended. If you enroll, you will be required to submit one official copy of your transcript(s) for any degrees you have been awarded.

Faculty at the undergraduate institution or current employers/managers. Admissions FAQ: 'You may submit one of your references from a supervisor as opposed to an instructor. The most important factor is that you ask people who know you and can speak to your work.'

We require three letters of recommendation from either faculty at a prospective student's undergraduate institution, or from current employers/managers. If neither is available, applicants will need to provide a clear explanation why this is the case.

The program will not accept GMAT, LSAT, MCAT or any other standardized test score in place of the GRE.

GRE scores are an optional component of your application. If you choose to include your GRE scores, they will be considered. Admissions FAQ: 'We do not require GRE scores, however we do recommend that applicants provide them.' Self-report unofficial scores and upload a scan in the application; scores must be taken no more than five years before the intended quarter of entry. ETS code 2601.

Not listed: the page says to provide either a TOEFL or IELTS score.

IELTS: Applicants must receive a score of 7.0 or higher. The test must be taken no more than two years before the intended enrollment.

TOEFL: Applicants must score 100 or higher on the internet based test or 600 or higher on the paper-based test. The test must be taken no more than two years before the intended enrollment. Institutional code C038. Admissions FAQ: the program will accept the TOEFL 'MyBest Scores'; do not send official English proficiency test scores before receiving an admission decision.

Waiver / exemption: Required only for applicants whose primary language is not English. Admissions Overview lists four ways to demonstrate proficiency: a TOEFL or IELTS score; transcripts verifying an undergraduate degree from an accredited four-year institution or equivalent where the language of instruction is English (requires approval); transcripts verifying a graduate degree from an accredited institution where the language of instruction is English (requires approval); or transcripts verifying an undergraduate or graduate degree from an accredited institution in the U.S. The Admissions FAQ lists three ways (no U.S.-degree item and no 'requires approval').

Not listed: the page says to provide either a TOEFL or IELTS score.

The candidate video is currently an optional upload, but the program recommends uploading one. Limit the video to 2 minutes; the admissions committee will not watch beyond 2 minutes. It must feature only the candidate; videos sent by email, posted to an external URL (e.g. YouTube) or on DVD are not accepted. File must be MP4(H264)/WebM format, 320x240px, and smaller than 10MB.