EARLY M.ENG CREDIT OPTION ​(also known as Early Admit)

The Early M.Eng Credit option allows a student to count credits taken in the final semester of their undergrad career towards an M.Eng. degree. Depending on the number of credits needed to finish the undergrad degree requirements, many students taking advantage of this option can complete their M.Eng. degree in one additional semester registered as an M.Eng student.

  • Students must apply to have their "un-used" courses pre-approved to count towards their future M.Eng degree requirements. 
    • At least 10 credits must be taken toward M.Eng requirements in the early M.Eng semester if you intend to complete the M.Eng degree requirements in one additional M.Eng semester. The maximum number of credits allowed per semester, for M.Eng is 20.
  • Any M.Eng. credit-eligible courses taken that are not applied to the bachelor's degree and that are pre-approved (5000 level or higher), can be counted towards M.Eng. degree requirements.
  • Students may not take advantage of this option if they have more than eight or less than one credit remaining to complete their undergraduate degree requirements.
  • Apply using the Early M.Eng Credit form
    • The form needs to be signed by your undergraduate major coordinator/advisor confirming that no more than eight credits are required to fulfill all remaining degree requirements.
    • Students should submit this form before the end of their final full undergraduate semester.
      • If you intend to graduate from undergrad in spring, the form is due before the end of the fall semester (December 15.)
      • If you intend to graduate in the fall, the form is due before the end of the spring semester (May 15.) 
      • (Tip: submitting around pre-enrollment time is optimal since you will essentially know what you are taking in the final semester of your undergraduate career.) 
  • Once a student has submitted the petition it will be reviewed and if approved, an Early MEng. credit agreement signed.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
  • Pre-approval of these courses does not guarantee admission into the M.Eng program.

  • Pre-approval of these courses does not obligate the student to apply for the CS M.Eng. Program.
  • Pre-approval of these courses counts for the CS MEng. degree only. If you wish to apply to another field, you should speak to their MEng. Office regarding their procedure for Early MEng.
  • Pre-approval is for the Ithaca campus CS M.Eng only. Cornell Tech does not accept Early M.Eng credits.
  • The full application for the CS M.Eng Program will need to be submitted for the semester immediately following the final undergraduate semester - (i.e. If you will be completing your undergrad degree in May, apply for the following fall semester.)
  • The full application is available online.
  • Applications should be submitted by the application deadline (October 1 for spring admissions / February 1 for fall admissions.)
  • You do not need to submit the full application at the same time as your Early MEng credit approval request.

To qualify for the M.Eng. Early Admit Program a student must:
  • Be a Cornell student in their final semester of undergraduate study.
  • Have at least one (1) but no more than eight (8) credits remaining in their final undergraduate semester to complete all undergraduate degree requirements.
  • Have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.7 or better. Please note that this is a minimum requirement to apply; most admitted applicants have a GPA substantially higher.
  • We will not approve any student for early credit if we do not believe they are going to be admitted into the CS M.Eng Program. 
  • The early admission option is for Cornell undergraduates only. Other applicants should click here for more information on the Cornell CS MEng. program.

Deadlines:

Early M.Eng Credit Forms should be filled out by the student, sent to their undergraduate major coordinator/advisor for a signature confirming that no more than 8 credits remain to complete all undergraduate degree requirements. 

Ask that the form, once signed, be sent to the CS M.Eng Office - Admissions 

 
The deadline for requesting approval for Early M.Eng Credit for spring 2024 is December 15, 2023. This will ensure the form gets processed and you will be added to the list of early M.Eng before the course add period starts in January.  Approval of Early M.Eng credits must be complete before the end of the fall 2023 semester to allow time for processing. *We recommend submitting this form around pre-enrollment when you are planning your final semester.
 
The deadline for requesting approval for Early M.Eng Credit for fall 2024 is May 15, 2024. In order to ensure access to enroll in M.Eng level CS courses for fall 2024 your approval must be complete before course enrollment opens in August. *We recommend submitting this form around fall 2024 pre-enrollment when you are planning your final semester.

 

Click here to get the form: Early M.Eng Credit 

For questions please contact the Computer Science Master of Engineering Program