How to Apply to Engineering at UT Arlington: Twelve Undergraduate Degrees in the College of Engineering, and the 2.0 GPA and 24-Hour Benchmarks New Students Meet Before Moving Into a Department, for Domestic and International (Including Chinese) Applicants and Transfer Students

At The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), undergraduate engineering is offered by the College of Engineering. Based on UTA’s website, this guide is organised for U.S. domestic applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students. UTA lists computer science, software engineering and computer engineering among the college’s 12 bachelor’s degrees; computer science has its own guide on this site, so it is not covered here.

1. Degrees and accreditation

• 12 bachelor’s degrees (College of Engineering undergraduate page), all Bachelor of Science: aerospace, architectural, biomedical, civil, computer, electrical, industrial, mechanical, resource and energy, and software engineering; computer science; and construction management. Biomedical engineering offers concentrations in tissue engineering and medical imaging.
• ABET accreditation: the website describes the aerospace, architectural, biomedical, civil, computer engineering, computer science, construction management, electrical, industrial, mechanical and software engineering degrees as ABET-accredited and completable in four years. For resource and energy engineering, UTA says it will seek ABET accreditation after its first class graduates.
• Minors: aerospace, biomedical, computer science, electrical, industrial, materials science and engineering, mechanical, nanotechnology, nuclear, resource and energy, space systems and sustainable engineering.
• Co-op: the catalog describes a Cooperative Education Program that alternates study with paid work, or runs part-time work alongside classes, and students earn a certificate noted on the transcript. In work terms students register for ENGR 2100, 3100, 4100 or 3000; students classified as full-time this way are not eligible for financial aid. The Kelcy Warren Career Experience Center helps place students in internships and co-ops.

2. How admission works: college, then department, then professional program

• Admitted to a specific major or not: the catalog says students entering directly from high school, or with fewer than 24 transferable hours, are initially advised by the Division of Student Success (DSS) and move to College of Engineering advising when they reach GPA and course milestones; the college’s advising page calls this stage the University Advising and Engagement Center (UAEC). The catalog’s undergraduate admission regulations also say entering students who are not ready to declare are admitted as undeclared. The pages we read do not say plainly which status engineering applicants receive at admission; ask Admissions or the college.
• Moving into a College of Engineering department: by the end of the first two long semesters (fall and spring) students need at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA and at least 24 credit hours. Students who have not met this after three semesters are strongly encouraged to consider other majors, and students who have not met it after four semesters must declare a major outside the college. A 2.0 is only the minimum: some departments require 2.5 for good standing, and students who transition below 2.5 may enter on probation.
• Professional program (catalog): all pre-professional courses with a C or better, at least 12 hours of required math, science and engineering taken at UTA, compliance with the Three-Attempt Rule, and each department’s three GPA minimums. In Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, for example, students need a 2.50 overall, in required math, science and engineering courses, and in required department courses, with no more than four unsuccessful attempts in engineering courses; unconditional transfer into that department likewise needs a 2.50 in science, math and engineering courses. Other departments’ numbers are in their catalog sections, which we did not check one by one.
• Three-Attempt Rule: any course required for, or preparatory to, the degree may be attempted at most three times at UTA or elsewhere, and a W counts. Students who cannot earn a C in a pre-professional course within three attempts must change to a major outside the college or to an engineering program without that course.
• Changing in from another UTA college: treated like transfer students; those with under 24 transferable hours use the high school criteria and those with 24 or more follow the transfer section below.

3. Prerequisites

• College criteria for students from high school (catalog): meet UTA admission requirements, present a satisfactory SAT or ACT score, and, except for construction management, complete the prerequisites to enroll in Calculus I (MATH 1426) and General Chemistry (CHEM 1441 or 1465). Construction management does not require MATH 1426.
• High school courses: the engineering page says a high school diploma or equivalent is required for all bachelor’s degrees in engineering, and high school calculus is recommended but not required.
• Math placement: UTA says its engineering curriculum begins at the calculus level. Students who place into College Algebra (other than construction management students) are strongly encouraged to complete it in the summer before the first semester, at UTA or a community college. Starting in College Algebra may mean being unable to take major courses such as Chemistry for Engineers, a first year of mostly core courses and a compressed second year with several math, science and engineering courses at once. Finishing it early lets students start precalculus in the fall, delaying them one semester instead of two.
• AP/IB credit: the engineering pages we read do not list how AP or IB credit applies to engineering courses; ask Admissions or a college advisor. “Advanced credits” (dual enrollment, AP, IB, honors) also appear in the first-year admission table below.

4. Deadlines, documents and testing

• Priority dates (first-year page, no year stated): fall February 15, spring October 15, summer April 1. Later applications are accepted, but guaranteed consideration needs the file complete by the date. Scholarship deadlines: fall March 1, spring November 1. Confirm the exact fall 2027 dates with Admissions.
• The catalog gives different dates: its priority table lists first-year applicants at June 1 (fall), December 1 (spring) and April 1 (summer), and international students at May 1, October 1 and March 1. Both sets are shown here; plan for the earlier ones.
• Application and fee: the Common App is recommended and ApplyTexas is also accepted. The catalog lists a $75 non-refundable application fee; fee waivers are available to eligible applicants.
• Transcripts: students may use the self-reported academic record system (STARS) for faster processing or submit official transcripts.
• Essays and recommendations: UTA says it does not require an essay. The individual holistic review asks for a short personal statement on the application about challenges during high school and how the student overcame them. The pages we read list no recommendation letters and no extra engineering essay; neither is published.
• Testing: the first-year and international first-year pages say UTA is currently test optional, with scores helping admission, exemptions and scholarships. The international rules differ: the catalog says international freshmen with under 24 hours of college work must submit the SAT or ACT, with minimums of SAT 980 or ACT 19 for students educated outside the U.S. The college criteria above also mention a satisfactory SAT or ACT score. Both are listed here; confirm with Admissions.

5. U.S. domestic applicants

• Guaranteed admission (first-year page, unweighted GPA on a 4.0 scale): a 3.25 GPA needs no test scores; top quartile has no other minimum; second quartile needs SAT 1130 or ACT 23 and 5 advanced credits; third quartile needs SAT 1250 or ACT 26 and 9 advanced credits; students without a rank need a GPA of 3.0–3.24 with SAT 1130 or ACT 23, or 2.90–2.99 with SAT 1250 or ACT 26. Advanced credits include dual enrollment, AP, IB and honors. Applicants who miss these go automatically to individual holistic review of the record, advanced credits, GPA, test scores and a personal statement; students admitted this way are conditionally admitted and must earn a 2.0 GPA in the first term.
• Texas residents: UTA also lists Bound for Success (top 25% of the class starting in junior year), Promise Partnerships (Dallas County, Red River, Texoma), the T3 Partnership and an Early Admission Program; see those pages for details. The pages we read give Texas residents no priority or guaranteed admission specific to engineering.
• Cost (2026-2027 average, full-time undergraduate, in-state): tuition and fees $12,208, books $1,000, on-campus housing and meals $12,990, transportation $3,280 and personal $2,164, for a total of $31,642.
• Engineering charges: the catalog says each engineering course carries a “designated tuition” charge. The rate is not stated on the pages we read; see UTA’s Office of Student Accounts.
• Scholarships: every new student is reviewed automatically; see section 9.

6. International applicants

• Academic requirements: the international first-year page uses the same guaranteed-admission GPA table (3.25+ with no test minimum; 3.0–3.24 with SAT 1130/ACT 23; 2.90–2.99 with SAT 1250/ACT 26), with holistic review for those who miss it. Applicants need secondary studies equivalent to U.S. high school graduation. The catalog says documents must be attested as true copies by the school, notarized copies are not used, and non-English documents need complete official English translations.
• Credential evaluation: non-U.S. transcripts are uploaded to Foreign Credentials Service of America (FCSA) for review, with a $90 FCSA processing fee collected at upload.
• English: TOEFL iBT 79 (4 on the 6-point scale), IELTS 6.5, and Duolingo 100 for non-engineering majors or 105 for engineering majors. Scores must be sent by the testing agency.
• Exemptions: graduates of secondary or post-secondary schools in the countries the catalog lists (including Canada except Quebec, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and India) who meet English proficiency; SAT verbal 480 or ACT English 19; completion of an English-based IB, AP, “American” or “British” curriculum; English Composition I and II with a C or better plus 24 more transferable hours at a U.S. institution; or a degree from a U.S.-accredited institution. China is not on the list.
• Financial documents: students who need an I-20 submit a financial statement form and supporting documents (online upload allowed), plus a passport copy and I-94; students already in F-1 status submit a school transfer notification.
• Costs: 2026-2027 non-resident tuition and fees average $27,494, and the total with books, housing and meals, transportation and personal costs is $46,928; the cost page does not list international students separately. Tuberculosis screening is required before registration, and F-1/J-1 students need qualifying health insurance (the UT-SHIP plan meets it).
• Scholarships: international freshmen are reviewed automatically; the International Grant can reach $5,000–$10,000 (section 9).
• Advising after admission: the international pages we read do not say whether international freshmen also begin under DSS advising; ask Admissions.

7. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the catalog asks freshmen for secondary school transcripts, diplomas, certificates and national test scores appropriate to their country’s system. It does not say what Gaokao score is needed or how it is used; this is not published, so ask Admissions.
• Documents: Chinese transcripts and diplomas attested by the school as true copies (not notarized), with official English translations; non-U.S. transcripts go to FCSA.
• International curricula: completing an English-based IB, AP or British curriculum waives the English test, and AP/IB credits count toward the “advanced credits” in the admission table.
• Country page, interview, accrediting bodies: the pages we read have no China-specific page, interview or list of recognised credentials; check with the international undergraduate admissions team.

8. Transfer students

• University requirements: a minimum GPA of 2.25. Students with fewer than 24 transferable hours are treated as freshmen and must also meet first-year requirements. Grades of D or below do not transfer, credits must come from regionally accredited institutions, and the international transfer page excludes developmental and vocational courses from the hour and GPA calculations.
• College of Engineering (24 hours or more, including students changing within UTA): complete at least the prerequisites for MATH 1426 with no more than three attempts per prerequisite; earn a GPA of 3.0 or higher in transferred courses applicable to the degree plan and in all transferred courses; and follow the C-grade and Three-Attempt rules. Construction management does not require MATH 1426.
• Credit: only equivalent courses in ABET-accredited programs, or lower-division courses accepted by the college or department, count toward an engineering degree. Credit in a continuing sequence is validated only after the next course is passed at UTA, and engineering students need the department’s written permission before taking courses elsewhere for UTA credit.
• Deadlines (transfer pages, no year stated): priority dates fall March 1, spring October 15 and summer April 1; scholarship deadlines fall March 1, spring November 1. The transfer page recommends ApplyUTA with ApplyTexas as an option, while elsewhere on the same page it says UTA accepts ApplyTexas. International transfer students meet the same English requirements as freshmen.
• Documents and advising: official transcripts from every institution attended; international transfer students send non-U.S. transcripts to FCSA. Transfer students with 24 or more hours are advised directly by the college; those undecided on an engineering major or conditionally admitted are advised by the Engineering Student Success Center.

9. Scholarships

• Automatic review: every incoming freshman receives a holistic review by the Scholarship Committee based on GPA, test scores (optional but encouraged) and course difficulty; a qualifying unweighted cumulative GPA plus either test scores or course rigor is required. Awards are competitive and not guaranteed. The pages we read list no scholarship specific to the College of Engineering for new students.
• Freshman awards: Presidential Honors $13,000 a year; Presidential $10,000 a year (up to $40,000 over four years); Maverick Academic $1,000–$8,000 a year for fall and $1,000–$4,000 for spring, renewable for up to three more years. Spring Maverick awards are open only to Texas residents.
• Non-resident waivers and grants (2026-2027 table): Presidential Honors, Presidential and the $8,000 Maverick award are eligible for in-state tuition rates. The $4,000, $2,000 and $1,000 Maverick awards may carry a Non-Resident Grant (up to $5,000, $2,500 and $1,000) or an International Grant (up to $10,000, $8,000 and $5,000). These depend on funding, are not guaranteed, and need no separate application. Spring awards are not eligible. Non-resident students from Oklahoma who receive a competitive freshman scholarship also receive a waiver of the Oklahoma Non-Resident Tuition Increment. Some departmental scholarships include a non-resident tuition waiver, but not all.
• Need-based aid: U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens apply through the FAFSA. International students are not eligible for U.S. federal aid; the pages we read do not describe institutional need-based aid for them.

Checklist

U.S. domestic applicants:

• Check your GPA, class rank and test scores against the guaranteed-admission table; complete your file by the March 1 scholarship deadline
• Finish courses that prepare you for Calculus I and General Chemistry; if math placement is College Algebra, take it the summer before
• Reach a 2.0 cumulative GPA and 24 hours in the first two long semesters to move into a department

International applicants (including China):

• TOEFL 79, IELTS 6.5 or Duolingo 105 (engineering), or check the IB/AP English waiver
• Send non-U.S. transcripts to FCSA ($90), prepare English translations, and ask Admissions whether SAT/ACT is required
• Prepare the financial statement form for the I-20

Transfer students:

• For 24+ hours into engineering, aim for a 3.0 GPA in transferred courses and prerequisites for MATH 1426, with no more than three attempts each

Sources: The University of Texas at Arlington, Undergraduate degree programs, College of Engineering; Transition into the College of Engineering; Advising for engineering students; College of Engineering (2026-2027 catalog); BS in Mechanical Engineering (catalog); Undergraduate admission regulations; First-year students; International first-year students; Transfer students; International transfer students; Average cost; Maverick Academic Scholarship; Presidential Scholarship; Non-resident tuition waiver and grants. Deadlines on the application pages do not state a year; costs are for 2026-2027. Check UTA’s website for the latest.