MS Computer Engineering at CSUS: Fees Dates & Requirements

California State University, Sacramento MS Computer Engineering is a campus-based master’s in Sacramento, California, requiring at least 30 units. The full-time international route accepts relevant engineering or computing graduates for August 2027 entry; completion time depends on the approved study plan. Published 2027-28 tuition for an illustrative 18-unit year is US$18,024 (INR 17.03 Lakhs), excluding campus fees; the complete degree cost remains unconfirmed.

The programme combines computer architecture, digital design and systems software through joint teaching from Computer Science and Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Its thesis, project and examination routes suit different goals, but the balanced hardware and software requirements favour applicants with preparation across both fields. For software-only graduates, prerequisite gaps can change the workload and budget before advanced specialisation begins.

• The first-semester research methodology requirement introduces the technical writing needed for later graduate work.
• Advisor-approved breadth choices include networks and security, microelectronic design and systems software.
• Applicants can pursue independent investigation through a thesis or a defined engineering problem through a project.

Also Check: Sacramento State MS Computer Engineering Admission

Sac State MS Computer Engineering Fees and Living Costs 2027

2027-28 tuition has two components: a graduate semester charge and an additional nonresident charge for every enrolled unit. Sacramento State has not published its complete target-year campus fee schedule, so the figures below establish tuition inputs rather than a final degree invoice.

August 2027 entry: systemwide graduate rates apply to this non-business master’s, while the application fee comes from the international graduate application instructions.

All INR conversions in the article use a conversion rate of US$1 = INR 94.4769 as of 05 November 2026. Rates fluctuate daily, verify before applying.

Source: California State University 2027-28 systemwide tuition schedule and Sacramento State international graduate application instructions.

The 18-unit calculation adds the two-semester graduate charge to 18 nonresident unit charges; it does not price the remaining degree units. Verify the target fee on the official fee page. A Fall 2027 deposit, payment calendar and complete programme total were not published on the checked programme and fee surfaces.

Cost of Living in Sacramento for Computer Engineering Students

2026-27 prior-cycle reference: Sacramento State’s off-campus student budget covers nine months, with living expenses, books, transport and personal costs listed separately. Monthly figures below divide those published allowances by nine; the annualised row extends that monthly rate to twelve months.

The combined living allowance is not an individual apartment quotation or a visa funding requirement. Because the university does not split that allowance into groceries, utilities and rent, those components should not be reconstructed. Obtain a housing quotation before replacing the published allowance with a lower personal budget.

A 2026-27 prior-cycle planning illustration for 30 units across four semesters assumes every semester exceeds six units, with no prerequisite additions. Registration totals US$36,862 (INR 34.83 Lakhs), calculated as four times US$5,683 (INR 5.37 Lakhs) plus 30 times US$471 (INR 44,499). Each semester combines US$4,274 (INR 4.04 Lakhs) base tuition with US$1,409 (INR 1.33 Lakhs) campus fees.

Adding 24 months of annualised living allowances gives a calculated prior-cycle attendance subtotal of US$120,190 (INR 1.14 Crore). Its arithmetic is registration plus US$83,328 (INR 78.73 Lakhs) for living, materials, transport and personal expenses; insurance, flights and immigration charges remain additional. Two years is this illustration’s assumption, while the university specifies units rather than a fixed completion duration.

Read More: USA Student Living Cost Planning

Key insight: The published nonresident unit charge makes prerequisite additions financially significant; request a transcript-based deficiency assessment before treating the 30-unit minimum as your payable workload.

Sac State MS Computer Engineering Admission 2027

Fall 2027 is the next accessible intake for this face-to-face programme; the published Spring 2027 application deadline has passed. The target-cycle listing requires the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and relevant undergraduate preparation, without publishing an admitted-class score profile or course-specific acceptance rate.

Academic entry requirements: the Fall 2027 listing confirms the grade threshold, while the current catalogue explains subject preparation and conditional admission.

The Indian percentage range is approximate, because Sacramento State does not publish an India-specific conversion for this programme’s threshold. International Admissions makes the official degree-equivalency decision; applicants with three-year foreign degrees are directed toward an external credential evaluation. World Education Services (WES) is accepted, but the compulsory evaluation rule for Computer Science should not be transferred to Computer Engineering.

Conditional admission can address specified deficiencies, but those deficiencies must be removed before full classification. Prepare a subject-by-subject mapping of your Indian transcript to the hardware, software and mathematics requirements, then ask which missing courses would be additional. The catalogue also requires the stated academic standard across prerequisite subjects, so relevant course grades matter alongside the overall entry calculation.

English Language Proficiency Requirements

The Fall 2027 international admissions page publishes the following English Language Proficiency (ELP) routes. One accepted test satisfies this part of the application; the linked country-waiver list does not include India.

The TOEFL abbreviation IBT means internet-based test; the university’s two dated rules distinguish its published scales. The international application page also accepts the Duolingo English Test at 115, but publishes no component minima in this table. Do not convert an older TOEFL result yourself or infer an IELTS band requirement that the page does not state.

• Indian school-English marks alone are not a published waiver route on the checked international graduate requirements page.
• Schedule GRE and English testing early enough to obtain final results before your confirmed document-submission deadline.
• Use the dated TOEFL rules above when choosing which result to submit, and release the official score through the testing portal.

Tip for Indian students: A computing degree meets the subject category but does not establish electronics preparation; send module descriptions with your transcript when requesting a prerequisite review.

Sac State MS Computer Engineering Application 2027

Submit by 15 February 2027 for priority consideration, rather than treating the final deadline as an equivalent stage. The programme states that applications arriving after priority consideration are reviewed on a space-available basis, making early completeness a practical selection decision.

Fall 2027 application stages: the international graduate instructions direct applicants to the programme’s deadlines, which are listed below.

No programme-specific cutoff hour or timezone is published, so a reliable Indian Standard Time conversion cannot be supplied. Obtain the portal’s controlling cutoff before scheduling submission from India. Target-cycle decision dates and an interview timetable are also unpublished, so neither stage should be treated as a promised offer date.

The application goes through Cal State Apply’s international route, followed by document submission to International Admissions. The programme’s 2027 listing marks supplemental materials as “No”, while the international office requires academic records, relevant test scores, identification and financial documentation. Use the following sequence to avoid confusing programme supplements with university requirements.

• Prepare transcripts and grading scales from every post-secondary institution, with degree certificates when awarded and certified English translations when necessary.
• Arrange the required GRE and English results, then pay the application fee when submitting the international application.
• Submit the passport biographical page, financial affidavit and supporting financial evidence through the international admissions process.
• Activate your Sacramento State account after receiving your student identification number so that scholarship access can be completed before its separate closing date.

Financial documentation affects admission-to-visa timing: the international office recommends submitting it with the application to avoid delays in issuing the eligibility document. Its current instructions accept bank statements issued within six months and exclude stocks and bonds as proof. Request the current programme funding requirement instead of using the illustrative attendance budget as an official bank-balance threshold.

Application tip: The 15 February priority stage precedes the 2 March scholarship closing date; complete admission filing and account activation early enough to access both processes.

Sac State MS Computer Engineering Scholarships 2027

Three published 2027-28 awards accept graduate engineering applicants, but none establishes an automatic discount for this master’s. The scholarship portal closes on 2 March 2027; new applicants need a Sacramento State student number and an activated account before completing its General Application.

2027-28 award shortlist: these opportunities use the General Application for automatic consideration, with awards finalised during summer for the following academic year.

The Engineering General Scholarship expressly permits conditional awards to applicants seeking admission to an approved engineering major, with distribution after enrolment. That makes its access wording useful for incoming students, although its six-unit scholarship threshold does not set the immigration enrolment requirement. Use the university’s official equivalency assessment for incoming grades rather than treating the approximate Indian ranges as award guarantees.

• Complete the General Application before searching for additional opportunities, because the portal requires that sequence.
• Provide the financial-need information requested for the Curien award and the hardship or merit evidence relevant to the college scholarship.
• Keep the published Curien amount separate from the two variable awards when preparing a funding request.

The International Student Fee Waiver Program is a separate possibility for current, full-time international degree students with academic excellence and financial need. Its live page still labels the 2025-26 application cycle closed, so it does not prove a Fall 2027 award opening or value. The published process requires Sacramento State faculty references, making it unsuitable as assumed funding for an incoming applicant’s first invoice.

Funding action: use the official engineering scholarship portal to complete the current application and inspect each award’s conditions. Because award decisions are finalised during summer, the March deadline starts a funding process rather than supplying money when the admission application is filed.

Scholarship reality: The only fixed amount in this shortlist is a partial contribution, while two awards have variable values; keep the unfunded balance covered until written awards arrive.

Sac State MS Computer Engineering Salary 2027

No verified course-cohort employment report was found for this master’s, including graduate salary, offer rate, employer destinations or sector shares. The salary evidence below is an external US labour-market benchmark, while the university’s verified evidence concerns curriculum and career support. Those sources answer different questions and cannot establish an individual graduate’s earnings.

External market evidence: the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the following May 2025 median annual wages for computer hardware engineers across experience levels.

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Computer Hardware Engineers Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025 wage data; external market evidence.

These are occupation medians, not starting offers, and the higher research-sector figure does not show that Sacramento State graduates enter that sector. The curriculum’s digital design and computer architecture options provide relevant technical preparation, but applicants still need employer-specific evidence of design and testing ability. Select a target role before choosing breadth courses or a culminating topic.

Take-home pay depends on tax residency, location and deductions, so gross market wages should not become a loan-repayment assumption. Review the federal tax estimator eligibility rules before calculating take-home pay; the estimator excludes people with nonresident tax status.

Choosing the Engineering Evidence You Graduate With

The 2026-27 catalogue’s three completion routes differ in the substantial work a graduate can show beyond taught courses. The catalogue explicitly cautions that the examination route does not provide the same project or thesis problem-solving and technical-writing experience.

• Plan A uses a five-unit thesis, offering an extended research document for applicants considering doctoral study or research-oriented engineering.
• Plan B uses a two-unit project alongside additional coursework, allowing applicants to build evidence around a defined engineering problem.
• Plan C uses a comprehensive examination, so applicants choosing it should discuss alternative project evidence with their elective advisor.

School-level career provision includes engineering career fairs, Handshake listings, interview preparation and salary-negotiation advice. These services support the job search but do not supply a course placement probability. Ask the engineering career office which events and roles align with your approved architecture, security or systems-software pathway.

Return on Investment for Indian Applicants

Return on investment (ROI) remains a qualitative decision, because a complete 2027-entry degree budget and course-cohort earnings are unconfirmed. The prior-cycle two-year illustration reaches US$120,190 (INR 1.14 Crore) before insurance, travel and immigration charges, so scholarship timing and programme preparation materially affect financing.

• The 30-unit minimum excludes possible prerequisite additions, so request a deficiency assessment before fixing the loan amount for your approved study plan.
• The potential 36-month eligible post-study work window creates time to seek relevant employment, but requires immigration eligibility; finance the degree without assuming immediate earnings.
• The 2 March 2027 scholarship deadline precedes summer award decisions, so retain funding for the unawarded balance until written scholarship confirmation arrives.
• The five-unit thesis offers research evidence for doctoral applications, while India-return applicants should match its topic to named target roles rather than importing US wage benchmarks.

Check Out: MS Computer Engineering Study Options in USA

ROI reality: The thesis and project routes can produce demonstrable engineering work, but the absence of course-cohort earnings prevents a defensible salary-based repayment forecast.

USA Visa for Sac State MS Computer Engineering Students 2027

Graduates of this campus-based master’s may seek OPT (Optional Practical Training) under F-1 student status. This authorisation permits up to 12 months of degree-related employment following approval. Budget the student visa application fee of US$185 (INR 17,478) and student information-system registration fee of US$350 (INR 33,067) separately from university charges.

• The programme’s science and engineering designation can support an additional 24-month extension for eligible graduates who meet employer and training requirements.
• Employer-sponsored H-1B specialty-occupation work requires the applicable actual or prevailing wage, whichever is higher, rather than one universal national salary threshold.
• This master’s provides no automatic permanent-residence entitlement or fixed settlement timeline, so a US employment plan must include sponsorship eligibility.
• F-2 spouses and eligible children may accompany the student with their own eligibility documents, but F-2 dependants cannot work.

Read More: USA Student Visa Application Requirements

Visa reality: Sacramento State lists Computer Engineering as an eligible science and engineering programme, but the additional work period depends on meeting extension rules and employer requirements.

Sac State MS Computer Engineering Ranking 2027

Computer Engineering is ranked No. 11 in the 2027 US News undergraduate engineering specialty rankings reported by Sacramento State. The scope is undergraduate programmes at institutions without an engineering doctorate, so this position is not an MS Computer Engineering ranking.

The published ranking uses peer assessments of academic quality, which provide discipline-level reputation context rather than master’s employment evidence. For this MS decision, the more specific evidence is the joint-department curriculum and the choice between a five-unit thesis, two-unit project or examination. Confirm the advisor and completion route that support your intended engineering work before using the undergraduate position to justify the expense.

Honest take: The undergraduate Computer Engineering position adds subject context, but the master’s curriculum and advisor fit provide more direct evidence for choosing your graduate pathway.