Reviewed on Feb 3, 2025(Enrolled 2024)
What Students Say
Likes
- Great Campus, you can enjoy being on campus. Especially the lake on the campus.
- The Professors, You can choose your professors; if you get lucky, you might get some great professors.
- The bus service is great if you live on or off campus near the uni, you don't have to worry about transportation.
Dislikes
- Most of the courses are of 1.5 years.
- You need to take four subjects each in the first two semesters, which makes life a little stressful.
- On-campus jobs are quite competitive, it is almost impossible to get one in the first semester.
Course Curriculum
10
- Difficulty: Pretty intense but manageable! A mix of theory (60%) and practical (40%). The first semester hits hard with core subjects, but you get used to it.
- Positive Aspects include learning to manage your time, and the assignments and projects somehow help you to learn more about your subject.
- Negative aspects: Again, due to more courses each semester, it is hard to manage other stuff like Internship/Job hunting, Part-time jobs if one has one, and personal life.
Admission Experience
- Applied into:-
- California State University - Fullerton: Accepted
- Stevens Institute of Technology: Accepted
- Arizona State University: Accepted (but for a different course which I didn't want)
- Illinois Institute of Technology: Accepted
- University of Texas at Dallas: Rejected
- Northeastern University, Boston: Rejected
- Indiana University, Bloomington: Rejected
- University of Florida: Rejected
- University of Houston: Rejected
- California State University - Long Beach: Rejected
- The reason for rejection - Low GRE score (308: Q-165, V-143)
- The main reason for choosing UB over others is the cost of graduation( Around 40k USD overall) also it is quite reputable and well-known. Plus good ranking for the course.
- The admission process is quite simple, similar to any other US university. They don't ask for the GRE and IELTS official scores until you are accepted, so that's good, you save money there.
- The Minimum requirement for IELTS is, I think, 6.5, but 7 is recommended. For GRE, it's good to have 310+. (or good Quant score, as I had)
- Fall 2024
- The admission process is almost around 5 months.
- August: Appeared in IELTS.
- September: Document preparation.
- October: Appeared in GRE.
- November and December: Application process.
- January to March: Got decisions from the university.
- After March: Visa slots booking and loan processing.
- May: Appeared for the visa interview.
Class Schedule
10
- Schedule: Usually 2-3 classes/day
Timing: Morning classes are 9:30-12:30, afternoon 2-5 PM, and some classes are 6-8 PM. - Class size: 170-200 students per class if it's a core course, in the case of elective, it generally ranges between 50-80. (In the case of MSCS, otherwise, it's lesser.)
Indian students: Crowded! About 90% of my program
Faculty
10
- Faculty-Student Ratio: It's Good, we have I think 3 professor options in every course, some course has only 1.
- Teaching Style: It's a mix! Most classes combine lectures with mostly theories, but the assignments and projects are inclined towards practicality. Profs use interactive methods like group tasks, In-class quizzes, or online quizzes, which also contribute to our final grades. I think the course content is not 100% useful for securing a job; there are a few courses like ML, Algo, and OS that can boost your preparation
- Faculty does not help directly with the job hunt, but few might send emails to the whole class if there are any opportunities.
- Standout Profs: Prof. Alina Vereshchaka is one of the most famous Prof in the Uni, her classes are hard to get as her teaching style and grading methodology are quite good. Also, it's easy to get a good grade in her class. She takes Intro to ML and Deep Learning courses. Apart from her, Kelin Luo is also good for the Algorithm course.
Campus Life
10
- Three campuses: North (main campus in Amherst), South (historic Buffalo location), and Downtown (medical corridor),Facilities are pretty sweet:
North Campus: 1000+ acres with 11 dorms, 5 apartment complexes, 2 libraries - Sports: State-of-the-art Smolinski Sports Center with hydrotherapy pools
Study spots everywhere (trust me, you'll need them!)
- Major events that rock:
Spring Fest
Oozefest
International Fiesta
Comedy Series
- Student Life:
400+ clubs on UBLinked
7 student councils
Tons of cultural and sports organizations.
Part Time Jobs
-
TA/RA/GA positions: Full-time (20hrs/week) or half-time (10hrs/week) Pay range is around 20$
Work hour limits:
Domestic students: 20hrs/week during semester, up to 29hrs during breaks
International students: Strictly 20hrs/week during semester, up to 40hrs during breaks12
Other campus jobs:
Library, dining facilities, labs, admin offices
Campus Living positions (2.5 GPA required)
Research Foundation positions.
It's very competitive to get any of the above jobs. -
16$ is the average pay. - Job Search Process: Use Bullseye (powered by Handshake) or Career Design Center's portal Filter for on-campus positions in libraries, dining, labs, admin offices Submit applications early in semester for best chancesApplication Tips: Start searching 30 days before semester begins Create tracking system for applications Dining services and campus living usually have most openings Library and admin jobs are competitive but pay better
Placement
8
- Employment Rate: most get jobs within 2 years of graduation, the recent market is very bad, so I have no idea of the exact numbers.
• Salary Range (Class of 2023):
MS graduates: $40,000-$110,000,
MBA graduates: $58,000-$70,000 - Top Recruiters:
PwC, EY, McKinsey, KPMG
M&T Bank, Rich Products
Excellus BCBS9 - Job Search Methods:
BizLink (School's exclusive portal)
Career Design Center
Bullseye powered by Handshake
Connect-a-Bull for alumni networking10
Accommodation
Off Campus
10
- Off-campus
- Found through the university's group, and contacted agents via seniors.
- 540$ - including all the utilities and wifi. - Challenges: To properly verify the condition of the house, most photos are captured in ultrawide, so it creates the illusion of bigger rooms.
- Contact the seniors for help.
- 5 min from south campus. Most of the Indian students stay near the south campus, as it's cheaper.
Exams
- For the Master's course, For English proficiency, it accepts the IELTS and TOEFL which are the two most famous exams given by Indians. For the MSCS program GRE is compulsory, however, it is highly recommended for any other course.
- Required documents: Transcripts, All the bachelor's mark sheets, SOP, 3 Letters of recommendation, and Resume.
- There are no interviews for my course and a few similar courses. (i.e., MSCS, MSDS, MSAI)
Fees
- 3000-3500$ - For one course or three credits + Insurance (around 1k)
- The fees are charged credit-based, you need to pay each semester.
- Off-campus housing costs around 800. (If you count basic needs only), 500-550 for rent plus utilities (Electricity, Gas, Wifi, and others) for a single shared room. 100 -150 for Groceries. Transportation is free as it is provided by the university.
- Other Miscellaneous spends is around 100. (Phone bill, basic necessities)
Scholarship
- Nope, No scholarships at all. I don't know a single person who got one.
- Most of the scholarships are for native people and undergrads.
