The Computer Science major is a Limited Enrollment Program; this applies to new freshmen, new transfer applicants, and internal transfer applicants changing majors within the University. There are new LEP Guidelines going into effect in Fall 2024. For more information, please visit the CS LEP Fact Sheet that corresponds to your transfer institution and matriculation term:
- Transfer applicants who started at a USM school or Maryland Community College prior to Fall 2024 should follow these LEP Guidelines.
- All other transfer applicants will follow the new LEP Guidelines.
You can also find answers to some frequently asked questions about the LEP here.
Transfer applicants are encouraged to attend a prospective student workshop hosted by the Computer Science department. They are also encouraged to speak with the pre-transfer advising program prior to submitting their application to the University of Maryland.
Admissions Information
Admission to the University of Maryland and admission to the Computer Science major are separate processes that occur in your application to the University. You will want to refer to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions for more information regarding the transfer applicant admission process.
International Applicants should refer to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions International Applicant Requirements.
Students transferring to the University of Maryland with an interest in Computer Science who have met all gateway requirements listed below will be admitted directly into Computer Science (on a space availability basis). Students who are admitted to the University of Maryland but who have not yet completed the gateway requirements will be admitted to the department of Letters and Sciences.
Computer Science Gateway Requirements
Students who matriculated to UMD, another USM school, or a Maryland Community College prior to Fall 2024
Students are required to complete the following gateway criteria to be eligible for the major:
- Completion of CMSC131 or CMSC133 or CMSC141 with a minimum grade of C-*
- Completion of CMSC132 or CMSC142 with a minimum grade of C-*
- Completion of MATH140 with a minimum grade of C-
- A minimum grade point average of 2.7 in all courses taken at the University of Maryland and all other institutions
* Indicates an Exemption Exam is available for this course.
Students who matriculate to UMD, another USM school, or a Maryland Community College in Fall 2024 or later
Students are required to complete the following gateway criteria to be eligible for the major:
- Completion of CMSC131 or CMSC133 or CMSC141 with a minimum grade of B-*
- Completion of CMSC132 or CMSC142 with a minimum grade of B-*
- Completion of MATH140 with a minimum grade of B-
- A minimum grade point average of 3.0 in all courses taken at the University of Maryland and all other institutions
* Indicates an Exemption Exam is available for this course.
Benchmark Requirements
All students will undergo a benchmark review after their second semester in the major or after they complete 75 cumulative credits, whichever comes second. Students in the major are required to complete the following courses:
- Completion of CMSC330 with a minimum grade of C-
- Completion of CMSC351 with a minimum grade of C-
- Completion of a STAT4XX course (prerequisite: MATH141) with a minimum grade of C- OR MATH/AMSC/STAT course (prerequisite: MATH141) with a minimum grade of C-
- A minimum grade point average of 2.0 in all courses taken at the University of Maryland and all other institutions
Limited Enrollment Program (LEP) Guidelines
- Only one gateway or performance review course may be repeated to earn the required grade (C- or higher) and that course may only be repeated once; this includes courses attempted at other institutions. When more than one course can satisfy a gateway requirement, taking a second course from the list will count as a repeat. (Please note that a grade of "W" is considered an attempt and must be repeated.)
- Students may apply only once to an LEP.
- Students who were directly admitted and fail to meet the performance review criteria will be dismissed from the major and may not reapply.
- Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 after admission to an LEP. Failure to do so will result in dismissal from the major.
Exemption Exams
If you have been admitted to the University of Maryland and have completed computer science coursework at a previous institution or have prior programming experience, please read more about exemption exams prior to attending orientation. Depending on your scores, you may be able to exempt out of one or more introductory computer science course(s). Once you start classes at UMD, you will be ineligible to take these exams.
Resources
- General Program Questions? We can be reached at ugrad [at] cs [dot] umd [dot] edu or 301.405.2672. When emailing, please include your full name and 9-digit UID.
- Questions Regarding Admissions Decisions? Contact ApplyMaryland [at] umd [dot] edu
- Want to make sure that Computer Science is right for you? Visit the University of Maryland's Computing Majors page for information regarding the different computing majors on campus.
- The Department of Computer Science offers Prospective Student Workshops for incoming first-year and transfer applicants. The dates for which can be found on our Prospective Applicant page