Freshman Admissions
Other Pages In Admission to the College of Engineering
Applicants desiring to enter the College of Engineering must satisfy the general university admission requirements described in earlier sections of this catalog. The college strongly recommends that students who want to study engineering at UCSB plan their high-school programs to also include the following courses:
Algebra: 2 years
Plane Geometry: 1 year
Pre-calculus/calculus: 1 year
Physics or Chemistry: 1 year (preferably both)
It is strongly recommended that incoming freshmen complete a computer programming course prior to enrollment at UCSB.
Supplemental screening for admission to the College of Engineering is based on further consideration of prior coursework, grades, test scores, and other factors. Any student who is admissible to the university may be accepted by the College of Engineering provided that the college does not have more qualified applicants than openings, in which case preference will be given to advanced-standing students who are ready to enter the upper division and to freshmen.
Students must apply for a specific major in the College of Engineering either as freshmen or as transfer students; in Chemical Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering.