How to apply to the University of Louisville for engineering: seven ABET-accredited engineering majors at Speed School, a first year in Engineering Fundamentals, three paid co-op semesters, and admission routes and prerequisites for U.S., international (including Chinese) and transfer students

At the University of Louisville (UofL), undergraduate engineering is offered by the J.B. Speed School of Engineering. Here is what you need to know, based on official UofL information, for U.S. students, international students and applicants from China, followed by transfer students. It applies to 2027 entry.

1. Engineering majors and ABET accreditation

• Seven engineering BS majors: bioengineering, chemical, civil, computer science and engineering, electrical, industrial and mechanical engineering. The school’s admissions page says each is accredited by the ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC); computer science and engineering is also accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC). Computer science is covered in a separate guide.
• Applied science programs: a BA in Computer Science, and a BS in Applied Engineering offered only as a “2+2” with ECTC (students with specified ECTC associate degrees; years three and four at the Glendale training center, not on the Belknap campus at present). The catalog says these two are not ABET accredited but are accredited by SACSCOC like all UofL degrees.
• Length: the catalog describes a typical program as four calendar years and eleven semesters, including three summers, with eight academic semesters and three co-op semesters; students with the required GPA are encouraged to add a fifth year for the Master of Engineering. Kentucky’s licensure board lets students sit the FE exam after 105 semester hours.

2. Admission route: admitted to Speed School, first year in Engineering Fundamentals

• You apply to the engineering school. The admissions page says first-year students start with Engineering Fundamentals (math, introductory engineering and graphics); the department says that over the first four semesters students take 18 hours of its courses, which help them finalize their selection of engineering major, and academic counselors also help with choosing a major.
• The international requirements say all international applicants must specify an intended major and program on the application.
• GPA thresholds for moving from Engineering Fundamentals into a specific major, whether places are limited, and whether entry is guaranteed are not on the pages we read; ask Speed School admissions (502-852-9371, speedao@louisville.edu).
• Freshman admission criteria (program-specific criteria page, Engineering row): the table gives three sets of conditions but labels only two columns (automatic admission with weighted GPA and SAT/ACT, and consideration without SAT/ACT); the middle set is not separately labelled, so check the page:
  • weighted GPA 3.0, SAT 1200 or ACT 25, and SAT Math 590 or ACT Math 25;
  • weighted GPA 3.5, SAT 1160 or ACT 24, and SAT Math 580 or ACT Math 24;
  • without SAT/ACT: unweighted GPA 3.5 and either dual-credit college algebra or higher (completed or in progress, with As and Bs in prior math) or AP/IB pre-calculus or calculus (score of 3+), and completion of or enrollment in high school calculus or pre-calculus and chemistry.
• High school chemistry is not required for the Computer Science BA and Applied Engineering. Students applying to Engineering, Nursing or Business with the minimum GPA but no test score can also show readiness through Accuplacer.
• The freshman page says SAT/ACT scores are optional and no recommendation letters or essays are required if you meet the minimum standards; it also says a counselor may ask for a resume, letters or a personal essay.

3. Prerequisites and placement

• High school courses: see above (calculus or pre-calculus and chemistry for the no-test route). Whether the other routes require specific high school courses is not stated.
• Accuplacer math placement: everyone is encouraged to take it; staff review each record to see whether it is needed, and a checklist item appears in the New Cards Gateway; it must be done before orientation. The engineering page splits students by ACT/SAT math score (ACT Math 0–28 / SAT Math 260–640, versus ACT Math 29+ / SAT Math 680+); see the placement page for which group must test. Registration with RegisterBlast costs $7 for a year; the test costs $25 at home with Teams proctoring, $15 on campus or $28 with ProctorU, and is free for students eligible for free or reduced lunch.
• AP/IB credit: UofL has credit pages for AP, IB, CLEP, DSST and Cambridge AICE; which engineering courses they replace was not checked here and is not stated on the pages we read.
• The catalog’s Engineering Fundamentals courses include engineering methods, tools and practice, three calculus-based engineering analysis courses and differential equations for engineering.

4. How and when to apply (2027 entry)

• Application: the Take Flight application or the Common App; a $30 non-refundable fee, waived for students on free or reduced lunch.
• Dates: the 2027 application is open and the priority deadline is 15 February 2027 (freshman page). A separate international deadline is not on the international page and is not published there.
• Documents: an official high school transcript; SAT/ACT optional.
• Computer: Speed School undergraduate and transfer students must have a mobile computer with an active digital pen that meets the minimum specifications.

5. U.S. students: costs and scholarships

• 2026-2027 tuition and fees (per year): $13,614 for Kentucky and designated Southern Indiana residents ($568 per credit hour); $29,960 for out-of-state students ($1,249 per credit hour). Room (double, $7,972) and meals ($4,898) are extra. 2027-28 tuition is not yet on that page.
• Engineering differential course fee: from fall 2025 it applies per credit hour to Speed School courses, excluding First Year Experience courses, courses with an ENGR prefix and co-op/internship courses: $20 in 2025-26, $40 in 2026-27 and $60 in 2027-28; no further increase is planned beyond 2027-28.
• Kentucky residents: Trustees’ Scholarships of $2,500 to $8,000 a year, automatic, tiered by SAT/ACT with a 3.5 weighted GPA, or without scores by transferable credit hours (5 to 30+); competitive and mentored scholarships need an application by 1 December. Admissions scholarships generally cannot be stacked.
• Out-of-state students (automatic): the Border Benefit Award (residents of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia) of about $16,000 a year, which brings tuition down to the Kentucky in-state level, plus $1,000 to $5,000 for higher scores; Regional Scholars (California, DC Metro, New Jersey, New York Metro, Pennsylvania and Southern New England) of $12,000 to $16,000; National Scholars (elsewhere) of $5,000 to $15,000; National Merit finalists and semifinalists $20,000; and the Grawemeyer Competitive Scholarship ($30,000 a year for out-of-state students; apply by 1 December with essays, recommendations and a resume, and admission to University Honors). Admissions scholarships do not stack, you receive the highest you qualify for, and students admitted by 1 April are guaranteed review.
• Speed School aid: the school’s page says it has privately endowed scholarships open to incoming, current, transfer, Kentucky and out-of-state students; amounts are not published. Federal loans require the FAFSA.

6. Co-op (paid work experience)

• The catalog says Speed School remains one of the few engineering schools with a mandatory co-op program: from the second year students complete three paid co-op semesters.
• There are four co-op tracks: Traditional, Research, Internship and Global Engineering. Bioengineering co-ops follow a different schedule (fall of year 3, summer and spring of year 4).
• The co-op page says co-op students can earn over $34,000 before graduation; that is the school’s own promotional figure.

7. International students

• Checklist: the Take Flight application or Common App with an intended major; the $30 fee in U.S. dollars; academic records from all schools attended; proof of English; and the freshman or transfer requirements.
• Transcripts: official transcripts from every school; documents issued outside the U.S. need a notarized, ATA-certified translation. Send them to adetran@louisville.edu or mail them to the admissions office. International transfer applicants need a course-by-course evaluation of foreign college transcripts, from WES, ECE or another NACES member.
• English: TOEFL iBT 79 (before January 2026) or 4.0 overall with 4.0 in each skill (after); TOEFL Essentials 8.5; IELTS Academic 6.5; Duolingo 105; SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 490 (taken March 2016 or later); ACT English 18; AP English Language and Composition 4; IB English Language and Literature 5; PTE 55 with no sub-score below 53. Exemptions: two consecutive years of full-time high school in the U.S. or at a school where English is the primary language of instruction, with a C or higher in English (from official transcripts); or two consecutive years of full-time university study in the U.S. or in English with a C or higher in English 101 or 102.
• Financial proof and visa: after admission the International Center contacts you for the I-20 (F-1) or DS-2019 (J-1). You need a passport copy and a financial statement: for personal funds, an original, dated official bank letter showing the total funds on deposit; for government or employer support, an original sponsor letter; a U.S. sponsor completes the I-134. A spouse or dependents need an additional $7,500 for the spouse or first dependent and $1,000 for each further dependent. Do not arrange a visa interview before you have a written offer and an I-20 or DS-2019.
• Costs (2026-2027, on-campus international student, per year): tuition and fees (two semesters) $29,960, international student fees $150, mandatory health insurance $3,290 and living expenses (nine months) $13,250, for $46,650, plus about $980 for books and supplies. The engineering differential course fee above is separate and is not in that total.
• Scholarships: the Global Cardinal Scholarship for international first-time freshmen is applied automatically on admission, based on cumulative high school GPA converted to a four-point scale: 3.25–3.49 $5,000 a year, 3.5–3.74 $6,500, 3.75+ $8,000. Students on F-1 visas are eligible only for international scholarships, not the out-of-state admissions scholarships above.

8. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the website does not say whether or how the Gaokao score is used; it is not published. The international page says only to meet the first-time freshman requirements, that is, the GPA and test or no-test routes above.
• English: the English list does not include Gaokao English; use TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, PTE or SAT/ACT.
• Transcripts and graduation records: the website gives general requirements only (official transcripts and a notarized ATA-certified translation, listing every school attended). Any China-specific requirements (the academic proficiency exams, graduation certificates, credential evaluators) are not published; contact international admissions (intladm@louisville.edu).
• Financial proof: an original dated bank letter, as in section 7.
• Interview and country pages: the international page mentions neither, so they are not published.

9. Transfer students

• Entering engineering BS programs: with fewer than 12 transferable semester hours, you are treated like a freshman and need the freshman requirements plus a 2.8 college GPA; with 12 to 23 hours, a 2.8 college GPA (including UofL), ACT Reading 20 or ENGL 101 or equivalent, and at least B-minus in pre-calculus (MATH 190/ENGR 100 or equivalent) and introductory chemistry (CHEM 101 or equivalent); with 24 or more hours, a 2.8 GPA and B-minus in those two courses.
• The program-specific criteria page also lists engineering transfer standards: a 2.8 college GPA, with one column adding a 3.5 high school GPA (the credit-hour range for that column is not preserved in the page text, so check the original table), and pre-calculus, chemistry and English at B-minus or higher.
• Credits: Speed School accepts transferred courses with at least a D as credit; a transfer student must earn at least 60 semester hours applicable to a bachelor’s degree at a fully accredited four-year institution, at least 25% of the degree hours at UofL and 30 of the last 36 hours at UofL. Credit evaluation happens after admission. The catalog lists KCTCS course equivalents (engineering core courses need a C or higher).
• Internal transfer into Speed School: the only mention is the GE Appliances Engineering Scholars award for internal transfers admitted to Speed in the second semester of the sophomore or junior year; the entry criteria are not published.
• Transfer scholarships: the Guaranteed Transfer Scholarship (first-time transfer from a four-year institution with 24+ transferable hours and a 3.5 GPA, Kentucky or Indiana reciprocity residents, $2,000 a year for up to six semesters, complete materials by 1 June); the National Transfer Scholarship for out-of-state students (minimum $5,000); automatic $10,000 regional awards; and for international transfers the Global Transfer Scholarship, $5,000 a year with a 3.0+ college GPA (keep 2.5).
• Transfer deadline: not stated on the pages we read.

Checklist

U.S. students:

• Apply by 15 February 2027 (priority date); $30 fee; competitive scholarships by 1 December
• Engineering: weighted GPA 3.0 with SAT 1200 / ACT 25 and math 590 / 25; or no scores with an unweighted 3.5 GPA plus calculus or pre-calculus and chemistry; Accuplacer before orientation if required

International students (including applicants from China):

• Name your intended major; IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL 79 (4.0 on the new scale); transcripts with notarized ATA-certified translation; original bank letter
• How the Gaokao is used is not published; confirm with international admissions

Transfer students:

• 2.8 college GPA, B-minus in pre-calculus and introductory chemistry; transcripts; complete materials by 1 June for the Guaranteed Transfer Scholarship (if eligible)

Sources: University of Louisville, Speed School undergraduate admissions; 2026-2027 Catalog: J.B. Speed School of Engineering; Programs of study; Engineering Fundamentals; Accuplacer testing; First-time freshman applicants; Program-specific admissions criteria; Undergraduate international application requirements; Transferring to Speed School; Cooperative education; Engineering differential course fees; Speed School financial aid; Tuition and fees; Out-of-state scholarships; Kentucky and Southern Indiana scholarships; International scholarships. The catalog and costs are for 2026-2027; application dates are for 2027 entry. Check the University of Louisville website for the latest.