Cortex University — Admissions Guide
Handbook for applicants — no account needed to read it
How to join: creating an account, applying and being accepted, enrolling and fees, and how to reach us.
Applying and being accepted
Applying
Every programme card in the catalogue carries an Apply to enrol button. Applying is a single click — there is no separate form to fill in. The button is disabled, with the reason shown, when you are not currently eligible.
An application is a real record from the moment you send it. You can see its state on the programme card; reloading always shows the truth.
Eligibility — the level rule
Programmes sit on a ladder from L1 upwards (bootcamps, M.Sc, Ph.D, and beyond). One rule governs applications:
You may apply to a programme whose level is at most your level + 1.
So a new account at L1 can apply to bootcamps and to an M.Sc; passing the M.Sc raises you to L2, which opens the Ph.D tier, and so on. Promotion is automatic when you complete a qualifying programme, and your level is a high-water mark — it never goes down, even if an enrolment is later withdrawn.
A few programmes are placed higher than their format suggests, and the catalogue shows where each one sits. If a card says you are not eligible, that is the level rule, not a judgement about you.
What is open to you now
| Level | Programmes here | Open to you once you are |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 · Enrolled | 22 | Enrolled |
| Level 2 · M.Sc | 30 | Enrolled |
| Level 3 · Ph.D | 1 | M.Sc |
This table is generated from the same rule the Apply button enforces, so the two cannot disagree.
Background, and when a rule can be set aside
Two things sit on top of the level rule for the advanced rungs.
- A related background. A doctorate expects earlier work in the same field or a closely related one — an AI master's is a natural route into an AI doctorate, not into an unrelated one. A handful of programmes also require more than one earlier programme. The card names whatever it wants before you apply.
- An exemption. If you hold an external qualification, a professional career, or standing earned outside a classroom, an administrator can open a specific programme for you and record why. Write to the address in Contact and say which programme you have in mind and what you are bringing to it. It is a human decision, and it applies to that one programme.
Decisions
An application is reviewed by a professor assigned to that programme, or by an administrator. Three outcomes:
| Outcome | What it means |
|---|---|
| Accepted | you may enrol — see the next section |
| More information requested | we need something from you; the application stays open |
| Rejected | closed, with a reason |
You are emailed on a decision. A rejected or withdrawn application does not bar you — the Apply button becomes available again.
Some programmes additionally require the CEO's sign-off, and no administrator can admit you to those. If that applies, it is shown on the card.
How long it takes
There is no published service level. Decisions are made by people, and the queue is small. If an application has sat untouched longer than feels reasonable, write to the address in Contact and quote the programme name.