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Joining UPE

Deadline For Fall 2008: November 17 by 2:00pm in the bit bucket (ocnl 136)

Printable Application (Microsoft Word)
Printable Application (PDF)

Upsilon Pi Epsilon (UPE) is an honorary society whose membership consists of outstanding undergraduates and graduates in the Computing Sciences. Since its establishment in 1967, UPE has grown to become an international organization with chapters at leading colleges and universities. Membership in UPE is limited to those individuals demonstrating distinguished academic and professional achievement.

Upsilon Pi Epsilon is the first, and only, existing international honor society in the Computing Sciences. It has received the endorsement of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).

The Alpha Chapter of the UPE at California State University, Chico is committed to excellence in providing tutoring services to fellow students.

When you apply for membership, you are applying for the next semester.  The ceremony is held in the last few weeks of the semester so that new officers may be elected as well.

Becoming a member of UPE is simply a matter of

  1. Meeting the requirements
  2. Completing an application by the deadline: April or November of Each Semester
  3. Paying the one-time membership fee (if accepted)
  4. Attending the Initiation Ceremony (if accepted)

Undergraduate Requirements

  1. Must have declared their major as one of the following:
    a) Computer Science (CSCI);
    b) Computer Information Systems (CIS);
    c) Applied Computer Graphics (ACG), Technical option;
    d) Computer Engineering (ECE);
  2. That are CSCI, CIS, or ACG majors must have completed CSCI 320 and CSCI 311; otherwise, ECE majors must have
  3. Completed CSCI 311 and ECE 186;
  4. Must have a CSCI coursework GPA of 3.25 and Overall GPA of 3.0;
  5. Must be committed to student community service while attending California State University, Chico.

Graduate Requirements

A graduate student is defined as a person pursuing a graduate degree in Computer Science or Computer Engineering. Applicants

  1. must have completed at least 9 units of 300-level CSCI/ECE course work applying toward the master’s degree requirement in Computer Science or Computer Engineering;
  2. must have a GPA of 3.50 or above in all course work applying toward the master’s degree, including all necessary prerequisites; and
  3. must be committed to student community service while attending California State University, Chico.

Community Service

As a member, your service to the College of ECC student community includes 60 hours of any combination of the following:

  • participation in UPE membership meetings;
  • providing tutoring to fellow students in your major;
  • being active in ongoing UPE organizational projects; and
  • supporting company recruitment visits to California State University, Chico.


If you meet these criteria, please fill out an application and submit it to the Computer Science Department Office (2nd floor, O'Connell Technology Center) by the posted deadline, usually November for Fall applicants and April for Spring.

If your application is accepted, you will need to pay the one-time, lifetime membership fee of $70 and attend the Initiation Ceremony in order to become an official member.

All information submitted will be verified against your transcripts. You may submit supplemental materials (resume, letter of recommendation) if you wish. If you have any questions regarding the membership requirements or any special circumstances that you wish considered, please contact us by sending electronic mail to the current president or by leaving a message for us in our mail box at the Computer Science Department office.


Provisional Membership

In the Fall semester of 1997, the CSUC Chapter of UPE enacted a Provisional Membership. This allows students to become involved with UPE events before they have satisfied the Membership Requirements listed above.

Students who are currently enrolled in the courses that will complete their eligibility may apply for Provisional Membership by completing the Membership Application. Provisional Members may participate in all UPE activities excluding:

  • voting rights
  • holding office
  • applying for UPE scholarships
  • adding their signature to the Official Membership Roster.

At the end of the semester, Provisional Members will report to the UPE officers their grades for the required classes they were lacking for Permanent Membership. If the Provisional Member still satisfies the Membership Requirements, they will be invited to join as a Permanent Member with no additional cost. The one-time $70 fee must be collected at the time of Provisional Membership, and cannot be refunded should the Provisional Member fall below the Permanent Membership requirements.