Master’s Acceptance Rates: If you’re nearing the completion of your undergraduate studies, you may have considered pursuing a master’s program. For those in Korea, especially if military service isn’t a concern, studying for a master’s in the U.S. might be an attractive option. Some may feel uncertain about committing to a PhD but see a master’s program as a good middle ground. In this post, I’ll explore the acceptance rates and enrollment statistics for master’s programs at several top U.S. universities that provide available data.
If you are interested, I have a post with extensive tips and information on writing SOP for graduate schools.
Table of Contents
Understanding the Metrics in U.S. Master’s Program Statistics
Before diving into the statistics of specific universities, let’s first clarify the key metrics often used in admissions data:
- Application / Applied: The total number of applicants to a given program.
- Accepted / Admitted: The number of applicants who were offered admission to the program.
- Enrolled / Matriculated: The number of admitted students who ultimately chose to enroll in the program.
- Selectivity / Acceptance Rate / Admission Rate: The percentage of applicants who were accepted into the program.
- Yield: The percentage of admitted students who chose to enroll at the institution.
Selectivity vs. Yield
Two metrics that can sometimes cause confusion are Selectivity and Yield. While I delve deeper into this topic in a separate post about Ph.D. programs, here’s a brief explanation: Selectivity, or Acceptance Rate, represents the proportion of applicants who were offered admission. Yield, on the other hand, shows how many of those admitted actually decided to attend the school. Many students receive multiple offers, which is why the yield rate is an important consideration for universities.
Available Statistics on Acceptance Rates
Not all schools provide detailed statistics about applicants, and when it comes to master’s programs, data is even scarcer. This may be a reflection of U.S. universities’ tendency to place more emphasis on PhD programs. Master’s program statistics are often only available for large faculties, such as engineering schools. Unlike the detailed breakdown I provided for PhD programs, in this post, I’ll focus on general statistics by institution.
Here are some universities for which you can check master’s program acceptance data through the provided links:
You can access the detailed statistics for each of these schools by visiting the respective links.
Master’s Program Admission Statistics by University
Now, let’s take a closer look at the acceptance rate statistics for specific departments at each university.
MIT – Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Fall 2023
At MIT, the statistics available cover the entire graduate school, meaning the data includes both master’s and PhD programs. However, since master’s programs generally have more students than PhD programs, these numbers can still provide useful insight.
- Total Applicants: 4,014
- Acceptance Rate: Approximately 5.7%
- Yield: Approximately 69.4%
- Final Enrolled Students: 159
In some cases, we were able to obtain more specific data about the master’s programs. One such example is the nationality breakdown of admitted students. In the MIT Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) program, the ratio of international to domestic students (including permanent residents) is around 15:85. This is a notably lower proportion of international students compared to the overall school’s average, indicating a higher focus on domestic students within this department.
Princeton University – Engineering Division Fall 2023
At Princeton University, an interesting observation is that the number of PhD admissions far exceeds that of master’s admissions, which is quite the opposite of what is typically seen at most institutions. This sets Princeton apart from many other universities.
Princeton publishes separate statistics for its master’s and PhD programs, though only at the school level, such as for the Engineering School, rather than by specific departments.
- Total Applicants: 1,353
- Acceptance Rate: Approximately 5.2%
- Yield: 70%
- Final Enrolled Students: 49
This data highlights Princeton’s strong focus on PhD programs, making it one of the few schools where master’s admissions are significantly smaller in scale.
University of Michigan – CSE / ECE Fall 2023
At the University of Michigan, applicant statistics are shared in relatively greater detail, with data available specifically for master’s programs in different departments. Two departments that stand out are Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) and Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). Although the names are similar, the trends seen in their popularity are quite distinct, as is often the case in the CS field. Michigan shows a similar pattern, where the CS program is more competitive, while the ECE program has a higher capacity, which is an important point to note.
Computer Science and Engineering (CSE)
- Total Applicants: 2,560
- Acceptance Rate: Approximately 10%
- Yield: Approximately 34%
- Final Enrolled Students: 89
Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE)
Michigan’s ECE program is larger than the CS program in terms of capacity, and it attracts fewer applicants, making the acceptance rate notably higher. If the competitiveness of the CS program seems daunting but you are still interested in the computer field, applying to the ECE program might be a strategic choice. In some schools, the research areas of CS and ECE can overlap significantly, and for master’s students, it is often possible to work in labs outside of your own department.
- Total Applicants: 1,203
- Acceptance Rate: Approximately 48%
- Yield: Approximately 33%
- Final Enrolled Students: 193
These statistics highlight the differing levels of competitiveness and size between the two departments at Michigan, and the data suggests that the ECE program could offer more opportunities for applicants interested in the broader field of computer engineering.
Cornell University – CS / ME Fall 2023
At Cornell University, much like the University of Michigan, master’s program statistics are provided separately for different departments. Here, I’ll share the data for Computer Science (CS) and Mechanical Engineering (ME). Notably, Cornell is renowned for its CS program, and despite its fame, the program has a very limited number of available seats, leading to a particularly low acceptance rate. Interestingly, like Princeton, the number of students in the master’s program is lower than in the PhD program, suggesting this could be a characteristic of Ivy League institutions.
Computer Science
- Total Applicants: 879
- Acceptance Rate: Approximately 2.6%
- Yield: Approximately 52.2%
- Final Enrolled Students: 12
Mechanical Engineering
- Total Applicants: 202
- Acceptance Rate: Approximately 34.7%
- Yield: 30%
- Final Enrolled Students: 21
The stark difference between the acceptance rates of the CS and ME programs at Cornell reflects the high demand for the CS program and the competitive nature of admission. In contrast, the ME program has a higher acceptance rate, suggesting it may offer more opportunities for applicants compared to the highly competitive CS department.
University of Colorado Boulder – CS / EE Fall 2023
At University of Colorado Boulder (commonly referred to as CU Boulder), it may not be as well-known in Korea or might be seen as just another state university, but in the U.S., it holds a solid reputation as a top-tier institution. In fact, CU Boulder consistently ranks in the top 20 for graduate programs in engineering.
Performing well in CU Boulder’s master’s program can make you competitive with graduates from higher-ranked schools. This ties into the fact that university rankings in the U.S. don’t always carry as much weight as one might expect. A top-performing graduate from a 20th-ranked school can often outshine an average graduate from a 10th-ranked institution.
Computer Science
The master’s program in Computer Science (CS) at CU Boulder has seen a steady rise in applicants, with a sharp increase in 2022. While the pandemic and job market challenges may have contributed to this trend, there’s a clear overall growth in interest in the field. However, despite the rising number of applicants, the number of students who ultimately enrolled has decreased compared to previous years.
- Total Applicants: 1,454
- Acceptance Rate: Approximately 25%
- Yield: Approximately 23%
- Final Enrolled Students: 85
Electrical Engineering
In Electrical Engineering (EE), the number of enrolled students is similar to that of CS, but the application trends are quite different. The notably higher acceptance rate compared to CS may be due to a decline in the number of applicants, though this is speculative.
- Total Applicants: 438
- Acceptance Rate: Approximately 76%
- Yield: Approximately 25%
- Final Enrolled Students: 82
These statistics highlight CU Boulder’s strong reputation in both CS and EE, with significant differences in applicant numbers and acceptance rates between the two fields.
Conclusion
In this post, we explored the trends in student admissions for U.S. master’s programs through various university statistics. While not all schools provide separate data for their master’s programs, we focused on those that do, highlighting universities with distinct characteristics. These insights could help you infer trends at other schools as well.
It’s worth noting that the distinction between master’s and PhD programs in the U.S. is even greater than in Korea, so when deciding on your academic path, it’s important to consider not just admissions statistics, but also your long-term career goals. I hope this post provides useful information for those preparing for study abroad, and I wish you all the best in your preparations!