How to Apply to Engineering at BYU: Most Fulton College Majors Are Open, Mechanical Engineering Is Limited to 260 a Year Based on Three BYU Courses, and Every Applicant Needs an Ecclesiastical Endorsement, for Local, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

Brigham Young University (BYU), in Provo, Utah, is sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Undergraduate engineering is in the Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering. Here is a guide based on BYU’s website for US students, international students, applicants from China and transfer students. Computer Science at BYU is not in the engineering college; we cover it in a separate guide.

1. First: religious requirements

• Ecclesiastical Endorsement: required of all applicants, focused on the Honor Code. Applicants who are not Church members can do the first interview with a local bishop of the Church or their own religious leader, and the second with a BYU chaplain. Non-members first create a non-member Church account.
• What BYU looks for: a holistic review of coursework, essays, activities and recommendations, and alignment with the Aims of a BYU Education.

2. Majors

• Engineering (credits in the major in brackets): Electrical (90), Computer (90), Civil (89–90), Chemical (102.5–103.5), Manufacturing (94) and Mechanical Engineering (101.5).
• Other college majors: Cybersecurity (74–75), Construction Management (85–86), Facilities and Property Management (82–83), and Technology and Engineering Studies (Teaching and Technical emphases, 75–76 each).
• ABET: the Engineering Accreditation Commission accredits Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering; the Computing Accreditation Commission accredits Cybersecurity and Information Technology; the Applied and Natural Science Accreditation Commission accredits Construction Management.

3. Admission: mostly open, Mechanical Engineering limited

• Open majors: the comparison page marks Electrical, Computer, Cybersecurity, Civil, Construction Management, Facilities Management, Manufacturing and Chemical Engineering as open majors, which admitted BYU students can declare.
• Technology and Engineering Studies: an application is required but enrollment is not limited. The Teaching emphasis starts as pre-teaching with an advisor meeting and requires a 2.7 total GPA after admission; the Technical emphasis requires a degree proposal.
• Mechanical Engineering is a Limited Enrollment Program:
  • After admission to BYU, complete your first BYU physics course (PHSCS 121, 123 or EC EN 301), first math course (MATH 112, 113 and others), first mechanics course (ME EN 101, CCE 203 or ME EN 204), and ME EN 191 at BYU only (credit grade required).
  • The Application GPA weights those three courses equally, and only 260 students are accepted each year. You may apply more than once, but each course can be retaken only once (including withdrawals); the higher grade is used.
  • AP credit counts toward graduation but has no grade, so it cannot be used for the Application GPA; take the BYU course or the next course in the sequence. Independent study courses are not accepted.
  • Application windows: February 1–10 for spring term, July 1–10 for fall semester and October 1–10 for winter semester.
  • Recent cutoffs: 3.4 for fall 2026, 3.37 for spring and winter 2026, and 3.37 for fall 2025.
• University policy: you must declare a major by 60 earned BYU credits, and after 75 credits you cannot change major without special permission. Keep this in mind if you plan to reapply to Mechanical Engineering.

4. High school preparation

• The college does not list required high school math, physics or chemistry; ask the college (engineering@byu.edu).
• Because Mechanical Engineering uses your first BYU physics and math grades, your math placement at entry affects how soon you can apply.

5. Dates and documents (fall 2027)

• Freshmen: the application opens August 26, 2026, with a priority deadline of November 2, 2026 and a final deadline of December 15, 2026; decisions come on February 15, 2027. Applying by the priority deadline does not bring an earlier decision but adds value in holistic review.
• Scholarships: submit the separate BYU scholarship application by January 2.
• Recommendations: up to three, depending on your situation (seminary; a high school math, English, science or social science teacher for recent high school students; and a non-family recommendation for everyone).
• Fee: $35; applicants under 17 on the first day of classes are not admitted.
• Testing: through winter 2028, testing is optional for most applicants, encouraged and used on a “do no harm” basis; no superscoring.
• Admission figures (university-wide, spring/summer/fall 2026 freshmen): 14,067 applied and 9,870 were admitted (70.2%); middle 50% GPA 3.86–4.00, ACT 28–32, SAT 1300–1430. There are no separate engineering figures.

6. US students

• No in-state or out-of-state tuition: tuition depends on Church membership. For 2026-2027 (fall and winter, 12+ credits): $3,548 per semester for members and $7,096 per semester for non-members.
• Freshman scholarships (apply for admission and submit the scholarship application on time):
  • Presidential: 50 new freshmen a year, worth 150% of Latter-day Saint tuition for eight semesters;
  • Heritage: full Latter-day Saint tuition for eight semesters;
  • National Merit: finalists who list BYU first and qualify for Presidential or Heritage may receive a BYU-sponsored award;
  • Sterling Scholar: regional or final winners among Utah high school seniors receive full Latter-day Saint tuition for two semesters;
  • University scholarships: half or full Latter-day Saint tuition, based on academics, rigor and financial need;
  • Need-based scholarships: file the FAFSA by January 2 each year.
• Testing and scholarships: ACT or SAT scores are required for Presidential, Heritage and BYU-sponsored National Merit consideration; other university scholarships use scores on a “do no harm” basis.
• Departmental scholarships: most departments do not award them to new freshmen.

7. International students

• Credential evaluation: grades 9–12 completed outside US-accredited schools must be evaluated by IERF or TEC at your own cost before you apply; unevaluated foreign transcripts are discarded.
• English (from the winter 2027 cycle): TOEFL taken on or after January 21, 2026, 4 overall and 4 per section (earlier tests 80 and 20); IELTS 6.5 with 6 per band; PTE 60 overall and per section; scores valid for two years. Waivers are case by case, considering a 3.5+ GPA, 5–7 years in an English-speaking country, or four years at an English-only international school.
• Tuition: as in section 6, by Church membership.
• Scholarships: international students can apply for general Financial Aid Office scholarships; new fall freshmen submit by January 2. Amounts are not published.

8. Applicants from China

• Endorsement: the international FAQ says applicants from mainland China or other areas who feel unsafe or uncomfortable contacting a Church member should contact BYU’s International Admissions Coordinator.
• Credentials: high school work must be evaluated by IERF or TEC; pre-university courses such as A-levels must be included.
• Gaokao: BYU does not say how Gaokao scores are used; ask the International Admissions Coordinator.
• AP: AP credit counts, but cannot be used for the Mechanical Engineering Application GPA (section 3).

9. Transfer students

• Who is a transfer: anyone with at least 0.5 graded college credits after high school. Applicants with 90+ semester credits are unlikely to be admitted; students with a bachelor’s degree cannot earn a second.
• Documents: official transcripts from all colleges; with fewer than 24 graded credits, also report high school courses. Foreign college work also needs IERF or TEC evaluation.
• Fall 2027: opens August 26, 2026; apply by December 15, 2026 for a February 15, 2027 decision (required for scholarship consideration); final deadline June 1, 2027, with decisions on June 28. In 2026, 60.8% of transfer applicants were admitted, with a middle 50% GPA of 3.58–3.93.
• Into Mechanical Engineering: grades from equivalent courses at ABET-accredited programs can count toward the Application GPA; non-ABET credit counts toward graduation but not the Application GPA, so take the BYU course or the next in the sequence. The department asks transfers to contact its undergraduate advisor only after admission to BYU.

Checklist

US students:

• Schedule both endorsement interviews early; apply by the November 2, 2026 priority deadline, December 15 at the latest
• Submit ACT or SAT for Presidential or Heritage consideration; scholarship application and FAFSA by January 2
• For Mechanical Engineering, aim high in your first BYU physics, math and mechanics courses (recent cutoffs around 3.4)

International students (including from China):

• Start the IERF or TEC evaluation early; prepare English scores such as IELTS 6.5 (6 per band)
• If contacting the Church is not practical in mainland China, contact the International Admissions Coordinator, and ask about the Gaokao

Transfer students:

• Final deadline June 1, 2027; for Mechanical Engineering, check whether your courses come from an ABET-accredited program

Sources: Brigham Young University, College of Engineering programs and comparison; Accreditation; Mechanical Engineering professional program application; ME transfer students; Freshman applicants; Application deadlines; International applicant FAQs; Evaluating international work; English proficiency requirement; ACT/SAT scores; Entrance statistics; Transfer applicants; Tuition; New freshman scholarships; International student scholarships. Check BYU’s website for the latest.