How to Apply to Engineering at Western New England University: Biomedical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Industrial and Mechanical Engineering BSE Degrees with a First Year Program, for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

Western New England University (WNE) is a private university in Springfield, Massachusetts. Undergraduate engineering is taught in the College of Engineering. Computer science is not covered in this article, but computer engineering belongs to the college and is covered below. What follows is organized from the university’s website for domestic students, international students (with a separate section for applicants from China) and transfer students.

1. The undergraduate engineering degrees

The college has six departments, and the engineering degrees are all Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE):

• Biomedical Engineering: BSE.
• Civil Engineering: BSE, with an architectural or environmental engineering concentration available from the junior year.
• Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering (Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering): a BSE in each.
• Industrial Engineering: BSE.
• Mechanical Engineering: BSE; in the junior year you choose general mechanical engineering, aerospace or mechatronics, or take the Green Engineering sequence.
• Construction Management: a separate department whose degree is a BS, not a BSE; the pages read do not state its ABET status.

The program pages say the biomedical, civil, computer, electrical, industrial and mechanical BSE programs are accredited by ABET’s Engineering Accreditation Commission. There are also five-year bachelor’s/master’s programs (mechanical, civil, electrical, industrial and engineering management), a bachelor’s/MBA and a six-year engineering/law program.

2. How admission works and the First Year Program

• The college says engineering first-years take the First Year Program: in the first semester, Introduction to Engineering has teams of four or fewer design, build and compete with an autonomous robot (the Bot Battle); in the second semester, Data Acquisition and Processing has teams build a smart product shown at the spring Emerging Engineers Expo.
• The pages read do not state whether you are admitted directly to a specific engineering major, whether majors are sorted by GPA, or any GPA threshold or seat limit. They also do not state how to move into the college from another major at WNE; ask Admissions (learn@wne.edu). The university has an Exploratory Program for undecided students, and the pages do not say how it connects to engineering.
• After admission, the deposit is $200, due by May 1 (or within two weeks of admission after May 1), credited to the first-semester bill and nonrefundable.

3. Preparation

The admissions requirements page says the College of Engineering requires:

• 4 units of English;
• 1 unit of U.S. history;
• 1 unit of laboratory science plus 1 unit of physics or chemistry (preferably both);
• 4 units of mathematics equal to algebra I, geometry, algebra II and an additional year beyond algebra II (such as pre-calculus), including trigonometry.

The page adds that questions about prerequisites can go to Admissions. How AP or IB credit counts toward engineering courses, and any math placement test, are not stated on the pages read (the transfer pages do say AP, IB and CLEP credit can be accepted).

4. Dates and materials

• Rolling admission: apply any time; decisions typically come two to three weeks after the application is complete. The apply page lists spring 2027 and fall 2027.
• Early Action 1: apply by November 15 to be considered for a $2,000 Early Action Scholarship (the scholarship page says to apply in the fall before you enroll); Early Action 2: apply by February 15 for a $1,000 Early Action Scholarship. Early action is non-binding. May 1 is the fall deposit date. No year is printed, so confirm the dates apply to fall 2027.
• Materials: an official high school transcript (through junior year for students still in school, and senior grades for some). SAT/ACT scores are not required but may be submitted (codes SAT 3962, ACT 1930). Letters of recommendation are not required.
• The pages read do not list an engineering-specific essay and do not state the application fee; check the application or Admissions. You may use the university’s own application or the Common Application.
• There is no separate Honors application; first-years who meet the GPA standard are invited at admission.

5. Domestic students

• Tuition: the 2026-27 cost table shows tuition of $47,900 and a comprehensive services fee of $3,500, for $51,400; housing and food (double room) of $16,620 brings the total to $68,020. The table has no separate engineering tuition and no in-state/out-of-state split. The site notes most students pay much less after scholarships. The Massachusetts-required health insurance charge of $2,590 (2025-26 rate) is added unless waived.
• Scholarships: merit scholarships based on high school performance are awarded at acceptance with no separate application and renew each year with good standing, full-time status and satisfactory progress. The site gives several amounts: the merit page says $29,000 to $34,000 a year for fall 2026 entry; the cost page says $25,000 to $32,000 (2025-26); the Early Action page says up to $32,000. Ask Admissions which applies.
• Extra awards relevant to engineering: the FIRST Robotics Scholarship ($3,000 automatically for admitted first-years who report FIRST participation on the application, any major, renewable); the NSF scholarship (an NSF S-STEM grant for first-year or transfer students admitted to the College of Engineering with financial need and a FAFSA, up to $15,000 a year, through 2026 to 2032, with a faculty interview); and a $1,000 yearly sibling discount.
• Massachusetts residents: the “Mass Grant Plus Free Tuition Guarantee” says WNE will match the Mass Grant Free Tuition Award for students admitted to a Massachusetts state school, through a Competing Award process. The site also says Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Vermont state scholarships can be used. It does not say residents get priority or guaranteed engineering admission.
• For federal, state and institutional need-based aid, file the FAFSA (code 002226), which the site says opens around December 1; there is no separate WNE aid application.

6. International students

• Dates: international undergraduates are admitted on a rolling basis with no set deadline; the site urges applying early to leave time for the visa.
• Materials: secondary school transcripts in English (with a translation and in-progress grades), a passport copy, proof of English proficiency, a letter of recommendation (listed on the international page), an Affidavit of Support and an official bank letter on bank stationery showing the sponsor has enough funds. The general apply page says recommendation letters are not required while the international page lists one, so confirm with International Admissions (international@wne.edu). SAT/ACT is not required. An I-20 is issued after acceptance.
• English: undergraduates can meet the requirement with SAT Reading and Writing 450, ACT verbal 18, TOEFL iBT 74 (a total of 4 on the new scale for exams on or after January 21, 2026), IELTS 6, PTE Academic 50, Duolingo 100, iTEP 4 or Oxford Test of English 120, among others; scores are valid three years. An IB English grade of 5 to 7 (or 4 on English A Higher Level), AP English 3 or better and others also count. WNE has no on-campus English program but offers conditional admission and lists partner language centers (for example ELS level 112 and Kaplan Advanced). Origin from a listed set of English-speaking countries and territories (for example the U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada except Quebec, and Jamaica) is also accepted.
• Scholarships: the international undergraduate page says international scholarships range from $10,000 to $22,000, partial and limited in number; the merit page says international students are eligible for the same merit scholarships as domestic students. The two statements differ. The NSF scholarship page does not state a citizenship requirement but requires a FAFSA, so ask Admissions whether international students can apply.

7. Applicants from China

• The international admissions page links to an overview in Chinese (among other languages), but the pages read have no page written for Chinese applicants.
• Whether Gaokao results are considered, and how, is not stated on the pages read. Requirements for Chinese high school transcripts or the academic proficiency test are not stated either; the site asks for transcripts with English translations plus any available information on how your courses compare to the U.S. system. Ask International Admissions (international@wne.edu, 413-782-1321).
• Otherwise follow the international materials and English requirements above. No interview or required credential evaluator is mentioned for freshmen.

8. Internships and hands-on work

• The program pages encourage internships, the university says it has more than 1,000 internship sites, and the college page cites 100% internship placement and 93 internship sites used by students. The pages read do not describe a paid co-op program.
• Seniors complete a Senior Design Project, which regional companies may sponsor. The civil and electrical pages also describe summer study in China (four weeks in the civil engineering description; four weeks at Shandong University of Science and Technology in the electrical one).

9. Transfer students

• Transfer admission is rolling for fall and spring, with no deadline. The FAQ says admission is primarily based on high school and college transcripts, and successful applicants typically have a B- or better college GPA after at least two full-time semesters, but each case is reviewed individually.
• Materials: official transcripts from every college attended, plus high school transcripts if you have fewer than 24 college credits. The pages read do not state engineering-specific GPA requirements or the calculus, physics and chemistry sequence required; after acceptance the university sends a degree audit showing how each course applies.
• Credit: courses equivalent to WNE courses with a C- or better at the 100 level or above from an accredited institution; up to 75 credits from two-year colleges and up to 90 from four-year colleges (including two-year credits); at least 30 credits must be completed at WNE. AP, IB and CLEP credit can transfer. The site offers equivalency guides and a database.
• Transfer scholarships (fall 2027): $34,000 for a 3.0 to 4.0 GPA, $31,000 for 2.5 to 2.99, and a $31,000 success grant for below 2.49 as printed; the Transfer Distinction Award gives $36,000 a year for fall 2027 to accepted students with an associate’s degree from an accredited institution and a 2.5 or higher GPA; Phi Theta Kappa members get another $2,000.
• For international transfer applicants the site asks for college transcripts with English translations and does not name a required evaluation service.

Checklist

Domestic students:

• Apply by November 15 for the $2,000 Early Action Scholarship, or on a rolling basis; transcript only, with SAT/ACT and recommendations optional
• Four years of high school math through trigonometry or pre-calculus, plus physics or chemistry
• File the FAFSA (code 002226) and report any FIRST Robotics experience on the application

International students (including those from China):

• English transcripts, passport, English scores (such as TOEFL 74 or IELTS 6), an Affidavit of Support and a bank letter
• Ask International Admissions whether a recommendation is needed and how Gaokao results are used

Transfer students:

• Official transcripts from every college; check the equivalency guides and the transfer scholarships

Sources: Western New England University, College of Engineering; Engineering departments; First Year Program; Mechanical Engineering; Civil Engineering; Electrical Engineering; Computer Engineering; Biomedical Engineering; Industrial Engineering; Admissions requirements; Apply; International undergraduate admissions; English proficiency; Transfer admissions; Transfer FAQ; Undergraduate cost; Cost table; Merit aid; NSF scholarship; FIRST Robotics Scholarship; Early Action Scholarship; Cost and aid. Costs are for 2026-27. Check Western New England’s website for the latest and confirm dates apply to your 2027 entry term.