Artificial Intelligence

Only applications that include all of the following materials and that are submitted by the application deadline will be eligible for review:

• Statement of purpose
• Personal statement 
• Resume or CV
• University transcripts
• Two letters of recommendation
• Official language tests (for individuals matriculating from a non-English speaking university)
• A video interview

Initial decisions will be released at the beginning of March, with our final round of admissions offers sent by May 1st.

Minimum requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited US institution or comparable from a foreign institution. For the MS in AI, bachelor’s degree should be in a computational or quantitative field such as computer science, mathematics, or statistics. Students should have some programming experience.

Preferred requirements

We typically look for a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale). However, GPA is only one factor in our holistic admissions review. Applicants with a lower GPA may still be considered for admission if they can demonstrate significant professional experience, accomplishments, or other qualifications that indicate their potential for success in the program.

Students can declare an area of focus on their application. We encourage students to choose a defined area of focus, but students can also apply without a focus area.

After matriculation, students may have the ability to declare a concentration which will appear on their transcript.

Your application should include completed and scanned transcripts of all previous college and university work. If you are accepted into the program, the Graduate School will require that you submit official transcripts; unofficial transcripts will not be accepted. Please make sure your transcript has your name, birthdate, and the name of the attended university. We do not accept paper copies of transcripts.

Applicants should upload the documents to the online application system as part of the submission process. For students who are subsequently admitted and accept the offer of admission, an official paper transcript will be required prior to matriculation.

All transcripts or academic records must be official documents provided in the original language. If that language is not English, they must be accompanied by certified translations into English. If not issued by the college or university as original documents, they should be notarized, full-sized photocopies. They should include grades received in each subject each year, and the number of weeks and hours per week that each subject was studied. Courses must be described in detail. The general subject name (e.g., “mathematics”) is not sufficient. The particular subject (e.g., “differential equations,” “algebraic topology”) must be identified.

If you are admitted into the program and you accept our offer of admission, the Graduate School will require an official transcript. They will contact you directly about this requirement.

Your application must include at least one letter of recommendation. The letters should be from supervisors, professors, or other individuals who are familiar with your professional or academic work and who can testify to your potential in Artificial Intelligence. Once you have entered your recommenders information into your online application, a notification will be sent to your recommenders within 48 hours. These letters are a very important part of your application, and you should ensure that they are submitted to the electronic application system by the appropriate deadline. We will not accept paper copies of letters of recommendation.

This short essay (750 words maximum) should have a forward-looking focus. Tell us about your professional goals and how they relate to the MS in AI/Applied AI degree. Include why the degree is a good fit for you, what you intend to study, and why and how you will apply what you learn in your career after graduation. Use this as an opportunity to demonstrate that you have researched the program and have developed a plan to include it in your professional development. Include how your academic background prepared you for the MS program.

This short essay (750 words maximum) complements your academic statement of purpose and should be reflective, describing your personal motivations for graduate study. Explain how your background has influenced your decision to pursue a professional degree.

All applicants are required to submit their most current resume or CV with the application.

GRE
We do not require nor accept the GRE test for application consideration. 

English language proficiency
The graduate school provides blanket exemptions to the English language proficiency requirement for students who:

• Speak English as a first language and are a citizen or permanent resident of a country where English is an official language
• Earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. college or university located in the U.S.
• Earned an international equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree from a college or university located in a country where English is an official language, and where English is the language of instruction
• Have studied and/or worked full-time for at least 2 consecutive years within the last 10 years in a country where English is an official and widely spoken language

All other students must demonstrate English language proficiency by completing either the IELTS or TOEFL.

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
In order to be considered for admissions, our minimum TOEFL scores are as follows:

• Speaking: 4.5 or above (former scale: 23 or above)
• Reading: 4.5 or above (former scale: 22 or above)
• Listening: 5.0 or above (former scale: 22 or above)
• Writing: 5.0 or above (former scale: 24 or above)

​IELTS Academic (International English Language Testing System)
An overall band score of 7.5. Applicants who do not meet the minimum scores will not be considered. It is advised to take the language test no later than October and have scores sent no later than the end of October to ensure they are received by our deadline.

• When you register for the exam, you may select up to 5 institutions to which you would like to have your scores sent.
• You may also submit a request to your test center to have additional score reports sent to institutions not originally listed on your test registration form.
• Scores must be sent electronically (e-delivery) to the Cornell University Graduate Admissions, Caldwell Hall e-download account. E-delivery may also be referred to as an e-TRF by your test center. We do not accept paper IELTS Academic test report forms.
• The IELTS score must be dated within two years of your program’s application deadline.