Reviewed on Jul 3, 2025(Enrolled 2024)
What Students Say
Likes
- The NCSU Hunt Library is AMAZING! Top notch architecture and everything students need for studying. They also give ipads and other devices to work if we need them free of charge.
- The availability of on-campus jobs is very high. Most students are able to secure one to support their finances.
- The special topics offered in the MCS course are very good. these usually have a small number of students so focused attention is given. since the prof. knows all the students in these special topic classes, we can build a good relationship with them and get offered TA positions through that.
Dislikes
- The bus network is good but sometimes buses are late or overpacked. Also a lot of time is wasted in waiting for the buses and usally commute to classes and part time job takes around an hour daily.
- The career fairs held by NCSU are seldom helpful. they are packed with thousands of students and very few companies. very few of my friends have secured an internship or job offer through these fairs. many companies that come there only hire US citizens and some come there even if they are not hiring currently. usually only a few companies get all the attention so there are thousands of students in the queue for them and there is no personal connection built with the recruiters. wait times in line are almost 2 hrs for each company.
- It is in raleigh and raleigh being a small town, there are pretty limited fun activities to do outside of the ncsu campus
Course Curriculum
10
- The academics are generally good at NCSU; however, it varies according to the professors teaching the course. For example, the same course can be difficult under one professor and easy under another.
- There are 300 students in some classes and just 20 in others (special topic courses). Lectures are very helpful for learning the topics and they are also available online through NCSU's Panopto portal to watch later for revision.
Admission Experience
-
I applied to the following universities:
- USC - Admitted
- NCSU - Admitted
- Oregon State University—Admitted
- ASU - Admitted
- Stony Brook - Admitted
- NYU Tandon – Admitted with scholarship
- Texas A&M - Rejected (reason - profile not strong enough, maybe becasue i was a freshman and from tier 3 engineering college in india)
- I chose this because of the cost. The cost of tuition as well as the cost of living was high for both of the good (highly ranked) admits I had gotten—that is USC and NYU. Another reason is that i had heard that NYU does not have enough availability of on-campus jobs (which is still true—confirmed with friends at that university) and NCSU does (which is also true—I have gotten an on-campus job since week 1 of landing in the USA). Had also heard that the location of a university doesn't matter for a job because applications are done online (I can confirm this is true after experiencing it).
- So overall, to keep total cost and risk low, I went with the slightly lower-ranked NCSU to save on the cost of education. The admission process involved paying a $500 deposit (deducted from fees later), paying health insurance and then registering for classes. I'm not sure about minimun score but i had a GRE of 320 and a TOEFL of 114. Had heard from friends that a GRE score of 320 is the minimum for ncsu but not sure. The admission process was good. NCSU held webinars and helped us with each step of the process. these were live and we could ask questions. this helped during the period of settling there. they also told us stuff about the USA that helped us settle. didn't face any challenges; I would highlight connecting with seniors and finding info from them
- I had applied for the Fall 2024 intake. I had applied in Jan 2024 and got the admit in early Mar 2024. I finalized my admission in Apr 2024 and reached the US in Aug 2024. I chose the Fall intake since most companies plan their hiring cycles around this time.
Faculty
8
- The academics are generally good at NCSU; however, it varies according to the professors teaching the course. For example, the same course can be difficult under one professor and easy under another.
- There are 300 students in some classes and just 20 in others (special topic courses). Lectures are very helpful for learning the topics and they are also available online through NCSU's Panopto portal to watch later for revision.
Campus Life
10
- Main campus, centennial campus, north campus (the rest I don't know; available online)
- 2 libraries, AMAZING gym, health center, cafes, legal services office, mental health support.
- GSA Social, Midnight howl run, Maitri indian student association, masquerade ball, diwali celebrations. Many sports clubs are available: boating, fencing, martial arts, boxing, etc. kayaks and camping gear are also available for rent.
Part Time Jobs
- At NCSU, part-time jobs are plentiful, and it is very easy to get one. You can apply for them online on NCSU's internal job portal or through referrals from seniors. Off-campus part-time jobs are not permitted due to F1 visa restrictions and you can get deported if you do them. This includes freelance work as well as online advertising revenue like youtube monetization. You can participate in part-time volunteer work if the work meets the requirements of the F1 visa (no promise of future employment, etc.).
- On-campus jobs include barista, front desk assistant, library assistant, chef, social media manager, etc. The pay ranges from $10/hr to $14/hr on average. There are higher-paying positions like web developer, RA or TA; however, these are not as easy to get. Their pay is around $23/hr. After completing 1 year at NCSU, you can also get a co-op at any company to work there part-time during your third semester.
- Most Indian students prefer working as an RA or TA or developer at one of the labs at NCSU. However, these roles are hard to come by and thus they end up working the normal roles mentioned above. At NCSU, the Housing department is very much sought after by Indian students since it offers a desk job through which students can do their internship applications while they are on shift but don't have much work.
- Similar desk jobs include, Member Services assistant at the Gym, Information Assistant at the Talley Student Union, Exam Proctor at the Disability Resource Office, etc. Some jobs, like Lifeguard at the gym, need you to do a certification. Some even need a driver's licence.
Placement
6
- Full-time job opportunities for NCSU MCS students are available through online applications. Most work as a Software Developer or AI engineer, etc. These positions pay $80k to $120k per year, depending on the company. Many NCSU students also get into Big Tech companies like Amazon and Google. Apart from these, major companies hiring NCSU grads include RedHat, NetApp, LexisNexis, etc. Research Triangle Park is a major business hub near NCSU that boasts the headquarters of several tech companies.
- Job applications open as early as 1 year before graduation and the application process usually includes several rounds of interviews (3 to 5). Some students also get their internship converted into a full-time job. Although many students are able to secure a full-time job after education, many cases are present where the students had to go back to their home country due to not being able to get a job. NCSU holds career fairs for students to meet companies and hiring managers in person.
- However, the reality is that these are seldom helpful and usually packed with thousands of students waiting in line for a single company. I could count on my fingertips how many students were able to secure a job through these fairs. Most get converted from internships or apply online. Many companies coming to these fairs are looking for US citizens, which is another hurdle for Indian students and limits their options even more.
Accommodation
Off Campus
6
- Real estate agent called wilson. $625, washer/dryer, microwave, oven, fridge, private bath and private bedroom, near to bus stops.
- Have to pay an application fee first to even apply for housing through wilson, cannot select the flat we want in the building; floor assigned randomly; house was infested with cockroaches when we arrived.
- I would say join the whatsapp groups and connect with other students; many are subleasing. they will get a good deal and also go through the real estate agent companies like wilson and trinity.
- About 10 to 15 mins by car/bike. Most indian students stay at the same place i do, it's called University Commons.
Exams
- I took the GRE and TOEFL. I scored 320/340 on the GRE and scored 114/120 on the TOEFL. For applying, I had to submit both these scores along with 3 LORs and 1 SOP.
Fees
- It depends on credits. each course is 3 credits (except for the orientation course, which is 1 credit). i have taken 10 credits for the first semester, 9 credits for the second, 9 for the third and 3 credits for the last semester. That means 3 courses plus a compulsory orientation course for the first semester, 3 courses for the second semester, 3 courses for the third semester, and 1 course for the last semester. this is billed as such: https://studentservices.ncsu.edu/finances/tuition-and-fees/tuition-and-fee-rates/graduate-students/ so for me it was 21,266.25 USD for the first three semesters and 7,088.76 USD for the last semester, according to the credits I took (note credits == hours).
- Health insurance cost is on top of tuition fees, which i dont remember exactly right now. but you can buy a cheaper health insurance from india and use that to waive that fee (which is what i did)
- Semester-wise: $900 a month: $625 rent (private room + private bath), $150 utilities (electricity, water, Wi-Fi, phone bill, etc.) + $125 groceries (cheaper for me since I get free food at the place I work part-time on campus).
Scholarship
- One of my friends got a GSSP (graduate student support plan); his tuition fee for the whole semester was waived.
