Reviewed on May 30, 2025(Enrolled 2022)
What Students Say
Likes
- Computer Science course Curriculum. When I was there it was studying, the course structure was different which was very good. We got to choose the course which we planned to take.
- The campus is very peaceful with a lake, sunset view.
- The university has a strong alumni network who'd like to help every new joiner.
Dislikes
- The course curriculum is very hard.
- Professors show no mercy. They don't care if you will get A grade if you score 0.2 marks more.
- We gotta work very hard for courses that are lease applied in our daily work life.
Course Curriculum
6
- The MS in Computer Science programme at UB was balanced and mainly involved practical learning because everything was learnt through implementation. The coursework was tough with subjects like Algorithms, Operating Systems, Computer Networks, Intro to ML, etc.
- I had 2 to 3 classes per day, usually scheduled between 8 AM and 8 PM, depending on the semester and course I selected. Each class had around 60+ students, and most of them were Indian only, which made it easier to feel involved and coordinated to work on projects, homework and assignments. Overall, the academic environment was challenging but truly helped me grow as a professional.
Admission Experience
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I applied for 6 universities. Out of which I got five acceptances and one rejection.
- State University of New York at buffalo is accept
- Northeastern University is accept
- Arizona state university is accept
- Florida Atlantic university is reject
- University of South California – accept
- I had an opinion that Florida Atlantic university rejected because they might have already got a lot of students in the CS course.
- I chose UB for its strong master's in Computer Science program, affordable tuition fee, and the curriculum that's supporting me. The admission process was pretty simple; no GRE was required (it was just recommended to have). I had an IELTS score of 7 and met all eligibility criteria. Overall, the experience was smooth while applying and until I got into university. There were no challenges which I faced that I can recall.
- I applied for the Fall 2022 intake at the University at Buffalo for the MS in Computer Science programme. I chose UB because of its curriculum, research opportunities, and affordable tuition compared to other universities that I got admitted into. I submitted my application in early December 2021 and received my admission decision by the end of February 2022. The process was pretty smooth because at that time there was no GRE required at that time. I applied with an IELTS score of 7, which makes me eligible to apply for UB. Overall, it took 3ish months to get the admit from the univ.
Faculty
8
- The faculty at UB’s Computer Science department are highly knowledgeable and most of them were chinese. The faculty-to-student ratio is not very balanced because our students' strength has outnumbered and there was no comparison with the ratio at all. Most professors followed a structured and practical teaching style that they designed before the course began, which teaches us about real-world examples, tricky coding assignments, and assignments, but as we just came from India, we used to find it hard to understand Chinese professors teaching us.
- I particularly admired professors who were both passionate and clear in their teaching—those who encouraged us to think beyond the textbook and focus on problem-solving, especially my algorithms professor. His guidance helped me show a huge difference in my learning experience in the algorithms course.
Campus Life
8
- UB provides plenty of facilities to support student life, like libraries—there's one library on the north campus and one on the south campus, which basically offer vast resources for research and study. students who are interested in playing sports can visit state-of-the-art facilities like the Smolinski (I think that's the name) family sport medicine centre and UB Stadium, which is the home for the Buffalo Bulls football team.
- Also, UB has 400+ student clubs and organizations, which helps students pick their interests for non-academic interests. These also include academic clubs, cultural organizations, hobby groups, and special interest councils. It's open for international students and native students as well. We are allowed to explore and join any of these groups through the UBLinked website.
Part Time Jobs
- In our university, there are a variety of part-time job opportunities available for students. Most people work in roles like grader, teaching Assistant (TA), library reception, gym reception, security, and campus dining. grader, TA, RA and related part-time positions are provided based on academic excellence and our rapport and interaction with our professors. Students in these roles typically work 10–20 hours per week and earn between $15 and $25 per hour. Some assistantships also offer tuition waivers or stipends, especially for RAs working on funded research, which is a very, very rare scenario.
- Most Indian students at this university work in campus dining services, libraries, and grader positions due to flexible hours and easy availability. Pay usually will range between $15.50 and $20 per hour. Every year minimum pay per hour grows in usa so it depends on it as well. it is quite competitive to get a part-time job immediately after joining the university newly, as it is on a first-come, first-served basis. The process involves checking the UB campus dining jobs portal or talking to professors about their strengths in academics, submitting their updated resume, and attending a short interview, which could be technical or non-technical.
- Dining services are the most common and accessible option. These roles help cover living expenses and will also help us balance part-time work and studies. It's always good to have someone we already know who can guide us after getting an admit letter from the university. thats going to help us land some part-time work sooner than usual.
Placement
6
- After completing the MS in Computer Science at UB, most students find full-time opportunities or contracts or W-2s based on individual preference. Students who have good experience get full-time employment within 6 months of graduation, which is the maximum. But the market was pretty bad at the time I got graduated and it took more hard work to get a job and more time as well.
- The average salary range is typically between $85,000 and $120,000 depending on experience, field, role, location and multiple other factors. Students usually go and apply on university handshake portals, linkedin, referrals, and career sites, where I got my job when I applied on a career site.
- Many students get summer internships and make them convert into full-time by performing well. From my batch, students landed roles like Software Engineer, Data Analyst, SDE, and DevOps Engineer. Top hiring companies included Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, PayPal, Bloomberg, M&T Bank, and others too. People prefer start-ups because it's easy to get into for the time being.
Accommodation
Off Campus
8
- I chose off-campus housing near the North Campus because it's easy to walk to campus; i dont need to simply wait for a bus to come and go to university. I found my apartment through fb gisa group and continued to follow up in whatsapp later . The apartment was about a 10 min bus ride from the campus and a 20 min walk to campus.
- The monthly rent was approximately $700, including utilities and food, depending on person to person. I definitely recommend other students to even prefer housing in north campus by starting a bit early, as it fills so soon. But there are many Indian students who mainly prefer to stay in south campus because they get private rooms for a lesser price, like around 350-400 usd. whereas in north campus the private room is double than in south campus.
Exams
- For my admission to the MS in CS program at UB, I scored 7 in IELTS, which helped me to meet the English proficiency requirement and apply with it. At the time, the GRE was not mandatory, so I did not take it. The application process required key documents such as a statement of purpose (SOP), 3 letters of recommendation (LORs), and a resume (it's basically a 1-page CV).
- The entire application process was online, and I submitted my official transcripts of my bachelor's after getting admitted. There is nothing like an interview in the admission process; the decisions were made mainly based on the submitted documents and academic qualifications I previously had, as well as projects and the designation of professors from my university. Overall, the process was clear and easy to understand.
Fees
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I would say it was approximately $40,000 for international students.
- Student Activity Fee: $150 per semester (included in semester fee)
- Technology Fee: $100 per semester (included in semester fee)
- Health Insurance: $2,500 per year (included in semester fee)
- Rent (Off-campus shared apartment): $400–$600
- Utilities: $100–$150
- Groceries & Food: $250–$350
- Transportation: $50–$100 (included in semester fee)
- Miscellaneous (phone bill, entertainment, personal items): $200–$300
- Total Estimated Monthly Expenses: Approximately $1000ish
- These figures are estimates based on my lifestyle choice I made and my housing option I took.
Scholarship
- UB's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences offers scholarships for exceptional academic performance.
- Opportunities for teaching or research assistantships are available, providing stipends and tuition waivers for a few students (not most of them, only a few of them). For the application process, we can apply through the UB Scholarship Portal using our UBIT credentials. We have grader, RA, and TA, which are positions students can get into by talking to professors and showcasing their skills.
