How to Apply to Computer Science at Virginia Commonwealth University: The BS with Three Concentrations and the BA in the College of Engineering, Applying Directly to Engineering with an Undeclared Fallback, and Requirements and Timeline for Chinese (Gaokao), Canadian High School and Transfer Students

At Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), undergraduate computer science is offered by the Department of Computer Science in the College of Engineering, as a Bachelor of Science (BS) and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Computer Science. Here is what you need to know, based on VCU’s website and the 2026-2027 Bulletin, for students at high schools in China (including A-level, IB and AP students), students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver students), and transfer students.

1. Degrees and curriculum

• BS: general, or with a concentration in cybersecurity, data science or software engineering. The department lists areas including artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity, data science, machine learning, natural language processing, software engineering and virtual reality.
• BA: for students combining computing with another discipline; it can be paired with most VCU undergraduate programs as a dual degree.
• Accelerated BS/MS: qualified seniors take approved graduate courses and can earn both degrees in a minimum of five years.
• BS curriculum (preliminary 2026-2027 Bulletin): at least 120 credits, with a C or better in all computer science courses to graduate.
  • The major core includes computing and data ethics, introduction to problem-solving, object-oriented programming, data structures, discrete structures, theory of computation, programming languages, computer organization, software engineering fundamentals, computer systems, algorithm analysis with advanced data structures, operating systems, databases, data communication and networking, and a two-semester senior design sequence;
  • 9 credits of upper-level CMSC electives, such as quantum computing, computer and network security, cryptography, data science, artificial intelligence, natural language processing and machine learning;
  • math and other requirements: Calculus I and II (MATH 200, 201), a statistics course, one 300–400 level MATH course, an economics course, a lab course in biology, chemistry or physics, 6 credits of humanities and 30 credits of general education.
  Depending on the Computer Science Placement Test, some students must take CMSC 254 (Introduction to Problem-solving), which counts toward the degree.
• Progress rules: after 36 credits at VCU, a major GPA below 2.0 leads to in-college probation, and the student must then keep a semester major GPA of 2.0 or be dismissed from the program. A required major course may be attempted at most three times, and three D or F grades in one course lead to immediate dismissal (one grade may be appealed).
• Size: the department reports 886 undergraduates (fall 2024) and 183 degrees awarded in 2023-24; 78% are employed or in graduate school within six months.

2. Getting into the major

• Choose a program when applying: VCU asks applicants to apply to only one undergraduate degree program.
• Engineering review: admissions says competitive first-year applicants to the College of Engineering should aim for at least a B average. Those not accepted directly are automatically considered for the undeclared major in the College of Humanities and Sciences.
• Preferred high school courses: four units of college-prep mathematics including at least one beyond Algebra II (calculus desirable but not required); at least three units of lab science including chemistry, physics and biology; four of English; three of history or social science. Advanced science, math and computer science courses help as long as grades stay at B or better.
• Admitted profile (fall 2025 engineering): weighted GPA 25th percentile 3.68, median 4.00, 75th percentile 4.30, average 3.98; SAT 1220, 1340 and 1440, average 1317 (ACT 25, 29, 32 and 28).
• Guaranteed University Admission: first-year applicants with a high school GPA of 3.5 or higher (weighted where shown) qualify, and the deadlines page describes it as guaranteed admission “to most programs”. Whether it includes direct admission to computer science in the College of Engineering is not stated on the pages read; confirm with the college.
• Changing into computer science after enrolling: the conditions are not published; contact askengineering@vcu.edu.

3. Dates and materials

• Fall 2027: 1 November 2026 is the first-year scholarship deadline for university-level scholarships; 15 January 2027 is the first-year regular deadline, with a decision guaranteed by 1 April for complete applications.
• Spring 2027: 1 November 2026.
• Application: international first-year applicants use the Common App and transfers use VCU’s portal; the fee is $75.
• Tests: optional, including for scholarships, except for Honors College guaranteed admission programs.
• Documents: original or officially certified copies of all secondary records, diplomas and national exam results, with official English translations; notarized copies are not accepted. A passport or visa copy is also required.

4. English proficiency

• Minimum scores: TOEFL 4.0 (on or after 21 January 2026) or 70 (earlier); IELTS 6.0; PTE 53; SAT Reading and Writing 500; ACT English 16; Duolingo 105; Gaokao English 125 out of 150; CET-6 500. Scores are valid for two years.
• Waivers: completing high school in a listed country such as Canada (except Quebec), the UK, Australia or Singapore; IB English A Language and Literature grade 5 or higher; graduating from an American high school abroad or an IB or A-level school with a C or better in English; or six semester hours of college English composition with a C or better.

5. Students at high schools in China

• Schooling: secondary school graduation, typically at least 12 years, with mathematics, natural science, history or social science, and English or a foreign language by the final year.
• English: a Gaokao English score of 125 meets the requirement; TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo or CET-6 are also accepted.
• Gaokao total: VCU does not say how the overall Gaokao score is used.
• Computer science applicants should plan math and science courses along the engineering recommendations in section 2.

6. Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver)

• English: completing high school in Canada (except Quebec) waives the English requirement.
• Admission: no BC score requirements are published; you are reviewed as an international first-year applicant, and the engineering B-average guidance applies.
• Scholarships: out-of-state and international students can receive out-of-state scholarships (section 8).

7. Transfer students

• Deadline: 15 March 2027 for fall 2027, with a decision guaranteed by 1 May for complete applications; transfers are not eligible for Guaranteed University Admission.
• Engineering requirements: college credit in mathematics to Calculus I (VCU MATH 200) or higher; at least one lab science, which for computer science can be chemistry (CHEM 101 with lab), physics (PHYS 207) or biology (BIO 151); and a GPA of 2.7 or higher on all college work, with emphasis on math and science.
• Two GPA statements: the same page first gives 2.7 as a requirement, then says most successful transfer applicants have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above and that these GPAs are rough guidelines. Both are given here.
• International transfers: with more than a year of full-time study in the US, only US records are used; for courses from outside the US, a course-by-course evaluation by an external evaluator is required before arrival.

8. Costs and scholarships

• 2026-27 non-Virginia undergraduates: tuition and fees $41,127, room $9,259 and dining $6,630, for a total of $57,016 (based on 15 credits per semester); new first-year students add a $250 transition fee in their first semester. Some majors have extra fees; whether computer science does is not stated on the pages read.
• Out-of-state scholarships (international students included): for full-time first-year fall entrants, a high school GPA of 3.00 earns $10,000 a year, 3.25 $11,000, 3.50 $12,000, 3.75 $14,000 and 4.00 $15,000, renewable for three more years with no separate application.
• International first-year applicants who apply by 1 November are also considered for university-level first-year scholarships.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Apply through the Common App by 1 November (for scholarship consideration) and no later than 15 January 2027; the fee is $75; testing is optional
• Choose computer science as your one program; aim for at least a B average, math beyond Algebra II, and chemistry, physics and biology
• English: Gaokao English 125, or TOEFL 4.0 (new scale), IELTS 6.0 or Duolingo 105

Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver):

• High school completed in Canada (except Quebec) waives English testing; a 3.0 GPA qualifies for out-of-state scholarships from $10,000 a year

Transfer students:

• Apply by 15 March 2027 with Calculus I and one lab science; GPA 2.7 (the page also says most admits have 2.5 or above)

Sources: Virginia Commonwealth University, Department of Computer Science; Undergraduate degrees; 2026-2027 Bulletin: BS in Computer Science; College of Engineering undergraduate information; Engineering first-year review; Engineering transfer review; International undergraduate applicants; First-year requirements; Guaranteed University Admission; Deadlines; Tuition and fees; Out-of-state scholarships. The Bulletin is the preliminary 2026-2027 edition. Check VCU’s website for the latest.