How to Apply to Engineering at the University of Cincinnati: Direct Admission to Your CEAS Major, a Pre-Engineering Program for Some Students, Five-Year Degrees With Five Co-op Semesters, Admission and Prerequisites for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

At the University of Cincinnati (UC), undergraduate engineering is offered by the College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS). The college FAQ says CEAS is a direct-admit college: admitted students start in their chosen program from year one, and both engineering and engineering technology degrees are five-year programs with five semesters of paid co-op. Below are the key points for fall 2027 entry, from UC’s official website, for U.S. domestic, international (including Chinese) and transfer applicants.

1. Majors

• B.S. engineering majors: aerospace, architectural, biomedical, chemical, civil, computer, cybersecurity, electrical, environmental, industrial and systems, and mechanical engineering.
• Engineering technology and others: electrical engineering technology (including a robotics, automation and mechatronics option), mechanical engineering technology and construction management; the college also offers the B.S. in Computer Science (covered in a separate guide on this site).
• ABET: the body of the CEAS ABET page lists nine B.S. programs accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (aerospace, architectural, biomedical, chemical, civil, computer, electrical, environmental and mechanical engineering); electrical and mechanical engineering technology by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission; computer science by the Computing Accreditation Commission; and construction management by the Applied and Natural Science Accreditation Commission. Industrial and systems engineering and cybersecurity engineering appear only in the side menu, and the page body does not state their accreditation; check with the college.
• ACCEND: the FAQ says many students who arrive with a lot of credit join ACCEND to earn a bachelor’s and a graduate degree in a shorter time while keeping co-op.

2. Admission: direct entry, or Pre-Engineering first

• Direct admission: you choose a major and, if admitted, start in it. Admissions says applications are reviewed with the specific program in mind, you can list up to two majors on the Common App, and engineering applicants’ math and science backgrounds get close attention. The mechanical engineering page says first-year students must start in fall and applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
• Pre-Engineering Program: referral only. Admissions staff place students there when additional preparation is recommended. Students take the same curriculum inside the college and, after one to three semesters, apply to their major; meeting the transition criteria guarantees admission. UC Blue Ash and UC Clermont run their own pre-engineering programs with generally lower tuition, but starting at a regional campus means giving up any Uptown first-year funding.
• Transition criteria (2026-2027; for students entering Pre-Engineering in fall 2026 or later and for change of major): good standing with an overall UC GPA of 2.0 or higher; MATH1061 plus CHEM1040 or PHYS2001; and a math/science GPA of 2.8 for aerospace, biomedical, chemical, cybersecurity and mechanical; 2.7 for environmental; 2.6 for architectural, civil, computer and electrical; 2.5 for industrial and systems. Applications are accepted every semester: for spring 2027, 1 November (rolling) or 5 December (end of semester); for summer 2027, 1 March or 23 April.

3. High school preparation

• Engineering program page (mechanical engineering as an example): English 4 units; mathematics 4 units including algebra, geometry and either pre-calculus or calculus; science 3 units including chemistry and physics; social sciences 3 units; electives 5 units.
• International first-years: admissions says applicants typically take 4 years of mathematics and 3–4 years of science including chemistry and/or physics.
• The pages read for this guide do not say which engineering courses AP or IB can replace; use UC’s transfer credit tools.

4. Dates, materials and testing

• Early Action, 1 November: decisions on the second Wednesday in December (Cincinnati Decision Day); applying by then is required for scholarships, competitive programs and honors. The international page recommends having all documents in by 20 October.
• Rolling admission: after 1 November until 1 March; later applicants are not considered for scholarships, and some competitive programs may fill early.
• Materials: Common App and high school transcript; recommendation optional; SAT/ACT optional. The international application fee is $100 (non-refundable).
• The Uptown confirmation deadline is 1 May.

5. U.S. domestic applicants

• Tuition (2026-2027 cohort, Uptown, full-time per semester): Ohio residents $7,412; Indiana/Kentucky metropolitan residents $7,712; non-residents $15,079. CEAS undergraduates also pay a $504 program fee per semester.
• Tuition guarantee: tuition, required fees and housing and dining are locked by cohort for up to four or five years depending on the program.
• Scholarships: the Cincinnatus Scholarship is UC’s cornerstone award for incoming first-years, and CEAS awards college-based scholarships that appear on the estimated financial award letter after admission. Both require a complete application by 1 November. Other options include the CEAS Choose Ohio First STEMM Scholarship.
• Co-op: from sophomore year, students alternate academic and co-op semesters, five co-ops in total. CEAS says engineering students earn on average $15–25 an hour and about $45,000–55,000 over five co-ops. There is no tuition during co-op, only a small fee to remain full-time.

6. International applicants

• English (CEAS minimums): IELTS 6.5 (writing and speaking 6.0, other bands 5.5); TOEFL iBT 79 before January 2026 (writing and speaking 20, others 15) or 4.0 after (writing and speaking 4.0, others 3.5); Duolingo 100; SAT ERW 480; ACT English 19; PTE 53. Scores must be within two years of the start term.
• Exemptions: UC lists four exemption conditions, for example one year of high school in a country where English is the first language with a C or better in standard English courses; you must tell your admissions counselor, and the decision rests with international admissions and the academic unit.
• Scholarships: the main award is the International Outreach Award, $5,000–15,000 a year on the Uptown campus, reviewed automatically from the application; it requires an unweighted GPA of at least 3.0 and a complete application by 1 November for guaranteed consideration. It can only be applied to the non-resident surcharge. UC does not offer full-tuition or need-based scholarships to international undergraduates.

7. Applicants from China

• Transcripts: list current subjects in the Common App “Current or Most Recent Year Courses” section; your school uploads final grades for upper middle school (grades 10 and 11 equivalent) and whatever grade 12 results are available by the deadline. Graduates send final grade 12 scores and the high school graduation certificate (毕业证书) with English translation.
• Gaokao: the pages read for this guide do not mention it, so whether and how it is used is not published; ask international admissions (international.admissions@uc.edu).
• Students in British or IB curricula follow those sections instead.

8. Transfer

• Deadlines: the page lists fall 2026 (1 July), spring 2027 (1 November) and summer 2027 (1 March); fall 2027 is not listed yet.
• Criteria (2026-2027): all majors need MATH1061 plus CHEM1040 or PHYS2001. Overall GPA / math-science GPA: aerospace, biomedical and mechanical 3.0 / 2.8; chemical and cybersecurity 2.8 / 2.8; architectural, civil, computer and electrical 2.8 / 2.6; environmental 2.7 / 2.7; industrial and systems 2.6 / 2.5. Meeting them guarantees admission; applicants within 0.2 GPA points, or with more than 75 credit hours, are eligible for holistic review without a guarantee.
• Under 24 credit hours: high school records are reviewed and you may be admitted on first-year criteria.
• Scholarship: the Bearcat Engineering Transfer Scholarship pays $1,000 per semester for up to eight semesters to incoming domestic transfer students, applied automatically if eligible.

Checklist

• Take four years of math (with pre-calculus or calculus), chemistry and physics
• Apply on the Common App by 1 November; list up to two majors
• U.S. students: apply by 1 November for Cincinnatus and CEAS scholarships
• International students: IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL 4.0 (new scale), among others; a 3.0 GPA triggers automatic International Outreach review
• Applicants from China: have your school upload transcripts; graduates add the diploma with English translation
• Transfers: complete MATH1061 and one chemistry or physics course, and check your major’s GPA criteria

Sources: University of Cincinnati, CEAS undergraduate admissions FAQ; Pre-Engineering Program; B.S. in Mechanical Engineering; ABET accreditation; Change of major and transition criteria; Transfer criteria; CEAS scholarships; Requirements and deadlines; International first-year requirements; Transcript requirements by country; English exemptions; International scholarships; Tuition and fees; Program fees. Information is for fall 2027 entry (tuition is the 2026-2027 cohort rate); check the University of Cincinnati website for updates.