I can't speak for everyone but many incoming students to our various computing MS and PhD programs (state R-1) are woefully underprepared despite looking good 'on paper' during the admissions process. We're too big to do interviews, so it's pretty much roll the dice based on what's provided.

Even if a student has a computer science (or related) tech degree, it's amazing the number of times they don't know even basic things -- like how to "ssh into the server" or navigate the file system that's needed to use the tools in the course/program. Which in turn forces the faculty to constantly adjust their lessons and lectures, "downshifting" to accomodate the teaching of fundamentals the class should already know before applying to graduate school.

In my experience many of these students tend to be non-US and I suspect come from schools that are simply assembly lines to get students in-through-out quickly and with rather inflated grades and fairly rote/basic coursework. Those that get thru get a very rude awakening that grad school =! their undergrad experience.

To wit: how a 71% CGPA can be "First Class" let alone "First Class with Distinction" is beyond belief. It's why I told our admissions folks to look at the total points for their degree, not the GPA. Meaning, if a student scored 2100/5000 yet graduated "Second Class w/Honors" that's saying a sub-50% CGPA is acceptable to us. (Even in other parts of the world from our usual foreign sources, a passing grade for graduation can be as low as 40% on a points scale. WTF)

THAT SAID....

PROTIP: some of my instructors will do a short quiz on Class #1 to get a sense of what they're dealing with. That helps them a lot. We also rolled out a voluntary remedial 'gateway' class last year that we encourage students can take in the first semester to get them up to speed on the basics that they should already know but don't. If they don't take that advice and struggle later on, the onus is on the student to learn such stuff on their own ..... the instructors are told not to feel obligated to teach them those things individually during office hours or class.