How to Apply to Computer Science at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss): School of Engineering Admission Requirements (ACT Math 24, 3.0 GPA), the B.S.C.S. Emphases and the Liberal Arts B.A., International Scholarships, with Requirements and Timeline for Chinese and Canadian High School Students and Transfer Students

At the University of Mississippi, known as Ole Miss, undergraduate computer science is offered by the Department of Computer and Information Science in the School of Engineering on the Oxford campus. Here is what you need to know, based on the university’s website, for students at high schools in China (including A-Level, IB and AP students), students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver), and transfer students.

Note: the Ole Miss online catalog blocked our access, and the department’s curriculum checksheets are hosted on a third-party file service, so neither was used. Course information below comes from the university’s program pages; check the current catalog for the full list of required courses.

1. Two computer science degrees

• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (B.S.C.S.): conferred by the School of Engineering and accredited by ABET’s Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC). The program page lists 127 required credit hours over four years on the Oxford campus. The department describes it as a technically intensive degree with a strong emphasis on mathematics, natural sciences and upper-level CS theory, suited to software engineering, systems development, research or graduate study.
• Emphases: B.S. students can follow the standard track or choose a computer security or data science emphasis.
• Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science (B.A.): conferred by the College of Liberal Arts and taught by the CS department. The program page lists 120 credit hours and requires a minor or a double major. The B.A. needs fewer math courses than the B.S. and has a broader general education.
• The department also offers a B.S. in Data Science, which this guide does not cover.

2. Getting into the major

• Engineering admission for freshmen: the School of Engineering says students can select an engineering major after being admitted to Ole Miss, as long as they meet the school’s requirements. Freshmen must meet both of these: an ACT Math score of 24 or higher (or SAT equivalent) and a high school GPA of at least 3.0. Freshmen who don’t meet them can qualify by applying for and completing the School of Engineering Summer Bridge program before their first fall.
• Math requirement for international students: students educated outside the US are admitted to the university without the ACT or SAT. However, international students who plan to study engineering, mathematics, chemistry or another discipline that requires Calculus I (Math 261) in the freshman year must meet one of these: Cambridge O Level Math (or equivalent) with a C or higher, or ACT Math 24 (or SAT equivalent); or 76 or higher on the ALEKS PPL placement assessment.
• Changing majors: current students need a cumulative GPA of 2.25 or higher on at least 12 hours plus one of the following: ACT Math 24 (or SAT equivalent), ALEKS PPL 76 or higher, or a B or higher in MATH 125 (or in both MATH 121 and 123) or a higher math course.
• The B.A.: the B.A. is conferred by the College of Liberal Arts. The engineering requirements above refer to the School of Engineering’s degree programs, and the website does not say whether they apply to the B.A.; confirm with the department (dept@cs.olemiss.edu).
• The university’s list of competitive programs that need an extra application (such as the Honors College and the Center for Manufacturing Excellence) does not include computer science.

3. Courses

• B.S.: the program page gives example courses including Computer Science I (CISE 1011), Social Responsibility in Computer Science (CSCI 3000) and Introduction to Database Systems (CSCI 3075); see the catalog for the full curriculum.
• B.A. (the program page follows the 2025-2026 catalog): 43 hours of computer science plus 12 hours outside CS. CS courses are Computer Science I, II and III, Computer Organization and Assembly Language, Social Responsibility in Computer Science, Introduction to Database Systems, Software Design and Development, Introduction to Operating Systems, Organization of Programming Languages, Algorithm and Data Structure Analysis, Senior Project, and 12 additional hours of CS at the 300 level or above. The courses outside CS are Calculus I, Discrete Mathematics, statistics (or economic statistics) and public speaking.
• First-year courses: all new students take a first-year experience course; engineering students take a specialized introductory course that introduces each engineering department and helps them choose a major.
• Engineering program fee: School of Engineering students pay a program fee each semester: USD 350 for freshmen (0–29 hours), USD 450 for sophomores (30–59 hours) and USD 750 for juniors and seniors.

4. How international freshmen apply

• Who counts as international: applicants without US citizenship are treated as international students for admission, including US permanent residents.
• Application: use the Online UM Application or the Common App. The application fee is USD 75 and cannot be waived for international students.
• Deadlines: admission is rolling, with decisions within a few weeks. The university recommends that international students apply before February 1 for fall and before October 1 for spring, to leave time for the visa process.
• Transcripts: at least six semesters of high school coursework, submitted through the application portal or the Common App. Transcripts are not evaluated before an application is submitted.
• SAT/ACT (by GPA on the US scale):
  • 3.0–4.0: admissible without an SAT or ACT score;
  • 2.5–2.99: SAT 880 or ACT 16 or higher required;
  • 2.0–2.49: SAT 960 or ACT 18 or higher required.
  Students who don’t need a score can still send one (code 1840); very high scores may bring extra scholarship funds or waive some math prerequisites.

5. English requirements

• Full admission: TOEFL iBT 79 for tests taken before January 21, 2026 (no subscore below 19) or 4.5 on the new scale (no section below 4); IELTS 6.0; Duolingo 110; PTE Academic 53; Cambridge B2 First, C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency at 169 or higher (no part below 162); GCSE/IGCSE/O Level English B (6); IB English A (HL or SL) 5 or higher, or English B at HL 5 or SL 6, among others. Scores must come directly from the testing agency and be less than two years old.
• Admission with English courses: applicants with TOEFL 69–78 (4 on the new scale), IELTS 5.5, Duolingo 100–109 or PTE 47–52 can be admitted but must take IE 090 and IE 091 in their first term and earn a C or higher in both. Lower scores lead to the Bridge pathway or the Intensive English Program, which needs a separate application.
• Exemptions: the exempt-country list on the English requirements page includes Canada (except Quebec), and the international application page says citizens of listed countries are exempt. Applicants who completed at least two years at, and graduated from, an accredited US high school are also exempt (and are reviewed under domestic standards).

6. Students at high schools in China

• Apply as an international freshman; the fee is USD 75, and with a GPA of 3.0 or higher on the US scale no SAT or ACT is required.
• Gaokao: the website does not say how Gaokao scores are used; this is not published, so confirm with international admissions (future@olemiss.edu). How Chinese high school grades are converted to a US 4.0 GPA is also not published.
• Calculus I requirement: B.S. students should prepare one of O Level Math at C, ACT Math 24 or ALEKS 76; whether Gaokao math can substitute is not published.
• IB students can use IB English results for the English requirement (see above). AP scores must be sent officially from the College Board; we did not find the AP or A-Level credit rules, so check the catalog.

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

• Canadian students without US citizenship apply as international students.
• English: Canada (except Quebec) is on the exempt-country list.
• Grade requirements for BC courses are not published. Whether BC math courses satisfy the Calculus I requirement should be confirmed with the School of Engineering (engineer@olemiss.edu).

8. Transfer students

• University transfer requirements (transfer page): an associate degree from a community or junior college, or at least 30 credit hours toward a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution with a 2.0 cumulative GPA. Applicants who don’t meet this must meet freshman requirements.
• Transferring from a university outside the US: apply through the UM application or the Common App (USD 75). With fewer than 30 credit hours, send both high school and university transcripts; with more than 30, send the university transcript.
• Entering the School of Engineering: students transferring from another domestic institution need a cumulative GPA of 2.25 or higher on at least 12 hours plus one of ACT Math 24, ALEKS 76 or a B in MATH 125 (the same as changing majors). The website does not say which rule applies to students transferring from institutions abroad.
• International transfer scholarships: international students transferring from universities in or outside the US may receive International Undergraduate Student Scholarships covering up to 100% of non-resident tuition fees. Twenty are available at a given time, awarded by highest GPA, and transfer students are considered automatically on admission.
• The dates on the transfer page are for fall 2026 (applications opened August 1, 2025); check the website for 2027 dates.

9. Costs and scholarships

• Cost of attendance (cost page, no academic year stated; full-time undergraduate in campus housing): out-of-state tuition USD 31,068 (USD 1,294.50 per credit hour, 12 hours per semester), plus capital improvements fee USD 100, student activity fee USD 60, housing USD 8,030, food USD 5,580, books USD 1,200, personal USD 3,500 and transportation USD 3,400, for a total of about USD 52,938. International students pay the out-of-state rate plus an International Student Fee of USD 100 per semester. The engineering program fee is extra (see above).
• International Academic Excellence Scholarships (automatic after admission, based on high school GPA on the US scale; applicants must meet English requirements; renewable for four years):
  • GPA 3.9–4.0: Mississippi Premier, USD 28,893 a year (about 93% of tuition), limited to 20 awardees per country per year, awarded in order of admission;
  • GPA 3.75–3.89: Mississippi Champion, USD 12,000 a year;
  • GPA 3.5–3.74: Mississippi Magnolia, USD 9,500 a year;
  • GPA 3.25–3.49: Mississippi Legacy, USD 5,000 a year.
• ACT and SAT scholarships (2026-2027 values): students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher and ACT 24 or SAT 1160 or higher are eligible, for USD 3,000 to 20,160 a year depending on GPA and score. They cannot be stacked with Academic Excellence Scholarships; the higher award applies.
• STEM Major Scholarship: the international scholarships page lists USD 8,000 in total (USD 2,000 a year toward the nonresident fee) for first-year students with a 3.5 high school GPA and SAT 1300 or ACT 28 in listed STEM majors, which include the B.S.C.S. and the B.A. in Computer Science.
• School of Engineering scholarships: USD 8,000 to 24,000; students must be admitted to the School of Engineering and complete the Freshman Scholarship Application by January 10.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• For fall, apply before February 1; submit the scholarship application by January 10
• Prepare TOEFL 79 (4.5 on the new scale), IELTS 6.0 or Duolingo 110
• For the B.S., prepare one of O Level Math at C, ACT Math 24 or ALEKS 76

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

• Apply as an international student; outside Quebec, no English score is needed; confirm the math requirement with the School of Engineering

Transfer students:

• 30 hours with a 2.0 GPA meets the university’s transfer requirement; engineering also requires a 2.25 GPA on 12 hours and a math condition

Sources: The University of Mississippi, Department of Computer and Information Science; CIS academic programs; Computer Science, B.S.; Computer Science, B.A.; Engineering undergraduate admissions; Engineering scholarships and program fee; Undergraduate application process; Applying as an international student; International new freshman admissions; English proficiency requirements; International student scholarships; Transfer students; Cost of attendance. The cost-of-attendance page does not state an academic year; check the University of Mississippi website and catalog for the latest information.