Does Major matter for UMD admission?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Online chatter suggests only Business sometimes rejects students who pass the course-grade requirements.

This is what I've heard as well. Don't go to MD for business unless you get in direct admit.

This is very true!

DD was not a direct admit to Smith but she worked hard to keep up her grades and had a 3.9+ average and was able to transfer in. It’s been a great experience. I’m glad she went that route since it did work out for her. But it was a risk. There were two target GPAs provided for current UMD students wanting business at the time. The lower one (maybe a 3.5?) meant you would be considered but if you had a higher average (maybe a 3.8) it was guaranteed. Of course, that can be a lot of pressure freshman year.

I heard that CS and engineering are a lower GPA threshold and once you take the gateway classes you are in. But CS and engineering are grueling and even with the lower GPA required, many many bright kids might not achieve it due to the gateway classes being a struggle. The classes are meant to weed kids out and it’s not unusual to see posts in the parents group about the tremendous pressure the kids are under.

CS is changing this fall to be even more limited

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Online chatter suggests only Business sometimes rejects students who pass the course-grade requirements.

This is what I've heard as well. Don't go to MD for business unless you get in direct admit.

This is very true!

DD was not a direct admit to Smith but she worked hard to keep up her grades and had a 3.9+ average and was able to transfer in. It’s been a great experience. I’m glad she went that route since it did work out for her. But it was a risk. There were two target GPAs provided for current UMD students wanting business at the time. The lower one (maybe a 3.5?) meant you would be considered but if you had a higher average (maybe a 3.8) it was guaranteed. Of course, that can be a lot of pressure freshman year.

I heard that CS and engineering are a lower GPA threshold and once you take the gateway classes you are in. But CS and engineering are grueling and even with the lower GPA required, many many bright kids might not achieve it due to the gateway classes being a struggle. The classes are meant to weed kids out and it’s not unusual to see posts in the parents group about the tremendous pressure the kids are under.

CS is changing this fall to be even more limited

Yep. Unless directly admitted, the letters and Sciences kids will have a more difficult time transferring. See "current students" section.
https://lep.umd.edu/computerscience-after2024.html

[Anonymous]

Does it mean if you are directly admitted into CS, you can just take it easy with a 2.0 GPA and graduate with a CS degree from UMD?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does it mean if you are directly admitted into CS, you can just take it easy with a 2.0 GPA and graduate with a CS degree from UMD?

It would appear so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does it mean if you are directly admitted into CS, you can just take it easy with a 2.0 GPA and graduate with a CS degree from UMD?

https://undergrad.cs.umd.edu/degree-requirements-cs-major

Cruise on through that degree with a GPA 2.0

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does it mean if you are directly admitted into CS, you can just take it easy with a 2.0 GPA and graduate with a CS degree from UMD?

It would appear so.

If that’s the case, it has not changed in almost 40 years. UMD did the same thing in the 80’s when I went there for Electrical Engineering. I graduated with a 2.5 GPA and worked for NASA.

[Anonymous]

UMd is changing the CS transfer procedures for fall 2024 students. Only 100 transfers will be allowed a year. And only 600 admitted for the major.

https://undergrad.cs.umd.edu/first-year-applicants

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does it mean if you are directly admitted into CS, you can just take it easy with a 2.0 GPA and graduate with a CS degree from UMD?

https://undergrad.cs.umd.edu/degree-requirements-cs-major

Cruise on through that degree with a GPA 2.0

There is a review process at 45 credits. For the biological sciences LEP, which DD is in, there is a requirement for GPA within gateway classes up to that point which is higher than the overall GPA requirement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does it mean if you are directly admitted into CS, you can just take it easy with a 2.0 GPA and graduate with a CS degree from UMD?

https://undergrad.cs.umd.edu/degree-requirements-cs-major

Cruise on through that degree with a GPA 2.0

There is a review process at 45 credits. For the biological sciences LEP, which DD is in, there is a requirement for GPA within gateway classes up to that point which is higher than the overall GPA requirement.

Source? According the link posted above, you just need a C- to continue for CS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does it mean if you are directly admitted into CS, you can just take it easy with a 2.0 GPA and graduate with a CS degree from UMD?

https://undergrad.cs.umd.edu/degree-requirements-cs-major

Cruise on through that degree with a GPA 2.0

There is a review process at 45 credits. For the biological sciences LEP, which DD is in, there is a requirement for GPA within gateway classes up to that point which is higher than the overall GPA requirement.

Source? According the link posted above, you just need a C- to continue for CS

Beginning next year "Current Students", those who were not direct admits, must maintain a B- to considered for admission to CS major. Those directly admitted ("Freshman Students") must maintain a C-.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does it mean if you are directly admitted into CS, you can just take it easy with a 2.0 GPA and graduate with a CS degree from UMD?

https://undergrad.cs.umd.edu/degree-requirements-cs-major

Cruise on through that degree with a GPA 2.0

There is a review process at 45 credits. For the biological sciences LEP, which DD is in, there is a requirement for GPA within gateway classes up to that point which is higher than the overall GPA requirement.

Source? According the link posted above, you just need a C- to continue for CS

Beginning next year "Current Students", those who were not direct admits, must maintain a B- to considered for admission to CS major. Those directly admitted ("Freshman Students") must maintain a C-.

In reality, if a "current student" who is not directly admitted into CS does not have at least a 3.7+ GPA, he/she will NOT be admitted into CS.  There are very limited spaces in CS for them.  "To be considered" is not the same as "admitted".  UMD Engineering department did the same thing back in the early 90's.  

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does it mean if you are directly admitted into CS, you can just take it easy with a 2.0 GPA and graduate with a CS degree from UMD?

https://undergrad.cs.umd.edu/degree-requirements-cs-major

Cruise on through that degree with a GPA 2.0

There is a review process at 45 credits. For the biological sciences LEP, which DD is in, there is a requirement for GPA within gateway classes up to that point which is higher than the overall GPA requirement.

Source? According the link posted above, you just need a C- to continue for CS

Beginning next year "Current Students", those who were not direct admits, must maintain a B- to considered for admission to CS major. Those directly admitted ("Freshman Students") must maintain a C-.

In reality, if a "current student" who is not directly admitted into CS does not have at least a 3.7+ GPA, he/she will NOT be admitted into CS.  There are very limited spaces in CS for them.  "To be considered" is not the same as "admitted".  UMD Engineering department did the same thing back in the early 90's.  

PP. Agree 100%

[Anonymous]

Bump.

How difficult was it to get into CS at UMD in 2026.

Those of you from MCPS, which school did your kid go to and what are the courses they took?

Anyone who did not get into a magnet or IB and who did not go to a W school?

[Anonymous]

You probably want to open another thread. But it should be easier to get to CS from non magnet or non W schools.

CS is difficult and yes people say major doesnt matter but I feel for CS the change of transferring later is so small so most people probably won't take it if they only got into arts and science. UMD probably knows this as well.

Anonymous wrote:Bump.

How difficult was it to get into CS at UMD in 2026.

Those of you from MCPS, which school did your kid go to and what are the courses they took?

Anyone who did not get into a magnet or IB and who did not go to a W school?

[Anonymous]

Easier to get into from non-magnet school and non-W school.