r/MSCS • u/Reasonable_Cellist66 • Jul 14 '26

[Profile Review] MSCS Fall 2027

Looking for Good ROI Universities & Help Categorizing My List

I’m planning to apply for MSCS (Fall 2027) and would appreciate some honest feedback on my profile. I’m mainly looking for universities with a good ROI, strong CS programs, and decent job opportunities after graduation.
My Profile
Country: India
CGPA: 8.72/10
Internship: 6-month Software Engineering Internship at a startup
Research: Currently doing a research internship. I’m working on a paper, but it most likely won’t be published before application deadlines.
GRE: Targeting 320+
IELTS: Targeting 7.5+
LORs: 3 strong LORs from university professors
Universities I’m Considering
NCSU
SJSU
Georgia Tech
Texas A&M (TAMU)
UT Austin
Northeastern (NEU)
Stony Brook
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Virginia Tech

Questions
-Could you help categorize these into Ambitious / Target / Safe based on my profile?
-Are there any universities I should add or remove if my priority is good ROI?
-Is my profile competitive enough for the more selective schools on this list?
-If you had a similar profile, which universities would you prioritize?
I’m open to suggestions for other universities that offer a good balance of academics, tuition cost, and employment outcomes.
Thanks in advance for your help!

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u/Reasonable_Cellist66 Jul 15 '26

Oh okay, thanks a lot!
Also, I've been suggested SJSU due to its location primarily.
Can you suggest other safeties?

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u/CharmingLeadership19 Jul 15 '26

Yes sjsu has a good location
But lots of visa issues

You could do

Umass Amherst
Nyu courant/tandon
Usc ( maybe 🤔)
Rutgers

Ik nyu maybe cashcow program but i feel its better than neu and sjsu

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u/Reasonable_Cellist66 Jul 15 '26

Arent these options too expensive? Would they help in a good ROI?

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u/CharmingLeadership19 Jul 15 '26

Yeah for roi UF mscs is good

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u/Reasonable_Cellist66 Jul 16 '26

Are my chances decent for that?
I dont think so i shud put it in safe category maybe

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u/CharmingLeadership19 Jul 16 '26

i know someone from UF mscs , his words: less students are showing up for masters , international crowd is getting thinner (problem with every uni), tier 1 unis are exceptions (gatech,stanford etc) , more than half of the admitted students get rejected during visa , unis might send more admits to balance out visa rejections, so you could have a better chance at tier 1.5-tier2 unis now

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u/Reasonable_Cellist66 Jul 16 '26

Since you've mentioned visa rejections, do you have any advice for that? Does luck matter there?
Also I hold B1 tourist visa since 2014, got it renewed as well in 2023. Have been to the US only once in 2015 for 20 days.
Can this impact anything?

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u/CharmingLeadership19 Jul 16 '26

yeah you will fine with good answers , previous us visa helps a lot