Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

We offer a Spring intake (January start date) for both our MSc Thesis and PhD programs. 

New students are not admitted to the Summer semester (May start date), but deferrals or early starts in the Summer semester are possible when approved by the Graduate Program Chair.

Please note that we do not offer a Spring intake for the Professional Master’s Program.

Currently, we do not offer graduate degrees on a part-time basis.

Please see here for information about financial support offered by the Computing Science department upon admission.

Please see here for information about graduate program tuition fees, which is the same for domestic and international students.

The typical tenure of a PhD student in our department is 12 to 15 semesters. The expected time to finish the MSc program is 5 to 6 semesters (within two years). 

Students admitted without a MSc degree will have 5 years to complete the PhD program, and students admitted with a MSc degree with have 4 years to complete the PhD program. 

Thesis based MSc students must complete a breadth requirement consisting of 5 graduate courses.

Yes, we encourage students from other disciplines to apply. However, once you are accepted into our program you may be required to take extra courses to strengthen your background in computer science to better prepare you for our graduate program. To learn more about conditional or qualifying admission, please see the Admission Requirements page of the Graduate Studies website. 

We are intentionally vague about "related fields" as we want to have an open mind when evaluating eligible applicants.  We would consider fields such as computer engineering, engineering science, computational mathematics, applied computing, applied mathematics, computer information systems, etc., to be more closely related to computer science than fields such as electrical engineering, civil engineering, or business administration.  However, we still consider all applications on their merit, and when reviewing applications we typically look at the undergraduate and/or graduate courses taken under your qualifying degree(s). That being said, the more overlap there is between the courses you have already taken and the courses offered by Computing Science, the better chance you have of being considered a qualified applicant.  Please use your best judgement based on the above, to determine if your past education demonstrates your ability to be considered a qualified applicant.

Industry experience in software companies is a factor when being considered for admission. For PhD and MSc thesis students however, we do place more emphasis on the applicant's research potential, e.g., publications, participation in research projects, academic awards, etc. There is no single criterion that determines the outcome of the committee's decision; all factors will be considered.

No, they are not. 

If you do not meet the language requirements and have not yet taken the test, we recommend testing. It is possible for applicants to be considered for conditional admission, pending submission of passing English language test scores prior to enrolling at SFU.

Please visit the Admission Requirements page of the Graduate Studies website for English language requirements. 

When you apply via our online system, you must upload a digital copy of your unofficial transcript. You must submit an official transcript for each post-secondary institution once you receive an offer of admission. For information on how to send your official transcript, please see the Admission Requirements page of the Graduate Studies website. 

Yes. The main point is that your references come from a credible source. Although we would prefer at least one academic reference, references from well known companies or any source that sheds light on your technical and personal skills are encouraged.

Please refer to the admissions page for exact dates and deadlines.

We have two intakes per year, one in Fall (September start date) and one in Spring (January start date). For the Fall intake, applications are generally accepted between October and January. For the Spring intake, applications are generally accepted between May and August. 

Admission offers are sent out on a rolling basis, therefore, it may take a few months for you to receive a decision.

All Fall applicants should receive a decision by May at the latest. All Spring applicants should receive a decision by the end of October at the latest.

You do not need a confirmed supervisor to submit an application, but in order to receive admission a faculty member must be available to act as your supervisor. You do not have to contact faculty to get a commitment but it can be advantageous to communicate with faculty prior to applying to the School of Computing Science. 

You can review our research faculty to potentially contact here.

You can review all current faculty in the School of Computing Science here.  

It can take a minimum of 3-4 weeks for your results to update on your application portal. If you have waited longer than 4 weeks and still do not see your results updated, please submit a ticket to Graduate Studies with the following information: 

- Your GA or student number

- The date on which you released your results to SFU

- Your unofficial test results with your name and test information clearly visible

- Your application deadline for your program of application

For more information, please visit the Graduate Studies Admission Requirements page. 

Please do not email or contact the School of Computing Science for this issue, as we are not the department that receives your scores. It is important to note that some delays may be due to heavy processing times.

To check the status of your application, login to your goGRAD Student Portal and look under "Status Update".

Admission to our programs is very competitive. Therefore, incomplete applications are usually not reviewed for admission.