Change of college

Admission to the College of Engineering via a change of college application is very competitive and highly unlikely.

Through direct freshman and transfer admissions, we admit the maximum number of students possible each year.
Many of our engineering courses are reserved for COE students; therefore, it may be difficult for non-COE students to get into courses in order to meet the minimum requirements for consideration.
- EECS, ELENG, and COMPSCI courses often have the majority of their seats saved for EECS and CS students – it is very difficult to get into them. Even if applicants have the option of taking upper division courses in these majors, students who apply for a change of college must submit plans that do not include tech electives from these departments unless they are applying specifically to ECE.
Applicants need to simultaneously advance in another major in their current college, because admission is unlikely.
Students interested in studying engineering at UC Berkeley should apply directly to the college as a freshman or transfer applicant.
Transfer students admitted to another school or college at Berkeley are not eligible to change to the College of Engineering.

Important notes:

The College of Engineering does not accept change of college applications for any of the following: EECS major, EECS/MSE joint major, EECS/NE joint major.
Students who are accepted via change of college to the College of Engineering cannot change their major or add a second major within Engineering.
The application deadline is firm. No late applications will be accepted.
The change of college decision is final. No appeals are accepted.

Application periods

Students can only apply in the fall and/or spring of their second year at Berkeley:

Fall semester: 1st day of class to October 1 at 4 p.m. PT
Spring semester: 1st day of class to March 1 at 4 p.m. PT
Applicants must meet with a peer adviser during drop-in hours before submitting their application. We strongly recommend students meet with a peer adviser as early as possible in their academic career.
Applications are only reviewed after the deadline regardless of when it was submitted.
Late applications are not accepted.

Decisions are emailed:

Fall applicants: By November 30 (except Aerospace Engineering Applicants, who will be notified in late January).
Spring applicants: By April 30 (except Aerospace Engineering applicants, who will be notified by June 30).
The change of college decision is final. No appeals are accepted.
If students are denied admission in their third semester, they may apply again in their fourth semester.

For more details about the change of college process, see our change of college application page.

Students who have taken reduced course loads as recommended by the Disabled Students’ Program will be reviewed within that context. Deadlines remain the same, and you must apply no later than your fourth semester. Please contact changeofcollege@berkeley.edu with questions about any disability accommodation requests.

Eligibility

Must have been admitted to UC Berkeley as a first-year student.
Must have completed at minimum the freshman year curriculum for your intended major, and be on track to complete all required classes on the major worksheet by the end of your second year.
Must have completed at least 2 semesters of letter grades at Berkeley. Please note that Incompletes could negatively impact your eligibility.
Must be able to complete degree in 8 semesters.
Must have R&C part A completed or in progress by 3rd semester, and must have R&C B completed or in progress by 4th semester.
IEOR: Must have completed at least 2 letter graded math classes at Berkeley. This two-course requirement cannot be met with exam scores or transfer work.
Must meet the GPA requirements for your intended major at the time of application.

GPA requirements

Bioengineering and BioE/MSE: Minimum UC technical and overall GPA of 3.4
Aerospace Engineering: Minimum UC technical and overall GPA of 3.8
Electrical and Computer Engineering: UC technical GPA of 3.5 and overall GPA of 3.5.
Energy Engineering: Minimum UC technical and overall GPA of 3.3
All Other Engineering Sciences: Minimum UC technical and overall GPA of 3.2
- If students are adding a simultaneous Engineering Science degree: Minimum UC technical and overall GPA of 3.5.
All other majors: Minimum UC technical and overall GPA of 3.0.

Please follow the instructions on the change of college application webpage.

Where do I submit my application?

You must meet with a peer adviser to review your application components. Upon review, the peer advisers will give you the submission form.

How do I calculate my technical GPA?

The technical GPA includes lower division course requirements as noted on the change of college worksheet. While other technical courses are not calculated into the technical GPA, it is expected that students demonstrate strong performance in all STEM courses. When calculating the technical GPA, grades for courses that have been repeated should be averaged as long as the original grade was below a C-. Do not use only the better of the two grades to calculate the technical GPA. Grades for repeats of technical courses in which the original grade was C- or higher should not be calculated into the technical GPA. Except for coursework completed at another UC Campus, any coursework not completed at Berkeley is not factored into the GPA calculations, but should be noted on the worksheet. If you need help calculating GPA, please use this calculator: https://reslife.berkeley.edu/gpa-calculator/

What if I have taken reduced course loads as recommended by the Disabled Students’ Program?

Students who have taken reduced course loads as recommended by the Disabled Students’ Program will be reviewed within that context. Deadlines remain the same, and you must apply no later than your 4th semester. Please email changeofcollege@berkeley.edu with specific questions about this.

How are applications reviewed?

We consider a number of factors when change of college applications are reviewed — including, but not limited to, whether the applicant would have been accepted had they applied directly to the College of Engineering as a freshman, completion (at a minimum) of the prescribed engineering freshman curriculum, enrollment in (or completion of) certain sophomore curriculum courses, the student’s overall GPA in these courses, the number of technical courses completed at Berkeley (not at a community college or through AP/IB exams), number of technical courses completed each semester at Berkeley, space availability in the major to which a student has applied and the student’s motivation for engineering as described in the personal statement.

Which resources should I use to prepare to change into the College of Engineering?

The College of Engineering Undergraduate Guide includes detailed information about majors, including a semester-by-semester academic plan to complete degree requirements. The departmental websites also have information about requirements, usually found in the undergraduate or degree programs section.

The humanities and social sciences page on our website explains the complete details on this six-course College of Engineering requirement.

The exam information on our website explains how AP/IB or A level exams can be used to satisfy requirements for the College of Engineering.

The peer advisers can help answer your questions about the change of college process and can help look over your program plan and other application materials

What if I participated in the Fall Program for First Semester or Berkeley Global Edge my first semester?

Students who participated in the Fall Program for First Semester or Berkeley Global Edge can apply in their 5th semester and must submit their applications by 4 p.m. PT October 1 (if fall semester is your 5th semester) or March 1 (if spring semester is your 5th semester).

How do I get into the necessary classes for the engineering major if I don’t have reserved seating?

Get yourself on the waitlist! After ensuring that you are on the waitlist, you can talk to the Professor to explain your situation and see if they are willing to open up more seats. Additionally, the general guideline is that about 10% of students in a class will drop the course. Use this guideline as an estimate of how likely you are to get off the waitlist.

As I am waiting for the CoC decision, should I prioritize classes for my current major or the CoE major I am trying to transfer into during enrollment?

Prioritize classes based on how high-demand they are. Use the Enrollment Tab on the BerkeleyTime website to check how fast specific courses fill up. Prioritize the courses that fill up fastest (this may be a mix of courses for both your current major as well as courses for the CoE major you’re trying to transfer into).

If I don’t meet the freshman requirements, should I take classes over the summer at a CC?

This could be a potential option for you if you have been taking an adequate technical course load during your freshman year. The Change of College committee is interested in seeing that you are able to handle the technical course load of an engineering major (typically 3-4 techs per semester). If you have successfully done this in your previous semesters, you may consider taking additional techs at CC over the summer in order to complete your freshman requirements. However, please note whether or not you took your technical coursework at Cal will be considered in your application.

Whom do I contact if I have more questions?

College of Engineering academic advisers are not available to meet with students interested in applying for a change of college. However, during the academic year, we strongly recommend potential applicants to meet with one of the College of
Engineering peer advisers. They are available to answer questions about the process through their office hours or by emailing esspeeradvisers@berkeley.edu. Please note, peer advisers can review your application documents for completion but they cannot comment on any student’s chances for admission. You are also welcome to submit questions to our change of college email.