Prospective Students

I often receive inquiries from prospective students. If I do not reply, this does not mean that I have not read your e-mail (I most probably have). Unfortunately, there are just too many to respond to each one in detail. Here are answers to some common questions (that I will keep updating):

  • Q: Will you be accepting new students for the year 20XX?

    A: Yes. I am always looking for highly-motivated PhD students, especially students interested in the area of Deep Learning. For an overview of my research area, see my publications page as well as my recent Deep Learning Tutorial at KDD 2014: [Video], [ Slides].

  • Q: I want to join your group. What should I do?

    Prospective students must first be admitted to the graduate program in the Machine Learning Department (MLD). The deadline is around November each year, and all of the information is available online. I can also supervise students in LTI, CSD, and RI.

  • Q: What about working in your group or with you?

    A: If you are specifically interested in machine learning, please indicate this on your application. If you want to work with me, be sure to indicate this in your statement of interest included with your official application.

  • Q: Which department I should apply to, Machine Learning, Computer Science, Language Technologies Institute, or the Robotics Institute?

    A: It really depends on your background and what you want to do. You can also apply to multiple departments if you wish. At CMU, I can supervise students in all of the above departments, but almost all of my incoming PhD students have a strong background in Math/CS and have very strong coding skills.

  • Q: What is involved in applying?

    A: You have to fill out some forms (which are available online) and send them to the appropriate department. Note that each department makes its own decision about accepting students. There is also a nominal fee for applying. We try to inform you in early February of our decision. Note that the Machine Learning Department usually accept a very small percentage of the best applicants, but the exact numbers vary from year to year.

  • Q: What are the admissions criteria?

    A: Admissions decisions will be based primarily on your past academic performance (including marks and standardized tests like the GRE), your reference letters which we look at very carefully, and, more importantly, any research, publications, or job experience you might have.
    Having a good idea of the sort of research in which you are interested helps us send your file to the relevant faculty. Many students do not know exactly what they want to work on -- you shouldn't make up a research interest that you aren't sure of. You should be advised that even if you meet the minimum admission standards of the University, spots in our School of Computer Science (SCS) are very limited, and so nothing can be guaranteed.

  • Q: Can you provide funding (i.e., a research assistantship) for my studies?

    A: All students admitted to CMU are guaranteed funding for the normal time of completion in their degree program. This money comes from various sources including student scholarships, central university funds for student support, and research grants from faculty members.

  • Q: It's now spring/summer, and I'm really, really interested in your research area. Can't you accept me right away for September?

    A: No. We stick to the timeline of applications as indicated on the department web site.

    Good luck in your pursuit of graduate studies!