How to apply for engineering at UC San Diego: every Jacobs School major is selective or screened, so list engineering as your first choice; admission routes and prerequisites for students from China, Canada and transfers

At the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego, UCSD), engineering degrees are offered by the Jacobs School of Engineering. The school says all undergraduate admission to engineering majors is handled by the campus admissions office; there is no separate engineering application. Every UCSD undergraduate also belongs to one of eight undergraduate colleges, which set general education; upper-division requirements come from the engineering major, and engineering students can attend any college. This guide covers fall 2027 entry for students at high schools in China, students at Canadian high schools (including British Columbia and Vancouver) and transfer students.

1. Engineering majors

• Bioengineering: Bioengineering, plus Biotechnology, Bioinformatics and BioSystems.
• Chemical and Nano Engineering: Chemical Engineering, NanoEngineering.
• Electrical and Computer Engineering: Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Physics, Electrical Engineering and Society.
• Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering: Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering. The catalog says both BS degrees are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET and require at least 180 units.
• Structural Engineering.
• Computer Science and Engineering: Computer Science (including AI and Bioinformatics) and Computer Engineering also sit in the Jacobs School; computer science has its own guide on this site.
• Double majors: the catalog says the Academic Senate does not approve double majors or minors within engineering departments.
• The school also offers five-year bachelor’s/master’s programs.

2. Selective and screened majors: choose at application

• Selective majors (more interest than spaces): all majors in Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
• Screened majors (anyone meeting the screening criteria may declare): Structural Engineering (from summer 2025) and NanoEngineering (from winter 2026).
• Engineering must be your first choice: first-year applicants must indicate an engineering or computer science major as their first choice on the UC application to be considered for that major. Admissions strongly recommends an alternate non-selective major; if you are not admitted to your first choice, you may be admitted to the alternate if space allows.
• Admission to UCSD is not admission to engineering: the Jacobs School says being admitted as a first-year or transfer student does not guarantee a place in an engineering major.
• Switching in later: since summer 2025, continuing students can apply to engineering and computer science majors once a year (between summer and fall), with limited space and no guarantee. Selection uses a point system based on academic performance plus California residency, first-generation status and Pell eligibility; you must have finished the screening courses and hold at least a 2.0 UC GPA. The next cycle for students who entered as first-years in fall 2025 and fall 2026 opens in July 2027 and closes on 1 September 2027.

3. First-year application

• Dates: submit the UC application between 1 October and 30 November 2026; decisions by the end of March; accept by 1 May.
• Minimums: C or better in A-G courses; nonresidents (including international students) need at least a 3.4 GPA in 10th and 11th grade A-G courses. Competitive applicants are well above this.
• Math and science: A-G requires 3 years of math (4 recommended) and 2 years of laboratory science (3 recommended). The pages we read do not list separate high school prerequisites for engineering.
• SAT/ACT: not considered for admission or scholarships; submitted scores may be used for minimum requirements or placement.
• Essays: answer 4 of 8 personal insight questions, up to 350 words each; list up to four colleges in order of preference.
• AP, IB: AP scores of 3, 4 or 5 earned before graduation give 2, 4 or 8 units toward graduation; course equivalents follow the UC and UCSD credit charts.

4. English

If your first language is not English and you attend high school where English is not the language of instruction, submit one of:

• TOEFL iBT 4.5 (new scale), or 83 for tests taken before January 2026;
• IELTS 7; Duolingo 115.

5. Students at high schools in China

• Credentials: 12 years of schooling and a high school graduation certificate; C or better in all senior-year subjects, overall about 3.0. After admission, your school sends English records for Junior 3 and all high school years plus the graduation certificate.
• Gaokao: UCSD does not mention Gaokao scores.
• A-Level: at least 5 IGCSE/GCSE/O-Level subjects and at least 3 A-Levels, with at least 3 A-Levels at C or better after admission.

6. Students at Canadian high schools

• British Columbia: the Dogwood Diploma; C or better in all grade 12 courses, overall about 3.0. BC math and physics course requirements are not published.
• Students who attend high school in an English-speaking country do not need English scores.

7. Transfer students

• Basics: at least 60 semester (90 quarter) transferable units by the end of spring before entry; minimum GPA 2.8 for nonresidents. Apply on the UC application between 1 October and 30 November.
• Finish preparation before transferring: the Jacobs School says all engineering and computer science majors are selective or screened for transfers, and places may go to applicants with the most complete preparation and the highest college GPAs; it encourages applying to more than one major, including one open major. Required preparation (by the end of spring before entry):
  • Mechanical Engineering: MATH 18, 20A–20D, CHEM 6A, PHYS 2A–2C; recommended MAE 8, 20, 40.
  • Aerospace Engineering: the same plus PHYS 2CL; recommended MAE 8.
  • Electrical Engineering, Engineering Physics, Electrical Engineering and Society: MATH 18, 20A–20D, PHYS 2A–2C and at least one programming course in Java, C or C++; recommended CHEM 6A.
  • Computer Engineering: MATH 18, 20A–20D, PHYS 2A–2C, CSE 11 and 12; recommended CSE 30.
  • Chemical Engineering and NanoEngineering: CHEM 6A–6C, MATH 18, 20A–20D, PHYS 2A–2C (plus PHYS 2CL for chemical engineering).
  • Bioengineering (screening courses): MATH 20A–20D, CHEM 6A, 6B, PHYS 2A, 2B, 2BL, 2CL.
  • Structural Engineering: MATH 18, 20A–20D, CHEM 6A, PHYS 2A–2C and 2BL; recommended SE 9, SE 101A.
  California community college equivalents are listed on ASSIST.
• Admitted transfers switching into Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering: the selective major page says this cycle is for transfer students only, opening in January 2027 and closing on 12 March 2027, with decisions after winter grades.

8. Costs (USD)

• Students entering in 2026-27: per quarter, the student services fee is 462, tuition 4,734 and nonresident supplemental tuition 13,090, totalling 18,286, or about 54,858 for three quarters; campus fees, including required health insurance, are extra; international students pay a one-time 200 visa administration fee. The fee page we read lists no extra engineering differential.
• Tuition stability: UC holds each entering class’s tuition steady for up to six years. Rates for 2027-28 entrants are not yet published.
• Aid: international students cannot receive federal or state aid.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Submit the UC application by 30 November 2026 with your engineering major as first choice and a non-selective alternate
• A-G GPA of at least 3.4; TOEFL 4.5 (new scale) or 83, IELTS 7 or Duolingo 115
• Know that switching into engineering later happens once a year with limited space

Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver):

• Also apply by 30 November with engineering first; C or better in all grade 12 courses; no SAT/ACT needed

Transfer students:

• Finish your major’s math, physics (and chemistry or programming) preparation by the end of spring before entry; GPA of at least 2.8, ideally much higher
• Apply to more than one major, including an open major

Sources: UC San Diego, Jacobs School: prospective undergraduates; Jacobs School undergraduate majors; Selective and screened majors; First-year application requirements; First-year timeline; International students; Transfer requirements; Transfer major preparation; General Catalog: MAE undergraduate programs; 2026-27 undergraduate registration fees. Information is for fall 2027 entry (fees are rates for students entering in 2026-27). Check UC San Diego for the latest details.