PhD Applicants

Overview

Admission to the PhD program are coordinated by the Emory Laney Graduate School.

Students admitted to our PhD program are awarded full tuition and competitive stipend support. Additional summer support and teaching assistantships may be available. In addition, research, specialized training, and professional development funds are available to students through the Emory Laney Graduate School.

In exceptional cases, a student not satisfying one of the minimal requirements above may still be admitted, with the expectation of doing "remedial" work prior or during their first semester, to catch up on the requirements before enrolling in standard CS graduate courses.

The application process for our PhD programs involves the following steps.

• Transcripts: We will need copies of transcripts from each post-secondary institution you have attended, including your current one. They must be in English. and issued by the registrar's at your university. We do not require official transcripts (issued by the registrar's at your university) as part of the application process, only if and when you are offered and accept admission.
• TOEFL scores: required for PhD admissions: For Internet-based TOEFL test, a minimum total score of 85 is required (90 recommended), and for the paper-based TOEFL test, a total score of 600 is required. For IELTS, 7 is the minimum score for admission. IETLS, Duolingo or Pearson Test of English (PTE) scores are acceptable. This requirement can be waived for applicants who have earned an undergraduate degree, or a 2+ year MS degree, in a country where English is the primary language.
• GRE scores: Applicants are not required to submit GRE scores, but they have the option to include them if they wish to.
• Statement of purpose: Write candidly about why you want to pursue a PhD in computer science and informatics, what kind of questions you have worked on in the past, what you intend to focus on in your studies and how you plan to use the research experience in your longer-term plan.
• Curriculum Vitae: Provide a document listing relevant experiences and accomplishments, such as internships, awards and research experiences, that you believe will strengthen your application.
• Recommendation letters: We require three professionals with knowledge about your academic performance to write letters that evaluate your research potential and your teaching experience. Your application cannot be processed before we have received these letters.
• Application fee: The application fee is $75. The fee can be paid by credit card as part of the online application. The fee can also be paid by electronic check. Please be aware that this payment option adds several days of processing time before we receive the application. Applicants experiencing financial hardship may apply for a fee waiver.

Application deadlines

• PhD program. The recommended deadline for applying to our PhD program for Fall admissions is January 1 of that year (e.g. for Fall 2025 admissions, the deadline is Jan 1, 2025).
• Please note we DO NOT offer Spring semester admissions for the PhD programs

Please contact the Director of Graduate Studies or the Graduate Program Coordinator with questions about the application process.

We look forward to receiving your application!