Cornell Tech's Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Computer Science is a one-year, studio-based master's degree taught entirely on Cornell's Roosevelt Island campus in New York City — a deliberately different model from a traditional Ithaca-based CS master's, built around industry-sponsored studio projects, startup-adjacent culture, and direct access to NYC's tech ecosystem. For applicants comparing it against Cornell's Ithaca MEng in Computer Science, Columbia's MS CS, or Berkeley's MEng EECS, Cornell Tech's pitch is speed to industry relevance: small cohorts, applied product-building coursework, and a campus built in partnership with companies rather than a traditional academic department. This guide covers exactly what it costs, what Cornell Tech is looking for, and where MPS graduates land.
Acceptance Rate: What We Actually Know
Cornell's Graduate School does not publish one official aggregate acceptance rate, and this dataset correctly leaves Cornell's overall graduate acceptance rate blank — Cornell Tech's MPS program runs its own independent admissions review, separate from both Cornell's undergraduate process and its Ithaca-based graduate fields.
What's worth knowing:
- Cornell's undergraduate rate (8.4% overall, Class of 2029) has no bearing on Cornell Tech MPS selectivity — they are entirely separate admissions processes reviewing different applicant pools against different criteria.
- Cornell Tech's MPS programs are widely understood, based on applicant forums and admissions consultants (not an official Cornell figure), to be highly selective given deliberately small cohort sizes designed to preserve the studio-based teaching model — unofficial estimates commonly cited for Cornell Tech's MPS programs fall in the roughly 15–25% range, but this is an unverified approximation, not an official statistic.
- Because Cornell Tech admits comparatively small cohorts across all its MPS tracks (not just Computer Science), the program is structurally more selective per seat than many larger traditional CS master's programs, even without a confirmed official acceptance rate to cite.
Bottom line: expect real selectivity, comparable to or above Cornell's Ithaca-based MEng CS track — but treat any specific cited percentage as directional only.
Tuition and Fees
Cornell's Graduate School publishes a PhD/research master's tuition rate of $20,800/year, which — as this dataset's own editorial notes make explicit — does not apply to Cornell Tech's professional master's programs, priced considerably higher as a flat program rate.
| Cost Item | Amount (USD) — PhD/research master's reference rate | Cornell Tech MPS (approximate, confirm on Cornell Tech site) |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition (representative reference rate) | $20,800/year | ~$63,000–$68,000 total program (flat rate, 1 year) |
| Living expenses (per year, Cornell's published estimate) | $37,418 | Higher in practice — New York City cost of living, notably above Ithaca |
| Application fee | $105 | $105 |
The right-hand column is an estimate based on Cornell Tech's recently published tuition schedule and should be confirmed directly with Cornell Tech admissions before budgeting. Note that New York City living costs are meaningfully higher than Cornell's published Ithaca-based living-expense estimate, so budget accordingly beyond the reference figure shown above.
Admission Requirements
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Minimum GPA | No published hard minimum; competitive applicants typically show a strong CS/quantitative GPA |
| GRE | Not required |
| Prior coursework | Bachelor's in computer science or a closely related technical field, with solid programming fundamentals (data structures, algorithms) |
| Letters of recommendation | Typically 3, academic or technical preferred |
| Statement of purpose | Required — Cornell Tech places real weight on demonstrated interest in applied, product-oriented work |
| Resume/CV | Required |
| TOEFL/IELTS | Required unless exempted (see below) |
| Application fee | $105 |
| Program length | One year, studio-based, includes an industry-sponsored team project |
| Location | Roosevelt Island, New York City (not Cornell's Ithaca campus) |
Cornell Tech's MPS in Computer Science differs structurally from a typical academic CS master's: the curriculum is built around "studio" courses where small teams build real products, often for or with industry partners, alongside core technical coursework.
How to Get In
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Show product-building experience, not just coursework. Cornell Tech's studio model rewards applicants who can point to something they actually built — a shipped app, a hackathon project, an open-source contribution — over applicants with strong grades but no evidence of applied building.
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Address the NYC/industry-immersion fit directly in your statement. Cornell Tech explicitly markets itself as different from a traditional academic CS program; reviewers look for applicants who understand and want that specific applied, startup-adjacent environment, not generic "I want a CS master's" framing.
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Use GRE-optional status to your advantage by leaning on technical portfolio evidence. Since GRE isn't required, a well-documented GitHub history or project portfolio does more to demonstrate real ability than test scores would.
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Pick recommenders who can speak to hands-on technical execution. A recommender who supervised a specific build — a capstone, an internship deliverable, a research prototype — is more persuasive than a purely academic reference with no applied component.
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Apply within Cornell Tech's specific deadline window, which can differ from Ithaca's calendar. Confirm Cornell Tech's current Fall deadline directly on its admissions page rather than assuming it matches the general Cornell Graduate School calendar.
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Prioritize your Speaking score if you're taking TOEFL. Cornell's Graduate School sets a 22/30 Speaking minimum — its highest component bar — which matters even more at Cornell Tech given the program's presentation-heavy studio format.
English Proficiency Requirement (IELTS/TOEFL)
Cornell Tech follows Cornell's Graduate School-wide English proficiency policy: IELTS Academic 7.0, or TOEFL component minimums of Reading 20, Listening 15, Speaking 22, and Writing 20 (each out of 30). The relatively high Speaking bar reflects the discussion- and presentation-heavy nature of graduate coursework across Cornell, and this matters even more at Cornell Tech, where studio courses are built around team presentations and stakeholder pitches. Standing exemptions apply for applicants whose prior education was conducted in English.
For a full section-by-section breakdown and waiver conditions, see Gabble's dedicated guides: Cornell IELTS requirements and Cornell TOEFL requirements.
Career Outcomes
Cornell does not publish a program-specific employment rate or average starting salary for Cornell Tech's MPS in Computer Science. The university's published graduate-level recruiter list gives a general signal, though Cornell Tech's own placement is heavily NYC-tech-weighted:
Top graduate recruiters at Cornell: McKinsey & Company, Amazon, Goldman Sachs, Boston Consulting Group, Google, Microsoft.
Cornell Tech's own program materials and alumni placement patterns (not an official Cornell-published statistic) consistently emphasize:
- Software engineering roles at major tech companies with a significant New York presence (Google, Amazon, Meta, and similar)
- Startup roles, given Cornell Tech's deliberate positioning within NYC's startup ecosystem and its studio-project industry partnerships
- Product-adjacent engineering roles, reflecting the program's applied, cross-functional studio curriculum
Entry-level total compensation for New York-based software engineering roles is commonly reported in the $130,000–$180,000 range across market compensation sources for comparable degrees and locations — a directional market indicator, not an official Cornell-published figure.
FAQ
Does Cornell Tech publish an official acceptance rate for the MPS in Computer Science? No. Neither Cornell Tech nor Cornell's Graduate School as a whole releases a program-specific or university-wide graduate acceptance rate. Any precise percentage cited online is an unverified third-party estimate.
Is Cornell Tech's MPS the same as Cornell's Ithaca-based MEng in Computer Science? No. They're structurally different programs: MPS is based entirely in New York City on Cornell Tech's Roosevelt Island campus and centers on studio-based, industry-sponsored project work, while the Ithaca MEng follows a more traditional engineering-department format.
Is the GRE required for Cornell Tech's MPS program? No, GRE is not required.
How much does the program cost? Cornell's published Graduate School tuition rate ($20,800/year) does not apply to Cornell Tech's MPS, which is billed at a considerably higher flat program rate estimated around $63,000–$68,000 for the year — confirm the current figure directly with Cornell Tech admissions.
What IELTS or TOEFL score do I need? IELTS Academic 7.0, or TOEFL component minimums of Reading 20, Listening 15, Speaking 22, and Writing 20. See our full Cornell IELTS and TOEFL guides.
How long is the Cornell Tech MPS program? One year, full-time, including a studio-based, often industry-sponsored, team project component alongside core coursework.
Prepare for IELTS with Gabble or prepare for TOEFL — with Cornell's 22/30 Speaking minimum on TOEFL, and Cornell Tech's presentation-heavy studio format on top of that, spoken English practice is worth prioritizing well before you apply.