How to apply to TCU for engineering: one Bachelor of Science in Engineering in the Davis College of Science & Engineering, the same courses for three semesters and an electrical or mechanical emphasis chosen before the fourth, with admission routes and prerequisites for U.S., international (including Chinese) and transfer students

Undergraduate engineering at Texas Christian University (TCU, in Fort Worth, Texas) is offered by the Department of Engineering in the Louise Dilworth Davis College of Science & Engineering. TCU’s website shows one engineering bachelor’s degree. Here is what you need to know, based on TCU’s website, for U.S. students, international students and applicants from China, followed by transfer students. Computer science is covered in a separate guide.

1. The degree: one engineering major, two emphases

• One major: the Bachelor of Science in Engineering, with an electrical or mechanical emphasis. TCU describes it as an interdisciplinary degree merging mechanical and electrical engineering; the department lists no other engineering degree.
• Three identical semesters: the programs of study are identical for the first three semesters, and you choose your emphasis before the start of the fourth semester. Everyone finishes with a three-semester design sequence; senior design projects are industry sponsored.
• Credit hours: the major page says at least 129 hours in total across the TCU Core Curriculum, engineering and associated requirements, including 64 hours of engineering courses (43 in the engineering core and 21 in the emphasis). The catalog says a minimum of 67 hours on a 129-hour degree and at least 19 hours in the emphasis (including 6 hours of approved electives), which does not quite match the major page’s 64 and 21. We give both.
• ABET: the program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET under the General Criteria with no applicable program criteria.
• Size: the accreditation page shows 2025-2026 enrollment of 105, 69, 59 and 53 in years one to four (286 in total) and 53 undergraduate degrees awarded that year.
• Internships and careers: the career page describes career consultants, career and internship expos twice a year with more than 100 employers, and an internship scholar program for students who find their own internships; TCU does not describe a required co-op program.

2. How admission works

• Getting into engineering: neither the engineering department pages nor the catalog state a separate admission threshold, GPA requirement or enrollment limit for engineering, or a route through an undeclared category; TCU has not published one. Ask admissions (frogmail@tcu.edu, 817-257-7490) how to indicate your major when applying.
• Review: TCU reads applications holistically and stresses that there are no cut-scores.
• Choosing an emphasis: after enrolling you follow the department’s four-year sequence (one for electrical, one for mechanical) and choose before the fourth semester.

3. Prerequisites and credit by exam

• High school courses: TCU has not published specific high school math or physics requirements for engineering. The degree’s associated requirements are taken at TCU: Calculus I, II and III, Differential Equations, Statistics, Physics I (Mechanics, with lab) and Physics II (Electromagnetism and Optics, with lab), General Chemistry I (or General Chemistry for Engineering Students), and one programming course from a short list.
• Engineering core (catalog): Static Mechanics, Engineering Design and Graphics, Circuit Analysis and Design I and II, Solid Mechanics I, Dynamics and Vibrations I, Materials Science, Electronics I, Control Systems I, Thermal Sciences I, Issues in Engineering Design, Engineering Economic Analysis, Electromechanics, and Systems Design I and II.
• AP credit (credit chart; no letter grade, not counted toward honors): Calculus AB 4 or 5 gives Calculus I (4 hours); Calculus BC 3 or 4 gives Calculus I, and 5 gives Calculus I and II (8 hours); Physics C: Mechanics and Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism at 4 or 5 give Physics I (Mechanics) and Physics II (Electromagnetism and Optics), 4 hours each; Chemistry 4 gives General Chemistry I and 5 gives General Chemistry I and II (8 hours); Computer Science A at 4 or 5 gives Introduction to Programming (3 hours).
• IB credit: Mathematics Analysis and Approaches HL at 6 or 7 gives Calculus I; Physics HL at 5–7 gives PHYS 10154 and 10164; Chemistry HL gives General Chemistry I at 6 and I and II at 7.
• Rules: credit by exam can be earned only in the first 66 semester hours; the academic dean decides whether it satisfies specific, general or elective requirements; credit is not given in a lower-level course after a more advanced one; an official score report is required.

4. How and when to apply, and testing

• Application: the TCU Application, Common App, Coalition App or ApplyTexas (all read equally). $50 nonrefundable fee, waived for first-generation applicants, students with an ACT/College Board waiver, students in the federal free or reduced lunch program, and applicants affected by a recent natural disaster.
• Materials: an official high school transcript sent by your school; an essay (250–650 words on the first-year page, 300–500 on the Chinese-language page, which conflict, so follow the application); counselor and teacher recommendations submitted by school officials. The engineering department lists no supplemental essay.
• Deadlines (no year stated; check the version for fall 2027 entry): 1 November for Early Action (non-binding, decision by 1 January, reply by 1 May) and Early Decision I (binding, commit by 15 January); 1 February for Regular Decision (decision by 1 April) and Early Decision II (binding, commit by 15 March); 1 May is the national candidate reply date. For Chancellor’s Scholars consideration, TCU recommends applying by 1 November and to the John V. Roach Honors College by 15 November.
• Testing: test-optional through 2028 high school graduates, which includes fall 2027 entry. Under TCU’s “Do No Harm” policy, a submitted score that would hurt your admission or scholarship chances is excluded, and students can receive the most attractive scholarships without test scores. For students entering in fall 2026 the middle 50% scored 1310–1460 on the SAT and 29–33 on the ACT. TCU superscores and does not accept scores from tests taken after February of senior year.

5. U.S. students: costs and scholarships

• Tuition: TCU is private; its cost page lists one tuition figure with no in-state and out-of-state difference and no engineering surcharge; TCU has not published one there. For 2026-27, tuition for 12–18 hours is $66,520, the student government fee $90, on-campus housing and food $18,780 (typical first-year housing $12,080 and a basic meal plan $6,700), books about $700, for a direct cost of $86,090 on campus.
• First-year academic scholarships (awarded automatically from the application, including for students who do not submit test scores; 2026 admits): Chancellor’s full tuition for four years (with its own competitive application), Dean’s $32,000 a year, Faculty $30,000, TCU $27,000, Founders’ $17,000 and Purple and White $12,000, for up to eight semesters. The middle 50% of 2026 recipients had an unweighted GPA (English, humanities, languages other than English, math, science and social science) of 3.8–3.98.
• Need-based aid: file the FAFSA and the CSS Profile (code 6820).
• Texas-resident benefits: not described on the pages we read.

6. International students

• Materials: the same as for U.S. students (application, $50 fee, transcript, essay, recommendations), plus proof of English. The Chinese-language application guide lists TOEFL 80 or higher, IELTS 6.5 or higher, Duolingo 110 or higher, or at least three years at an English-medium high school; the international FAQ page’s content did not load for us.
• Need-aware: TCU says it considers a family’s financial situation for international applicants; applicants who can contribute at least $40,000 a year are the most competitive, and those applying for need-based aid must also submit the CSS Profile for International Students and will not get a decision until the aid application arrives. The international scholarship page separately says students with less than $21,000 a year in personal resources will not be admitted, and its cost data are for 2020-2021; the numbers conflict, so confirm with admissions.
• Scholarships and aid: international first-years can be considered for the academic scholarships in section 5; need-based aid ranges from $2,000 to $41,570 a year; TCU says it does not offer full-funding awards, and the average aid package is about $25,000 with a maximum of $51,570 (scholarships and aid combined). CSS Profile deadlines for fall are 1 February for first-years and 15 April for transfers.
• Visa funding: applicants who need a visa submit the TCU Financial Statement signed by applicant and sponsor, with letters from the sponsor’s employer and bank showing the average and current balance and funds for a full year and resources for later years; it must be submitted with a nonrefundable enrollment fee before an I-20 is issued.
• Work: on-campus jobs are available after enrolling, up to 20 hours a week in term and full-time in vacations; off-campus work is not permitted on F-1 or J-1 visas.
• 2026-27 direct cost for international students: tuition $66,520, student government fee $90, housing and food $18,780, health insurance $2,846 and books $700, for $88,936, plus indirect costs (travel $1,374, personal $2,278 and others).
• Engineering conditions: no additional conditions for international applicants to engineering are published.

7. Applicants from China

• Chinese-language guide: TCU admissions has a Chinese-language page listing the materials (one essay, an official transcript sent by your school, SAT/ACT not required, the $50 fee, English proof, school-submitted recommendations) and the contact frogworld@tcu.edu. Some figures on it are dated (the years it cites are old) and its essay length differs from the first-year page, so check the current pages.
• Gaokao: none of the pages we read mention it. Whether Gaokao scores can be used has not been published; ask admissions. Gaokao English is not among the accepted proofs.
• Transcripts: your school must send them electronically or in a sealed envelope; transcripts you send yourself are not accepted. Huikao records and credential evaluation have not been published.
• Interview: an optional video interview is mentioned for international transfer applicants; for freshmen, TCU has not published one.
• Timing and funding: see sections 4 and 6; prepare the CSS Profile at the same time if you need aid.

8. Transfer students

• Requirements: at least 12 transferable credits from a regionally accredited college in a fall or spring semester, and a transfer GPA of 2.7 or higher (some majors require more; whether engineering does has not been published); good academic, disciplinary and financial standing.
• Materials: $50 fee, transcripts from every college attended, high school transcript, a 300–500 word essay, and disciplinary standing forms from colleges attended in the last five years. The engineering department lists no supplemental essay.
• Deadlines (no year stated): fall early action 1 February; summer and fall international final 15 April; U.S. fall final 1 June; U.S. spring 1 November; international spring 1 October.
• International transfers: TOEFL 80 or IELTS 6.5 (waived with strong SAT/ACT scores or 24 transferable U.S. college hours including English composition), plus the TCU Financial Statement with bank and employer letters; an optional video interview.
• Transfer credit in engineering: the college requires a petition, approved by your advisor and the engineering department chair, to take courses elsewhere for TCU credit; engineering courses need evidence of equivalence. Only one engineering course is allowed from another university; a second needs strong justification.
• Transfer scholarships (table labelled 2025-2026, automatic except Chancellor’s): Chancellor’s full tuition for three years (60 hours, 3.85 GPA, two recommendations, essay, résumé and interview); Dean’s $30,000 a year (12 hours, 3.75); Faculty $27,000 (3.5); Phi Theta Kappa $27,000 (3.25); TCU $25,000 (3.25); Founders’ $15,000 (3.0), all for four years. AP and CLEP credit does not count toward transfer hours or transfer GPA.

Checklist

U.S. students:

• Apply by 1 November (EA / ED I) or 1 February (Regular / ED II); $50 fee, waived in some cases; two school recommendations and an essay
• Test-optional; build a calculus and physics foundation in high school; AP Calculus AB at 4 earns credit for Calculus I
• Three identical semesters, then choose electrical or mechanical before the fourth

International students (including applicants from China):

• TOEFL 80, IELTS 6.5 or Duolingo 110; CSS Profile by 1 February if you need aid; Financial Statement and bank letters
• Use of the Gaokao has not been published; email frogworld@tcu.edu or admissions

Transfer students:

• 12 transferable hours and a 2.7 GPA; only one engineering course can transfer from another university, with department chair approval

Sources: Texas Christian University, Department of Engineering; Engineering major; ABET accreditation; Career resources; BS in Engineering requirements; First-year application and deadlines; Testing policy; Credit by exam; Chinese-language application guide; Cost estimate; First-year scholarships; International scholarships and aid; Transfer application; Transfer requirements; Transfer scholarships. Costs are for 2026-27, first-year scholarships reflect 2026 admits, the deadline page states no year, and the transfer scholarship table is labelled 2025-2026; check TCU for the latest.