How to Apply to Engineering at Cal State Long Beach: Twelve Undergraduate Programs in the Hung Family College of Engineering, Admission by STEM Index into Pre-Major Status, for Domestic and International (Including Chinese) Applicants and Transfer Students

Undergraduate engineering at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is offered by the Hung Family College of Engineering. This guide follows CSULB’s website and is organised for U.S. domestic applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students. Computer science is in the college and has its own guide on this site, so it is not covered here.

1. Programs in the college

• Six departments: Biomedical Engineering; Chemical Engineering; Civil Engineering and Construction Engineering Management; Computer Engineering and Computer Science; Electrical Engineering; Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. The college page says it has 12 undergraduate and 7 graduate programs, with Environmental Engineering, in the Civil Engineering and Construction Engineering Management department, as the newest.
• Undergraduate programs (undergraduate programs page): Aerospace Engineering, Applied Data Science, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Construction Management, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Technology, Environmental Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. The transfer requirements page also lists Computer & Electronics Engineering Technology.
• ABET accreditation: the program pages for Mechanical, Aerospace, Chemical, Civil and Electrical Engineering state accreditation by ABET’s Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC). The Biomedical and Environmental Engineering pages do not state accreditation, and we did not read the Computer Engineering, Engineering Technology and Construction Management pages; check the program pages.
• Internships: the college’s Office of Professional Development and Internships offers resume reviews, mock interviews, employer events and internship lists sent twice a semester. The page describes the benefits of internships and co-ops but does not describe a fixed paid co-op program; contact coe-internships@csulb.edu.

2. How admission works: choose a major; STEM Index ranking into pre-major status

• Decisions are by intended major: first-year applicants choose a major or apply undeclared, and the application process page says CSULB makes admission decisions based on intended majors only.
• STEM majors use a STEM Index: engineering is a STEM major, so applicants are ranked on a STEM Eligibility Index that places extra weight on math and science. Admission is to pre-major status; continuing in the major depends on meeting specific lower-division course and GPA requirements at CSULB. Those requirements are not given on the pages we read; check CSULB’s major-specific degree requirements for CSULB students or ask the college.
• How the STEM Index is calculated: 600 × high school math GPA + 600 × high school science GPA, using approved college-preparatory (A–G) courses taken after grade 9, with bonus points for up to eight honors-level grades (including up to two IB, AP or honors courses taken in tenth grade). Initial decisions use self-reported grades (usually through grades 10 and 11), and offers are provisional until final transcripts are verified.
• Minimums: for graduates of California high schools and other California residents, a 2.5 GPA in college-prep subjects and a 3,600 STEM Index (higher than the CSU systemwide minimum); for non-California residents, a 3.0 GPA and a 3,600 STEM Index. Meeting the minimum means you are considered, not that you are admitted.
• Local and non-local applicants: applicants who are local by high school or military status are offered admission if they meet the 3,600 STEM Index; local applicants below 3,600 who have a 2.5 college-prep GPA and a 3,200 CSULB Index are offered admission as undeclared. Other eligible applicants are ranked by STEM Index and admitted as space is available in the major or college. The page notes that undeclared is not a route to the intended major, and students must meet the major’s criteria before declaring by their junior year.
• Testing: the CSU does not use SAT/ACT in admission decisions; admitted students may send scores for English or math placement.
• Changing into the college: not described on the pages we read.
• CSULB warns that admission is very competitive, that many eligible applicants will not be admitted, and that you should have a backup plan.

3. Prerequisites

• CSU college-prep pattern (15 yearly units, each course with a C or better): history and social science 2 years (including 1 year of U.S. history or half a year each of U.S. history and civics/government), English 4, math 3 (4 recommended, including Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II or higher), laboratory science 2 (1 biological and 1 physical), the same foreign language for 2 years, visual and performing arts 1, and 1 college-prep elective.
• The college’s recommendations (first-year page): 4 years of math (algebra, geometry, precalculus, calculus), 4 years of lab science (physics, chemistry, biology), 4 of English, 2 of social science, 2–3 of electives (such as computer science, art, music, speech) and 2 of a foreign language. It says students with a solid base in science and math are more likely to succeed and that CSULB strongly recommends STEM applicants complete math beyond the CSU minimum.
• Math placement: admitted students can use SAT/ACT scores for math placement; other placement tests are not described on the pages we read.
• AP and IB credit for engineering courses: not covered on the pages we read; see the test-credit information for admitted students and the college’s advisors.

4. Rounds, materials and fees

• U.S. first-year filing period: October 1 to November 30 for the following fall; one application per academic year, submitted through Cal State Apply. Check that the dates apply to fall 2027.
• International filing period: the international page lists fall as October 1 to April 1 with documents due April 15, and spring as July 1 to October 1 with documents due October 15. This differs from the November 30 date above; both pages are on csulb.edu. The international FAQ says late applications are not accepted and deadlines are firm, so confirm with International Enrollment Management which dates apply to you. No year is shown.
• Application fee: the fee page lists a $70 application or reapplication fee; the FAQ says CSULB does not offer fee waivers.
• Materials: decisions rely on the self-reported academic history in the application; admitted students send official transcripts, with the final high school transcript due by July 15, and accept the offer and pay a non-refundable enrollment deposit by May 1. The pages we read do not list an engineering-specific essay or recommendation letters; this is not published.
• Offers: normally made in early spring for fall and provisional on finishing all senior-year courses with a C or better, completing A–G courses and graduating on time.

5. U.S. domestic applicants

• Testing: not used.
• Tuition (fee page, 2026–2027; check 2027–2028): undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees per semester for California residents are $2,938 part-time (0–6 units) and $4,365 full-time (7 or more units); non-residents add $471 per unit (the page’s example for 12 units is $10,017). Some courses have extra course fees. An engineering-specific differential fee is not listed on the fee page.
• Local preference: applicants who are local by high school get preference as described above; the “Local Area Preference” page was not read.
• Scholarships: the college lists more than 40 donor-created scholarships of $500–$5,000, totalling nearly $300,000 a year, open to all CSULB students regardless of sex, race or ethnicity. Whether they are awarded automatically is not stated; see each scholarship’s description. For aid in general, see CSULB’s Financial Aid and Scholarships page.

6. International applicants

• Grades: for students graduating from a high school outside the United States, the minimum cumulative GPA for all majors is 3.0 on CSULB’s GPA scale, with at least 1 year of high school math and at least 3 years for STEM majors. The page cautions that grades on your transcript may not equal your evaluated grades at CSULB. How the STEM Index and ranking apply to international applicants is not explained.
• Other systems: CBSE credits have been accepted since fall 2025; Cambridge IGCSE graduates provide at least five subjects plus at least two A/AS subjects.
• English minimums (undergraduate): TOEFL iBT 61 (3.5 on the new scale for tests after January 21, 2026), IELTS 6.0, Duolingo 105, Pearson 43, Cambridge English 162, Eiken Pre-1, or completion of Level 4 at CSULB’s American Language Institute (ALI). Home Edition TOEFL is accepted and MyBest is not. The FAQ also says an SAT evidence-based reading and writing score of 550 or an ACT English score of 22 meets the requirement. Academically qualified undergraduates can be admitted conditionally through ALI; a medium-of-instruction letter is not accepted as a waiver.
• English waivers: a degree from a U.S. regionally accredited institution; transfer applicants with over 60 transferable semester units from a U.S. institution; first-year applicants with three years at a U.S. high school or at a U.S. accredited institution abroad; or education in a listed country (including Canada except Quebec, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, South Africa and Nigeria). China is not on the list.
• Documents: documents from non-U.S. schools may be official or unofficial (unofficial ones go through the International Admissions document portal you are linked to after applying; official ones can be mailed or sent by the school’s registrar); first-year applicants send transcripts with grade 12 first-semester grades; non-English documents need translations.
• Costs (international costs page, no year shown; check fall 2027): tuition and fees $19,646, estimated living expenses $26,332, and a stated total of $47,204 a year; the FAQ separately lists medical insurance of $1,900 and the pages do not say whether the total includes it. The exact proof-of-funds amount for the I-20 is not given on the pages we read.
• Scholarships: the international scholarship page lists no scholarship specific to international students; it points to the Study California scholarship, notes that EducationUSA offices may have financial information, mentions private loans, and says full-time international students can work on campus up to 20 hours a week (40 in breaks). Whether international students can apply for the college’s donor scholarships is not stated.

7. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the international and admissions pages we read do not mention China or say whether or how Gaokao results are used. This is not published; contact International Enrollment Management (the international page offers online appointments).
• Transcripts: see the document rules above. Huikao materials, interviews and credential-evaluation agencies are not described on the international pages.
• English: China is not on the waiver list, so submit an accepted test, or qualify through SAT EBRW 550 or ACT English 22.
• Math: STEM majors need at least 3 years of high school math; how Chinese high school courses are counted is not explained.

8. Transfer students

• University level (transfer eligibility page): 60 transferable semester units (or 90 quarter units); an overall GPA of at least 2.00 in all transferable work; good standing at the last institution; at least 30 semester units of CSU general education; and a C or better in the “Golden Four” (English composition, critical thinking, oral communication, math/quantitative reasoning). Requirements must be met by the end of the prior spring for fall admission or the prior summer for spring admission. You must choose a major when applying, and if you do not qualify you will not be considered for an alternate major.
• Fall 2027 engineering requirements (the page says they apply to fall 2027 and spring 2028 only): every engineering major listed has a minimum GPA of 2.5, a C or better in the major preparation courses, plus English composition and oral communication:
  • Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Engineering: Calculus I and II (MATH122, 123) and Mechanics and Heat (PHYS151); additional recommended courses include Electricity and Magnetism (PHYS152).
  • Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering: Calculus I and II, PHYS151 and General Chemistry (CHEM111A); recommended extras include Calculus III or PHYS152 and CHEM111B.
  • Computer Engineering: CECS174 (programming and problem solving), Calculus I and II, PHYS151.
  • Computer & Electronics Engineering Technology and Construction Management: Calculus I and General Physics (PHYS100A).
  No engineering major is marked “highly impacted” on that page. Applicants with a California community college Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) are evaluated on the ADT in place of the course list, with 0.1 added to their GPA in ranking.
• Dates: U.S. filing period October 1 to November 30; international transfers fall October 1 to April 1 with documents due April 15. The international page adds that transfer applicants with U.S. college work must also complete a supplemental application (fall period January 4 to February 1, which may vary by year) after filing in Cal State Apply, with Cal State Apply completed by November 30.
• International transfer: at least 60 transferable semester units, with the transferable total decided by International Admissions; applicants without U.S. college work must complete college-level math and meet the English requirement.

Checklist

U.S. domestic applicants:

• File through Cal State Apply October 1–November 30 (confirm fall 2027); math and science grades drive the STEM Index, with a 3,600 minimum
• Take precalculus or calculus; after admission, learn the pre-major course and GPA requirements

International applicants (including China):

• Fall filing to April 1 and documents by April 15 (confirm dates with International Enrollment Management); 3.0 GPA and 3 years of high school math for STEM majors
• Prepare TOEFL 61 or IELTS 6.0; ask how the Gaokao and Chinese courses are treated

Transfer students:

• 60 transferable units and a 2.0 GPA overall; for engineering, a 2.5 GPA and calculus, physics and other prep courses with a C or better

Sources: California State University, Long Beach website, Hung Family College of Engineering; Undergraduate programs; Mechanical Engineering; Aerospace Engineering; College first-year admissions; First-year eligibility; CSULB Index and STEM Index; First-year application process; Transfer eligibility; Fall 2027 transfer major requirements (engineering); International freshmen requirements; International transfer requirements; International deadlines; English requirement; International costs; International scholarships; International FAQ; Tuition and fees; College scholarships; Internships; Engineering Student Success Center. The international deadline and cost pages show no year, and the fee page lists 2026–2027; confirm the versions that apply to fall 2027 entry.