Graduate students are recruited twice a year, through the Spring and Fall admissions.

[Click here] to view the list and introductory materials of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering research laboratories.

Application Period

Application Timeline: Applications generally open around October (for Spring/Early Admission) and April (for Fall/Late Admission). Detailed schedules will be announced on the notice board.​

Eligibility & Requirements

Master’s Program:

Applicants who hold (or are expected to receive) a Bachelor’s degree and meet the official English proficiency requirements.

Combined Master’s & Ph.D. Program:

Applicants who hold (or are expected to receive) a Bachelor’s degree and meet the official English proficiency requirements.

Ph.D. Program:

Applicants who hold (or are expected to receive) a Master’s degree and meet the official English proficiency requirements.

The Combined Master’s & Ph.D. program integrates both degrees into a single course of study. If a student withdraws from the combined program prematurely, a Master’s degree may still be awarded provided they meet the standards stipulated by university regulations and bylaws.

Application Submission

Access the Seoul National University Office of Admissions website to submit the online admission application, personal statement, and study (research) plan.

Submit the following required documents to the Department of Computer Science and Engineering Administration Office either in person or via registered mail:

• Official academic transcripts from previously attended universities

• Official English proficiency test score report

• Oral Examination Subject Application Form (For Master’s and Combined applicants)

• Academic Advisor Application Form (For Ph.D. applicants)

Selection Process

Master’s and Combined Master’s & Ph.D. Programs

• Applicants are selected through a three-stage evaluation process: Document Review, Oral Examination, and In-depth Interview.
• Applicants must solve problems in two subjects of their choice, selected from the following four options: Foundations of Software, Foundations of Hardware, Mathematics for Computer Science, and Computer Systems.
• The exam scope for each subject is detailed below.
• The listed references are for guidance only; applicants are not strictly required to study these specific books but should focus on the topics covered within the scope.
• Questions are designed to test whether applicants understand the most critical core concepts, rather than focusing on overly specific or minor details.

• Subject	Scope	Reference Book
  ​Foundations of Software​	Chapter 2, 3, 6, 8-13	쉽게 배우는 자료구조 with 자바 / 문병로 / 한빛미디어 / 2022 (Data Structures and Algorithms with Java (Byung-Ro Moon / Hanbit Media / 2022)
  ​Foundations of Hardware​	Chapter 9-11	Foundations of Analog and Digital Electronic Circuits / Anant Agarwal, Jeffrey Lang / Morgan Kaufman / 2005
  	Chapter 10	Contemporary Logic Design / Katz / Prentice-Hall / 2012
  ​Mathematics for Computer Science​	Chapter 1-2, 5-7	Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications / Kenneth H. Rosen / McGraw-Hill / 2019
  	Chapter 7-8	Advanced Engineering Mathematics / Erwin Kreyszig / John Wiley & Sons / 2011
  ​Computer Systems​	Chapters 4-5	Computer Organization and Design: The Hardware Software Interface / David A. Patterson, John L. Hennessy / Morgan Kaufmann / 2020

• For some applicants who pass the document screening and oral examination, an in-depth oral interview may also be conducted.
• Applicants selected for the in-depth oral interview must thoroughly explore their chosen research laboratory during the designated period through individual meetings with professors and laboratory visits related to their field of study (meeting with at least one professor is mandatory).
• The in-depth oral interview will be conducted over one day after the laboratory exploration period. Applicants whose research laboratories are confirmed through this interview will be granted final admission.

Ph.D. Programs

• Selection is based on document screening, interviews, and oral examinations.

Announcement of Admission Results

Admission results are announced in December (for Spring/Early Admission) and June (for Fall/Late Admission) on the Seoul National University Office of Admissions website under: Admissions Information → Notices → Admission Results. Applicants can check their results by searching with their resident registration number.