How to Apply to Engineering at UC Santa Barbara: Direct Admission to a Specific Major, No Alternate Engineering Majors, and High Bars to Change into Chemical, Electrical, Computer or Mechanical Engineering, with Admission Routes and Prerequisites for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

At the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), undergraduate engineering is offered by The Robert Mehrabian College of Engineering. UCSB uses the UC Application and admits for fall only. Here is what you need to know for fall 2027 entry, based on UCSB’s websites, for U.S. domestic applicants, international applicants (including applicants from China) and transfer students.

1. Majors

• Two counts: the college’s admissions page lists five majors: chemical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. The majors page also says “five” but lists six, adding Artificial Intelligence. Both are shown; check the majors in the application. Computer science has a separate guide on this site.
• All are Bachelor of Science degrees designed for four years.
• ABET: the majors page only says the Individual Major is not ABET-accredited; whether each engineering major is accredited was not on the pages we read, so check department websites.
• Double majors: not possible within Engineering, but a dual-college double major with Letters and Science or Creative Studies is possible. There are also six five-year BS/MS programs.

2. Admission: apply to a specific major

• Choose a specific major: the college says each applicant must apply to a specific major; all undergraduates follow the same process and timeline, Engineering admits for fall only, and preference goes to freshmen and upper-division transfers. The college says admission to Engineering is more competitive than to other UCSB majors.
• No alternate engineering majors: admissions says that, due to high demand, Engineering will not consider alternate engineering major choices; choose a Letters and Science major as your alternate. If space opens after the Statement of Intent to Register, eligible students are contacted, but historically very few changes are offered.
• Changing into Engineering (only for students admitted as freshmen):
  • complete at least 30 units at UCSB before petitioning; no approvals after six regular quarters. The college warns it is very competitive with limited space, so keep a backup major.
  • Chemical Engineering: GPA of 3.0 or above and Math 3A, 3B, 4A and CHEM 3A, 3B-2AL and 3C-2BL; apply in spring of the first year (one more try in the second year); meet the ChE advisor in fall.
  • Computer Engineering: overall UCSB GPA of 3.5 and a 3.5 in any five listed classes, including at least two ECE and two CMPSC courses, first attempts only; denied applications are not reconsidered.
  • Electrical Engineering: overall UCSB GPA of 3.5 and a 3.5 in at least five listed classes, including two math classes, first attempts only; denied applications are not reconsidered.
  • Mechanical Engineering: petition only at the end of fall quarter of the second year, with at least eight core courses (including ENGR 3, ME 14 and ME 17) and a core GPA of 3.3 or higher.
  • Students with Physics as a backup should take the PHYS 20 sequence: all engineering majors accept it, while Physics does not accept PHYS 7.

3. First-year review and preparation

• What Engineering looks at: GPA in college-prep courses, coursework beyond A-G, and AP and honors courses, particularly in science and math. Meeting these does not guarantee admission; the level varies by year and major.
• Specific high school prerequisites: the pages we read do not list high school math and science prerequisites for first-year engineering applicants; ask the college (coe-info@engineering.ucsb.edu).
• AP/IB/A-level credit: admissions publishes credit charts, linked from the college’s freshman preparation page.

4. Dates, materials and testing

• Submit the UC Application for fall 2027 from 1 October to 30 November 2026; decisions in mid-March; SIR by 1 May; official transcripts by 1 July and official AP, IB, TOEFL, IELTS and Duolingo scores by 15 July.
• SAT/ACT: not used for admission or scholarships.
• Minimum GPA: 3.0 (3.4 for non-California residents) in A-G courses, using only 10th and 11th grade A-G grades; meeting the minimum does not guarantee admission, and UCSB uses 13 holistic review factors.

5. U.S. domestic applicants

• GPA: 3.0 for California residents, 3.4 out of state (section 4).
• Costs: the 2026-27 budget for a new freshman in the residence halls (2026 cohort) is $50,946 for California residents (including $15,588 tuition and student services fee and $2,085 campus fees, plus housing, food, books, transport and health care); non-residents add $39,270 in supplemental tuition, $90,216 in total.
• Aid: file the FAFSA or CADAA by the 2 March priority deadline; California residents also submit the Cal Grant GPA Verification Form.
• Engineering scholarships: for current College of Engineering undergraduates; the 2026-27 cycle runs 1 to 30 November 2026, with criteria including major, GPA, achievements and research. The ESTEEM program offers scholarships to low-income engineering students at five participating California community colleges.

6. International applicants

• Applying: the UC Application opens on 1 August; submit from 1 October to 30 November 2026, fall only. Report grades exactly as on your records, without converting to a UC GPA; predicted exam results are fine. Do not send transcripts when applying; after you accept the offer, schools send official grade 9–12 records and graduation documents.
• English: required if your native language is not English and your schooling was in a non-English-medium country, or you had fewer than three years of English instruction. Minimums: IELTS 6.5; TOEFL iBT 80 before January 2026 and 4.5 from January 2026; Duolingo 115. Test by the December before enrollment; scores are valid for two years; IELTS One Skill Retake and TOEFL MyBest are not accepted.
• Other curricula: IB requires at least six exams with three at HL, a 5 average with no exam below 4, and a diploma score of 30 or higher; A-levels require at least five GCSE/IGCSE exams (GPA 3.4+) and three A-levels (unweighted 3.0+, no grade below C).
• Funding and visa: after the SIR, submit first-year proof of funding to the Office of International Students and Scholars; the visa process can take months, so admissions suggests starting in April.
• Aid: admissions says aid and scholarships for international students are very limited, and international students must fund the full cost themselves.

7. Applicants from China

• Credentials: the Graduation Certificate from upper middle school and the Senior High School Graduate Certificate with a B average (the “China” entry on UCSB’s international first-year page).
• Translation: records in a non-Roman alphabet need official translations.
• Gaokao: not mentioned on the pages we read; ask UCSB admissions whether it is considered.
• Math and science: Engineering values science and math AP and honors courses (section 3); how Chinese courses map to this is not published.

8. Transfer

• Direct admission only: the college says transfer students can major in engineering only if directly admitted to that major on entry; transfer students may not petition to change into or add an engineering major.
• Required for all engineering majors by the spring before transfer: two semesters of calculus for science and math majors, linear algebra and differential equations.
• Plus, by major (college transfer page):
  • Chemical: three semesters of calculus-based physics with labs, a year of general chemistry with labs and MATLAB; organic chemistry and multivariable calculus strongly recommended.
  • Computer: three semesters of calculus-based physics with lab, introductory C/C++ programming and data structures in C++.
  • Electrical: programming in C, C++ or intermediate Python and three semesters of calculus-based physics with lab; digital logic, a semester of general chemistry with lab and multivariable calculus strongly recommended.
  • Mechanical: three semesters of calculus-based physics with lab, statics, first-semester general chemistry with lab and MATLAB; dynamics and others strongly recommended. Without dynamics before the first fall, the degree takes three years.
• Time to degree: the college says most engineering transfers need three years, and recommends finishing physics and chemistry series at one institution. California community college students should use ASSIST.
• GPA guidance: admissions suggests a transferable GPA of 3.2+ for most majors and 3.6+ for Engineering, and 3.5+ for out-of-state or non-California community college students. The baseline is 60 semester or 90 quarter transferable units and a 2.8 GPA for non-residents.
• Dates: 1 October to 30 November; Transfer Academic Update from 15 December to 31 January, with further updates until 15 March.

9. Costs (USD)

• See section 5. Fall 2027 costs are not yet published, and the budget does not list an extra fee for engineering majors.

Checklist

U.S. domestic applicants:

• Submit the UC Application between 1 October and 30 November 2026, choosing a specific engineering major and a Letters and Science alternate
• Take science and math AP and honors courses; A-G GPA of 3.0 (3.4 out of state) or higher
• For aid, file the FAFSA or CADAA by 2 March

International applicants (including China):

• B average or better; IELTS 6.5, TOEFL 4.5 (new scale) or Duolingo 115 by the December before enrollment
• Changing into engineering later is hard, so pick your major carefully
• Ask admissions whether the Gaokao is considered

Transfer students:

• Complete calculus, linear algebra, differential equations and your major’s physics, chemistry and programming courses before transfer
• No changing into engineering later; most transfers need three years

Sources: UC Santa Barbara, College of Engineering: undergraduate admissions; Engineering: freshman preparation; Engineering: transfer preparation; Change of major into Engineering; Engineering majors; Engineering scholarships and aid; First-year eligibility and selection; International first-year eligibility; International applicants; English proficiency; Dates and deadlines; Selective majors for transfer; 2026-27 cost of attendance. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 figures). Check UCSB for the latest details.