• Access University Email
  • Please make sure you have access to your Columbia University-issued email address via Lionmail.
  • Learn how to activate your UNI. Once you have activated your UNI, please use CU email for university-related communication and do not use your personal email.
• Mice
  • Student record system shared by CS faculty, students and staff to help keep track of any approved waivers, substitutions, or exceptions towards your requirements.
  • Mice accounts are created by the end of July for Fall admits and by early January for Spring admits. If you don’t have a Mice account by the pre-arrival orientation, email CS Advising at ms-advising@cs.columbia.edu
  • Mice are also used for course import submission and TA/CA application submission.
  • Grades in Mice don’t matter (if applying for a TA position).

• SSOL
  • SSOL is the Columbia University system used for registration. 
  • You can also update your contact info, see any holds, view term bills, apply for graduation, etc.  
  • Registration ONLY happens via SSOL (CS Advising cannot register for you).
• OnBase
  • Columbia University system shared by Columbia Engineering to submit all Change of Status requests, which include advance standing, leave of absence, readmission, and more.

• CSMS Pre-arrival Virtual Orientation and In-person Reception 
  • Pre-arrival virtual orientation happens in mid-July(Fall admits) and early January(Spring admits).
  • Pre-arrival Orientation is designed to prepare you for course registration.
  • In person Reception is one week prior to the school start.
• Columbia Engineering Welcome Day 
  
  • Welcome Day is Columbia Engineering’s new graduate student orientation! It is an integral way to commence your graduate studies.
  • During Welcome Day, you’ll learn about important school and university resources, attend mandatory training, meet key school administrators, and most importantly, meet your new classmates!

Check your registration appointments in SSOL on the “Reg Appt” tab (please note registration appointments will get updated closer to registration dates). You are only able to enroll in courses during these specific windows.

• Registration appointments will be updated by mid-July (Fall admits) and by early January(Spring admits)
• CVN students will have different registration appointment dates (CVN students can ONLY register for CVN sections. Please follow CVN registration procedures)

Check if you have any holds on SSOL prior to registration. Students are responsible for clearing any registration holds that may be placed by various University offices. If you have a registration hold and have a question about it, please follow up with the office that placed the hold. CS Advising CANNOT lift any holds.

Please agree to Terms and Conditions before you can register.

Track Selection

Students should declare a track as soon as the Mice account is created(Mid-July for Fall admits and January for Spring Admits). Students can change their tracks up until the beginning of the second semester as long as the change will not delay graduation. We can only assign the faculty advisor once your track is declared.

For personalized and thesis tracks, students must consult a CS faculty member who agrees to be their advisor and agrees to oversee the program. Confirmation from the advisor is required before we can update your track in Mice.

Course Selection 

Please use the track website as a guide to select courses. Students are not required to meet with an advisor before registration. Students are expected to do their own course planning based on their track selection. Please use our Degree Progress Checklist to plan your courses and see how each course fulfills the degree requirements.

Step 1. Review the CSMS Program and declare your track on Mice 

Step 2. Identify any previously taken courses you can import to substitute for “Required Track” courses. Detailed Course import instructions

Step 3: Review Directory of Courses https://doc.sis.columbia.edu/#sel/dept-C.html

Step 4.  Add your desired courses to the wishlist prior to your registration appointment date on SSOL

Step 5.  During your registration appointment time, add your courses to the waitlist 

Step 6.  Wait patiently as we manage the waitlist enrollment

There is no option to defer admission offers. However, candidates who have applied and were admitted to a Columbia Engineering graduate program but did not attend may reactivate their applications for one of the two terms following their original application. Candidates who do not request reactivation within the year are required to submit a new application.  Please be aware that candidates who reactivate their applications are essentially reapplying for admission. Applicants who were not previously admitted cannot use the reactivation application process to apply again. Please direct all admission questions to seasgradmit@columbia.edu

Students admitted to the on-campus program cannot transfer to the CVN program during their first semester. However, after successfully completing their first semester in good academic standing, they may petition to transfer to the CVN program.

SEAS will begin processing these about a week after the Change of Program has ended. At that time, the funds will either be refunded to you or applied to your bill if one remains. 

We STRONGLY recommend that you pay your tuition bill in full and emphasize that the student is responsible for any penalties related to violating this. Follow-up questions about the deposit can be sent to seasgradmit@columbia.edu

No. Students do not meet with their advisors for basic course selection, but if you find a topics course (COMS 4995 or COMS 6998) that you want to count toward your MS degree and it is not already on the approved list, you must get your CS Faculty Advisor’s approval first. These courses cover a range of topics, and only certain ones will apply to your chosen track. Similarly, if you want to count a non-CS course toward the track, your Faculty Advisor will have to evaluate the course before making a decision. In all cases, any approvals your faculty advisor makes would have to be communicated to our team at CS Advising so we can note it in your MICE profile for our records and to ensure the approvals carry over to graduation. You may do this by forwarding the approval emails to ms-advising@cs.columbia.edu.

Yes, Columbia Engineering offers various English communication courses for non-native English speakers. For details, please refer here- https://pdl.engineering.columbia.edu/content/english-communication

The beginning of the semester can be a stressful time, and please know that we are here to support you. For any wellness support, please review the Engineering Wellness page and reach out to the Engineering Wellness team at seas-wellness@columbia.edu. If you are not sure where to begin, feel free to reach out to the CS advising team, and we will direct you to the right resources.