How to Apply to Engineering at UCLA: Applying Straight to a Samueli Engineering Major or “Undeclared Engineering”, Ten Undergraduate Majors, No Supplemental Application and No SAT/ACT, for Domestic and International (Including Chinese) Applicants and Transfer Students

Undergraduate engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is offered by the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science (called the Samueli School of Engineering on the admissions site). UCLA uses the University of California application and admits for fall only (UCLA is on the quarter system). This guide follows UCLA’s website and is organised for U.S. domestic applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students. Computer Science and Computer Science and Engineering have their own guide on this site, so they are only mentioned briefly.

1. Majors and accreditation

• Departments: the General Catalog says the school has seven departments; the school’s facts page lists Bioengineering; Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; Civil and Environmental Engineering; Computer Science; Electrical and Computer Engineering; Materials Science and Engineering; and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, plus the affiliated Department of Computational Medicine.
• Undergraduate majors (transfer admissions page): Aerospace Engineering, Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, leading to the Bachelor of Science. The catalog also mentions manufacturing engineering.
• ABET accreditation (catalog): the undergraduate programs in aerospace, bioengineering, chemical, civil, computer engineering, computer science and engineering, electrical, materials and mechanical engineering are accredited by ABET’s Engineering Accreditation Commission; computer science and computer science and engineering are accredited by ABET’s Computing Accreditation Commission.
• Program features: the catalog overview describes lectures, hands-on work in a makerspace and laboratories, and capstone projects; the degree includes a technical breadth requirement, an ethics requirement and a writing requirement; students are encouraged to take industrial internships and do research. A required co-op program is not described.

2. Admission: apply directly to a major or to undeclared engineering

• Directly to the school: the catalog says applicants must apply directly to the school by selecting one of its majors or the undeclared engineering option (available only to first-year applicants). The choosing-a-major page also says undeclared students are welcome in all divisions of the College and in the School of Engineering.
• No supplemental application: Undergraduate Admission says the Samueli School of Engineering does not require one, and UCLA does not require or accept letters of recommendation or offer interviews.
• “Major does not affect admission” applies to the College only: UCLA says that for applicants to the College of Letters and Science the choice of major neither enhances nor diminishes admission prospects; no such statement is made for engineering. The catalog says selection considers grades, academic preparation, achievement and ability in STEM, demonstrated interest in STEM and the ability to succeed in a rigorous program.
• Changing after applying: changing majors within engineering, or into engineering from another school, is allowed until January 1 by contacting Admission.
• After admission: admitted students may contact the department, change or declare at the New Student Session, or meet a counselor. When and under what conditions “undeclared engineering” students enter a specific major, and the conditions for moving into engineering from another UCLA school, are not stated on the pages we read; contact the school’s Office of Academic and Student Affairs (6426 Boelter Hall) or undergraduate admissions contact ((310) 825-9442, ugradadm@seas.ucla.edu, per the transfer preparation page). That office’s website disallowed Claude in its robots.txt when checked in an earlier review, so we did not visit it.

3. Prerequisites and credit

• A-G courses: 15 UC-approved year-long courses, at least 11 finished before the last year of high school: history/social science 2, English 4, math 3 (4 recommended), laboratory science 2 (3 recommended), language other than English 2 (3 recommended), visual and performing arts 1, and one elective. Applicants are reviewed in the context of courses available at their school.
• Math: the school’s catalog says UC requires at least three years of math, including elementary and advanced algebra and two- and three-dimensional geometry, and that math concluding with calculus or precalculus in senior year is strongly recommended and typical for applicants to UCLA Samueli. No separate physics or chemistry course requirement for first-year applicants is stated.
• AP credit: the catalog says AP scores of 3, 4 or 5 may fulfill part of the school’s requirements per the school’s AP table (the catalog refers to the table for students entering in fall quarter 2024; we did not read the table); students may exceed the 213-unit maximum by the amount of AP credit, and no AP credit is given if 36 quarter units were completed after high school graduation at the time of the exam. IB and A-Level units are not counted in the transfer-credit limit below. How IB or A-Level results map to engineering courses is not published.
• IGETC: UCLA honors full IGETC certification but does not recommend it for School of Engineering applicants.

4. First-year dates, materials and fees

• Dates: the UC application opens August 1 and is filed October 1–November 30 (the same page’s text elsewhere says “October 1–December 1”, so the two differ); decisions in late March; the financial aid filing deadline is March 2; enrollment deposit and housing application by May 1; final transcripts July 1; official AP and IB results July 15. There is no early action or early decision.
• Materials: the UC application and the Personal Insight Questions (choose four of eight, up to 350 words each). Official transcripts are required only after admission.
• Testing: UCLA does not consider SAT or ACT scores for admission or scholarships; scores submitted may only be used to meet eligibility minimums or for course placement after enrollment.
• Application fee: $95 per UC campus (UC’s international applicants page; international students enrolled in a U.S. institution may qualify for $80).
• Admitted profile: UCLA reports an average unweighted GPA of 4.0 for fall 2025 admits.

5. U.S. domestic applicants

• Costs: tuition depends on California residency. The budget UCLA updated in July 2026 (UCLA residence halls, nine months) is $45,500 for California residents: University fees $16,430, housing $12,299, food $7,568, books $1,588, transportation $969, personal $2,761 and health insurance $3,885. Nonresidents add $39,270 in Nonresident Supplemental Tuition, for $84,770. Off-campus apartment and commuter budgets are listed separately, and the health insurance can be waived with adequate coverage. The page lists no extra charge for engineering.
• Residency: UCLA says residency for tuition is determined by a specific process; if your parents are not California residents, the financial independence requirement makes it extremely difficult for most undergraduates to be classified as residents, and transfer students classified as residents elsewhere should not assume they will be here.
• Aid: U.S. citizens and permanent residents file the FAFSA (priority deadline March 2); non-citizens who graduated from a California high school and meet AB540 criteria file the California Dream Act Application. Aid combines scholarships, grants, low-interest loans and work-study. Samueli scholarships are awarded on need, merit or other criteria, and all current and incoming first-year and transfer undergraduates may apply (instructions are on the school’s scholarship page).
• In-state preference or guaranteed admission: not described on the UCLA pages we read.

6. International applicants

• Who counts as international: someone who requires an F-1 visa; U.S. citizens attending an international high school are evaluated within the curriculum they are enrolled in.
• Academic requirements (UC for international applicants): completed secondary education with a certificate that qualifies you for a university in your home country; 15 year-long academic courses with a 3.4 GPA: 2 years of history (your country’s history in place of U.S. history), 4 years of composition and literature in the language of instruction, 3 years of math (elementary and advanced algebra and two- and three-dimensional geometry), 2 years of science, 1 year of visual and performing arts and 1 additional course from the areas above; plus any requirements specific to your country. Academic records are reported in the application and sent only after admission.
• English: applicants whose secondary education was entirely in English are considered proficient; those who studied in a country where English was not the language of instruction and have had less than three years of instruction in English must show proficiency with the TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo. UCLA’s competitive scores: revised TOEFL (from January 21, 2026) 5 or higher with subscores of 5 or higher, or above 100 with subscores above 24 on the previous scale; IELTS 7.5 or above; Duolingo 135 or higher. UCLA does not encourage using the SAT or ACT as proof of English. Scores need not be sent with the application but must be self-reported accurately by January; TOEFL scores sent to one UC campus reach all campuses, while IELTS and Duolingo scores must go to each campus. Admitted students whose native language is not English may be required to take the English as a Second Language Placement Examination (ESLPE).
• Funds: UCLA does not award scholarships or financial aid to undergraduates who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents (California high school graduates who meet AB540 criteria can use the California Dream Act Application). International students must prove sufficient funds; the example given for fall 2026 entry is a minimum of about $80,739, with another $5,000 recommended. The fall 2027 figure is not published. Adequate medical insurance is also required.
• Agents: UCLA says it does not partner with agents and does not endorse using them.

7. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: UCLA’s international applicants page does not mention the Gaokao, and the University of California’s page for China does not ask for Gaokao scores. How Gaokao results are used is not published; contact UCLA Undergraduate Admission.
• Chinese national curriculum (UC’s country page): list all courses and marks from grade 9 through grade 12 exactly as on your official records; if admitted, be prepared to submit the upper middle school graduation certificate and official lower and upper middle school academic records.
• IGCSE/GCE curriculum: at least 5 IGCSE/GCSE/O-Levels and at least 3 academic A-Levels, reported on the International Exams page. IB: report grades exactly as on the transcript and IBO report; predicted scores may be entered if your school releases them, and need not be added later.
• Testing and English: no SAT or ACT; English requirements are in the previous section.

8. Transfer students

• Apply to a specific major: transfer applicants must apply to a major; there is no undeclared engineering option for them, and the school requires no supplemental application. Fall admission only.
• GPA: UCLA’s general transfer requirement is a UC-transferable GPA of 3.2 or higher; applicants to the School of Engineering need at least a 3.4 GPA at the time of application, and UCLA calls engineering admission highly selective. The page says the average GPA of admitted transfer students is above 3.5 and most have completed most or all major prep courses.
• Standing and pattern: junior standing (60 semester or 90 quarter transferable units) by the end of the spring term before transfer and completion of major preparation. The international applicants page says students with about 130 quarter units (three years) or more cannot apply; the UC 7-course pattern also requires two transferable English composition courses, one math course and four courses in at least two subject areas.
• Preparation courses: English: two transferable composition courses. Math: calculus and analytic geometry, calculus of several variables, differential equations and linear algebra (aerospace and mechanical engineering substitute a mathematics of engineering course for differential equations). Physics: calculus-based courses with labs covering mechanics of solids, vibration, wave motion, sound, fluids, heat, electricity and magnetism, electromagnetic waves, light and relativity. Chemistry: two terms of general chemistry with lab (only one for electrical engineering; a year of chemistry with lab plus two terms of organic chemistry for bioengineering and chemical engineering; none for computer engineering, computer science and computer science and engineering). Programming: one course in Java, C, C++ or MATLAB (C++ for electrical engineering and the computer majors, MATLAB preferred for other majors). Bioengineering strongly recommends a year of biology. At least one humanities or social science course for UC eligibility. The catalog adds that C++ equivalent to UCLA CS 31 is needed to be competitive for the computer majors and electrical engineering, and that chemical engineering applicants lacking a MATLAB course will graduate later.
• IGETC: completion of IGETC or UC Reciprocity is not required; partial IGETC is not accepted, and IGETC is not recommended for engineering.
• Double major: possible only if the second major is outside the School of Engineering and approved by the other major and college.
• Priority and international transfers: UCLA gives highest priority to California community college applicants; historically three of every four admitted international transfer students were attending a California community college. UC says it does not accept English composition courses from international universities where English is not the language of instruction.
• Credit limit: the catalog says that after 105 lower-division quarter units, no further unit credit is given for community college or outside-UC lower-division courses (subject credit may still satisfy requirements).
• Dates: the application opens August 1 and is filed October 1–November 30; the January update period has a January 31 priority date; decisions come in late April; the statement of intent to register is due June 1; the deadline for changing to an engineering major is January 1, 2027. Admit rates for individual engineering majors are not published on the pages we read; the transfer major page shows only Computer Science (a three-year average of 4% of 1,865 applicants) and does not say whether that applies to other engineering majors.

Checklist

U.S. domestic applicants:

• File the UC application October 1–November 30, choosing an engineering major or undeclared engineering; no SAT/ACT or supplemental application is needed
• Finish the 15 A-G courses; take math through calculus or precalculus in senior year and three years of science
• File the FAFSA by March 2, and note the California resident and nonresident cost difference

International applicants (including China):

• Same filing window; a 3.4 GPA in the UC course pattern plus your country’s requirements; TOEFL 5 (revised scale), IELTS 7.5 or Duolingo 135, self-reported by January
• Chinese curriculum students list every course and mark from grades 9–12; plan funds around the $84,770 nonresident budget (which includes insurance), since UCLA offers international undergraduates no scholarships or aid
• Ask Admission how the Gaokao is used

Transfer students:

• Have a GPA of 3.4 or higher when applying and finish major prep by the spring before transfer; apply to a specific engineering major; partial IGETC is not accepted

Sources: UCLA and the University of California, First-year applicants; First-year requirements; Choosing a major; International applicants; Transfer applicants; Transfer preparation for Engineering; Deciding on a major as a transfer; Tuition and fees; Financial aid and scholarships; General Catalog: school admission; General Catalog: departments and accreditation; General Catalog: policies; General Catalog: overview; Samueli scholarships; UC requirements for international applicants; UC first-year information by country. First-year and transfer page dates show no year; the transfer page’s change-of-major deadlines (December 1, 2026 and January 1, 2027) point to fall 2027 entry. The proof-of-funds figure is for fall 2026 entry and costs are the budget updated in July 2026. Check UCLA and UC for the latest details.