How to Apply to Engineering at Drexel University: Choose a Major or Start Undeclared, a Shared First Year, June Placement Exams, Four- or Five-Year Co-op Programs, and Admission Routes and Prerequisites for Chinese and Canadian High School Students and Transfer Students

Drexel University in Philadelphia runs on a quarter system and is known for its co-op program. Undergraduate engineering is offered by the School of Engineering in the Nick Howley College of Engineering and Computing, and all degrees are Bachelors of Science. Here is what you need to know, based on Drexel’s official information, for students at high schools in China (including A-level, IB and AP students), students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver students), and transfer students.

1. Majors and how admission works

• Bachelor’s majors (as listed in the catalog): Architectural Engineering (BSAE, with mechanical, structural and digital building concentrations), Chemical Engineering (BSCHE), Civil Engineering (BSCIV), Computer Engineering (BSCE), Electrical Engineering (BSEE), Engineering (BSE), Engineering Technology (BSET, with electrical engineering technology, mechanical and manufacturing, robotics and automation, and systems and industrial engineering concentrations), Environmental Engineering (BSENE), Materials Science and Engineering (BSMSE) and Mechanical Engineering & Mechanics (BSME). The engineering website’s degree list also links to Construction Management.
• Choosing a major: the College of Engineering uses the Common Application and the Coalition Application, and you choose an engineering major when you apply.
• Engineering Undeclared: if you are unsure, you can start undeclared. Fall and winter courses overlap heavily across majors; by spring term coursework becomes more focused and you should have chosen a major, with dedicated advisors to help.
• Biomedical Engineering appears separately in the university’s prerequisite list and is not in the School of Engineering major list above; see section 2.
• Changing majors: the engineering pages do not publish conditions for switching majors within engineering or transferring in from another college; ask the college (coe.outreach@drexel.edu).
• Major GPA: the catalog requires engineering students to keep a 2.0 GPA in all required major courses.

2. High school preparation and placement

• Engineering majors (university prerequisite list): four years of math (algebra I and II, geometry/trigonometry, pre-calculus), one year of chemistry with lab and one year of physics with lab. The engineering first-year page lists these under the heading “Recommended Requirements” while its text calls them requirements for admission.
• Biomedical Engineering: four years of math through pre-calculus with a year of calculus preferred, one year of chemistry with lab, and physics with lab preferred.
• Placement exams: the catalog says incoming engineering students take calculus, physics and chemistry placement exams in June. Prepared students start the core math and science courses in fall; others can complete online, self-paced reviews that may still lead to a fall placement. Transfer and advanced credit can also affect fall schedules.
• AP credit: the engineering page says AP scores of 4 or above may earn credit, and a 5 is needed for credit on either AP Physics exam; contact the engineering advising center for details.

3. Curriculum and co-op

• Shared first year: students in the traditional engineering programs take largely the same courses for the three first-year terms, with major courses added from the second year. Common foundation courses in the catalog include Calculus I and II and Multivariate Calculus, Physics I to III, General Chemistry I and II, Essential Biology, Introduction to Engineering Design & Data Analysis, First-Year Engineering Design, Introductory Programming for Engineers, Introduction to Thermodynamics and Fundamentals of Materials.
• General education: at least 30 credits of non-technical courses, including three required composition courses.
• Co-op: both plans include 12 terms in school; the four-year plan adds two co-op terms and the five-year plan six (after the first year, students generally attend class for two terms and work for two terms in each of the sophomore, pre-junior and junior years). The five-year plan ends with senior design.
• BS/MS: the accelerated program lets strong students earn a BS and MS in the five years usually taken for the BS, generally applying in the second or third year.

4. First-year deadlines and materials

• Early Decision (binding): apply by 15 November, decisions mid-December; CSS Profile by 25 November (for institutional need-based aid); deposit by 15 January.
• Early Action: apply by 15 November, decisions mid-December; deposit by 1 May.
• Regular Decision: apply by 15 January, decisions by 1 April; CSS Profile by 1 February.
• Winter Entry: apply by 1 October, decisions by 1 November; the page refers to the 2026–2027 CSS Profile.
• The deadlines page shows no year, so check again before you apply. The engineering first-year page also says the Early Decision and Early Action materials deadline “has been extended to November 15”.
• Materials: USD 65 application fee, a 250–650-word essay, an official high school transcript and a counselor recommendation.
• Testing: the first-year instructions list testing as “Optional for Most Applicants” under Drexel’s No Harm Test-Optional policy; scores that do not help are not counted. Check the testing policy page for who must still submit scores.

5. Students at high schools in China

• Transcripts: current students send Grade 9 to 11 transcripts; graduates also send the final Grade 12 transcript and diploma, with certified translations if not in English.
• Gaokao: Drexel does not say whether or how Gaokao scores are used; ask enroll@drexel.edu.
• Math and science: meet the four years of math and the chemistry and physics (with lab) requirements in section 2.
• English: applicants whose first language is not English and who have not completed three years at an English-medium high school must submit TOEFL iBT, TOEFL Essentials, IELTS, PTE, Duolingo or Cambridge C1/C2 results. Drexel does not publish minimum scores. Three years at an English-medium high school, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 600+ or ACT English 27+ waive the requirement.
• Financial documents: an I-20 requires bank statements, scholarship letters or similar proof of funding.

6. Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver)

• Transcripts: current students send Grade 9 to 11 transcripts; graduates send final Grade 9 to 12 transcripts and proof of graduation.
• BC courses: Drexel does not publish grade requirements for Canadian curricula or say which BC courses meet the math, chemistry and physics requirements; check with admissions.
• English: three years at an English-medium high school waive the English test.

7. Costs and aid

• 2026-27 tuition: USD 21,026 per term for four- and five-year programs, plus a USD 790 general fee per term (also charged during co-op) and a USD 300 first-year program fee. The tuition page does not list a separate engineering rate.
• International estimate: for three full-time terms, tuition and fees of USD 65,798, living costs of USD 19,398 and USD 3,200 other, about USD 88,396 in total (2026-27). 2027-28 costs are not yet published.
• Aid: international students must submit the CSS Profile by the deadline to be considered for institutional need-based aid. Whether international students can receive engineering scholarships is not published.

8. Transfer students

• GPA: the engineering transfer page requires a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75.
• Prerequisites: most engineering majors require pre-calculus or calculus, chemistry with lab and physics with lab, with at least two completed at the time of application, one of which must be pre-calculus or calculus. Applicants who graduated from high school within the past five years may use high school coursework. Engineering Technology and Construction Management have no specific prerequisites, but pre-calculus is recommended.
• Credit: courses with a C (2.0) or better that count toward Drexel graduation requirements transfer; the evaluation arrives within two weeks of admission. Before applying, you can ask the engineering transfer coordinator for an unofficial evaluation.
• Co-op: transfers can complete one to three co-ops; the catalog says transfers must complete at least two terms of co-op or engineering experience to earn an ABET-accredited cooperative engineering degree.
• Deadlines vary by term. Drexel currently lists 2026-27 dates: fall priority deadline 15 April, then rolling; international students living outside the US are advised to complete everything by 14 June for the I-20, with a final deadline of 15 July. Winter entry 15 October; spring entry 15 January. Fall 2027 transfer dates are not yet published.
• Other: Drexel has dual admission and articulation agreements with local institutions; Pennsylvania and New Jersey community college associate degree holders can apply for the Drexel Promise scholarship (50% of tuition).

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Apply by 15 November (Early Decision or Early Action) or 15 January (Regular Decision), choosing an engineering major or Engineering Undeclared
• Take math through pre-calculus plus chemistry and physics with labs; prepare English scores and bank statements
• Take the June placement exams after admission

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

• Send Grade 9 to 12 transcripts and confirm with admissions that your math, chemistry and physics courses qualify; three years at an English-medium high school waive the English test

Transfer students:

• Hold a 2.75 GPA and complete at least two math and science prerequisites, including calculus or pre-calculus, before applying; watch for fall 2027 transfer dates

Sources: Drexel University, Engineering bachelor’s degrees; Undeclared Engineering; Engineering first-year admissions; Engineering transfer students; Catalog: School of Engineering; First-year instructions; First-year deadlines; Admission prerequisites; International transcript requirements; Transfer deadlines; Undergraduate tuition; International cost estimates. Tuition is for 2026-27; the first-year deadlines page shows no year and transfer dates are for 2026-27. Check Drexel for the latest details.