How to apply to the University of Missouri for engineering: the General Admission Standard for the College of Engineering, ABET-accredited majors, with admission routes and prerequisites for U.S., international (including Chinese) and transfer students

The University of Missouri (Mizzou, main campus in Columbia) offers undergraduate engineering through the College of Engineering. This guide covers fall 2027 entry for U.S. students, international students and applicants from China, followed by transfer students, based on Mizzou’s website. Computer science is covered in a separate guide.

1. Majors and ABET accreditation

• Majors: the college’s degrees page says it offers 15 undergraduate degrees: aerospace, biological, biomedical, chemical, civil, computer, electrical, environmental, industrial and mechanical engineering, plus computer science, construction management, data science, engineering technology and information technology. Inconsistent wording: the catalog says “14 undergraduate programs” and its list of BS degrees does not include construction management. Both are given here.
• ABET: biological, biomedical, chemical, civil, computer, electrical, industrial and mechanical engineering are accredited by ABET’s Engineering Accreditation Commission; computer science and information technology by its Computing Accreditation Commission. The accreditation page does not mention aerospace, environmental engineering, data science, engineering technology or construction management; whether those are accredited is not published, so ask the college (askengineering@missouri.edu).

2. How admission to a major works

• What the catalog says: students pursuing a BS in the college (aerospace, biological, biomedical, chemical, computer engineering, computer science, civil, data science, electrical, engineering technology, environmental, industrial, information technology, mechanical) must meet MU’s General Admission Standard to be admitted. Entering freshmen are expected to have 17 units of high school coursework (grades 9-12), including 4 in English, 4 in mathematics and 3 in laboratory science; mathematics should include 2 units of algebra, 1 of plane and solid geometry and half a unit of trigonometry, with more senior mathematics recommended.
• What the admissions page says: freshman admission does not guarantee admission to professional or upper-division programs; many majors have competitive or selective admission after the freshman year, and programs with separate criteria currently include journalism, engineering, business and others. The actual post-freshman conditions (GPA, course grades, limits on places) are not published; ask the college’s admissions office.
• Whether you must choose a specific engineering major when applying, or can enter undeclared in engineering, is not stated on the pages we read.
• After enrolling: graduation requires a 2.0 overall GPA and a 2.0 GPA in all engineering courses at the four University of Missouri System campuses. Math, science and engineering courses that count toward the degree cannot be taken S/U.

3. Prerequisites and credit

• High school courses: the freshman requirements page lists 17 core courses: English 4 (two focused on writing), mathematics 4 (Algebra I or higher, including algebra, trigonometry, pre-calculus, calculus, geometry or statistics), science 3 (one with a lab), social studies 3, two units of one foreign language, and 1 fine art. Applicants missing one core course can still be considered if all else is met. The college catalog states the mathematics expectation in more detail (section 2).
• Math placement: a placement test for engineering first-years is not described on the pages we read; ask the college or the math department.
• AP, IB and A-level credit (college credits page, current-year exams only): AP Calculus AB 3 earns Math 1160 and 1500 (10 credits); Calculus BC 3 earns Math 1160, 1500 and 1700 (15); AP Precalculus 3 earns Math 1160 (5). AP Physics 1 at 3 earns Physics 1210, Physics C Mechanics at 4 earns Physics 2750, and AP Chemistry at 3 earns Chem 1400 and 1401 (4). IB Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches HL 5 earns Math 1160 and 1500 (10). A-level Mathematics (9709) at C or higher earns Math 1160. Whether a given credit counts toward a major’s required courses depends on the program; the credit page does not say by major.

4. How and when to apply (first-years, fall 2027)

• Dates: the application opens 1 August; decisions are released from 1 October and then on a rolling basis; 1 December is the deadline for priority scholarship consideration; 1 July is the application deadline; the FAFSA deadline is 1 February.
• Fee: the test-optional page lists $55; international applicants pay $65.
• Testing: either submit SAT/ACT scores, checked against a table of minimum score plus class rank or core GPA (for example ACT 24 or SAT 1160 and above with a 2.0 core GPA), or choose test-optional review, which needs a transcript, resume or activities list and a short essay, and is reviewed holistically. Home-schooled students and those at unaccredited schools must submit a score.
• Recommendations and essays: recommendation letters are not required for international applicants but are accepted as supplements. A separate engineering essay is not published (test-optional review requires a short essay).

5. U.S. students: costs and scholarships

• 2026-27 estimates (full-time, 12-18 credits per semester, tuition set by major): Missouri residents $16,162-$20,290 a year in tuition and fees, non-residents $39,324-$43,452; housing and dining about $15,780. Which tier engineering falls in, and whether the college adds a fee, is not published; see the cost page.
• Missouri resident freshman scholarships (2027-28, based on core GPA and course rigor, apply by 1 December): Mizzou Scholars $11,000 a year, Chancellor’s $7,200, Curators Scholars $5,000, Excellence $3,500, up to four years; National Merit finalists and perfect-score students receive full tuition plus extras. U.S. citizens and permanent residents only; renewal needs a 2.75 GPA.
• Out-of-state U.S. students: Mark Twain Level 1 $21,500 a year and Level 2 $8,500; the Border State Award ($3,000 a year) for residents of states bordering Missouri, including Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa and Kansas, plus Tiger Border County and legacy awards; up to four years, applied to the non-resident part of tuition only.
• College of Engineering scholarships: more than 240, based on merit, need and special characteristics; all students apply through the Mizzou Scholarship Application Portal, and the College of Engineering deadline is 1 February 2027. Examples: $1,000 renewable awards for Project Lead the Way and FIRST participants, and ISE Hall of Fame awards of $1,000 for 10 industrial and systems engineering first-years. File the FAFSA by 1 February for need-based aid.
• Co-op: the engineering pages we read do not describe a co-op program, so this is not published; the college’s news stories mention summer internships, which is not the same as a co-op program.

6. International students

• High school courses: 13 units of core coursework: mathematics 4 (algebra or higher), science 3, social studies 3, languages 2, fine arts 1. This differs from the 17-unit expectation in the engineering catalog; engineering applicants should prepare for the latter.
• Grades (one of): GPA 2.5+ on a 4.0 scale, 3.5+ on a 5.0 scale, an average of 80+ on a 100-point scale, 8+ on a 10-point scale, or IGCSE C or higher in five or more subjects with three A-levels at C or higher. Other systems are converted by AACRAO International Education Services. Course difficulty and grade distribution are considered.
• English (College of Engineering): IELTS Academic 6.5 (no section below 6); TOEFL iBT 4.5 on the new scale from January 2026 (no section below 4.0), or 79 (17) for older tests; Duolingo 110 (100); PTE 59; Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency 180; or IGCSE English First Language B+, or IB English A: Language and Literature SL/HL 5+. TOEFL Essentials and IELTS Online are not accepted. After qualifying scores you still take the ELSP placement exam; students needing some language support can use the AIM program.
• English waivers: applicants educated in the listed English-speaking countries may not need scores, including Canada (except Quebec), the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa; some countries (such as Nigeria and Ghana) require a C or higher in WASSCE English. Mizzou may still require proof from any applicant.
• Timeline and documents: no application deadline; apply 6-12 months ahead. Decisions start 1 October and can come two weeks after a complete file. For scholarships apply and complete the file by 1 December; offers by late January. Send transcripts from every high school and college (originals plus English translations); unofficial transcripts can be used first and an official final transcript is due after admission. SAT/ACT are not required but preferred for international freshman scholarships.
• After admission: show funds to cover a year of estimated expenses (yourself, family, government sponsor or scholarships) and provide a passport copy.
• Costs (2026-27): tuition and fees $39,688-$43,816 a year (three tiers by program), books $918, housing and food $12,734, personal $3,466, medical insurance $2,818; a 12-month total with summer housing of $62,124-$66,252, plus a one-time $300 enrollment fee. F-1 students may work on campus up to 20 hours a week.
• Scholarships (2027-28): considered automatically when you apply. International Honors Scholarship $20,000 a year and International Merit Scholarship $10,000 (holistic, SAT/ACT preferred), applied only to the non-resident part of tuition and generally not combinable; Global Black & Gold ($21,500 or $11,000) for children of Mizzou graduates with SAT 1260/ACT 27 or 1200/25. Honors College competitive awards (such as Discovery Fellows) are due 1 December; Stamps Scholarships are not open to international applicants living outside the U.S. because of the in-person interview.

7. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the international pages do not mention it, so whether and how it is used is not published; ask International Admissions (inter@missouri.edu). The site also has no China-specific page, interview or accreditation-body requirement.
• Grades: assessed against an average of 80+ on a 100-point scale or a converted 2.5 GPA, with the core courses completed; A-level students can use five IGCSE subjects at C+ plus three A-levels at C+.
• Documents: transcripts from all high schools (originals plus English translations); unofficial transcripts can be used at first.
• Credit: AP, IB and A-level results can earn credit (see section 3).
• English: Gaokao English is not listed; submit IELTS, TOEFL, Duolingo, PTE or another listed test (Engineering scores above).
• ACT GAC program: completing the ACT Global Assessment Certificate with a 2.5 GAC GPA and meeting the AIM English requirements is an alternative route to admission.

8. Transfer students

• Mizzou transfer admission: a 2.5 GPA on college-level credits and a C- or better in a transferable math course (intermediate algebra or higher, or statistics) or English composition; with fewer than 24 college credits you must also meet freshman requirements. Graduates of accredited U.S. two-year colleges with an AA or Missouri CORE 42 and a 2.0 GPA enter with junior standing and general education met.
• Into Engineering: students who complete every course in a signed articulation agreement are admitted to their program; all others are admitted at program discretion. Admission to Mizzou does not guarantee a specific program; students with 60 or fewer credits who meet general but not program requirements start as Exploring students in the Discovery Center. Students dismissed from or not in good standing at a previous program are not admitted to the College of Engineering.
• Degree requirement: a transfer student earning an engineering BS must complete at least 30 upper-level credits on a UM System campus, at least 21 of them approved upper-level engineering courses.
• Dates: fall 2027 transfer applications opened 1 August 2026, with scholarship and FAFSA deadlines of 1 February 2027; spring 2027 applications opened 1 May 2026. International transfers can apply any time, ideally six months to a year ahead.
• Transfer scholarships: international transfers are considered automatically on admission; for 2027-28, $20,000 a year with a 3.90 GPA and 24+ transferable credits, or $10,000 with a 3.00 GPA. College of Engineering transfer scholarships also close 1 February.
• Conditions for moving into the College of Engineering from another Mizzou college are not on the pages we read; ask the engineering admissions office.

Checklist

U.S. students:

• Apply by 1 December for scholarship consideration (1 July is the application deadline); FAFSA and engineering scholarship application by 1 February
• 17 core courses including four years of math; SAT/ACT or test-optional review

International students (including applicants from China):

• No deadline, apply 6-12 months ahead; complete the file by 1 December for scholarships; $65 fee
• 13 core units, an 80+ average; IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL 4.5 (new scale); ask International Admissions how the Gaokao is used

Transfer students:

• College GPA 2.5+ and C- or better in math or English composition; ask the engineering admissions office about articulation agreements

Sources: University of Missouri, Engineering undergraduate degrees; ABET accreditation; 2026-27 Catalog: College of Engineering; Engineering scholarships; Engineering first-year scholarships; Engineering transfer scholarships; Freshman admission requirements; Test-optional admission; Dates and deadlines; College credits; International admission requirements; International application steps; English language requirements; International transfer students; International student scholarships; Freshman scholarships; Costs; Transfer admission requirements. Costs are 2026-27 estimates, scholarship amounts are for 2027-28 and dates are for fall 2027. Check Mizzou’s website for the latest.