Within Engineering
UC Berkeley Change of College
From another University
Transferring from within the College of Engineering
College of Engineering students who wish to change into Bioengineering will need to file a Change of Major petition with Engineering Student Services (230 Bechtel). COE students can apply to change their major at any time (after completing one semester at Berkeley) and applications are evaluated as they are received. Students may now apply to change majors even after their sophomore year as long as the change does not delay graduation.
Applications will be evaluated by Engineering Student Services staff based upon clear guidelines and minimum criteria outlined by the departments. Students who do not meet guidelines and minimum criteria will be reviewed by faculty from the department.
The effective date of a change of major is the actual day the change is approved. Students no longer have to wait until the grades for the current semester are posted to learn they are officially accepted.
Transfer students who are in the College of Engineering can apply to change majors. They will be required to submit an academic plan that shows there would be no delay in graduation, it will require approval of the receiving department.
Change of College within UC Berkeley
Freshmen applicants who were admitted to another college at UC Berkeley (such as Letters and Science) that wish to major in Bioengineering may apply for a change of college. Students must follow the requirements and guidelines set by the College of Engineering. A set of core requirements (with minimum grades earned) must be completed before they can apply to the College of Engineering. The process is challenging and there is no guarantee the application will be approved, so it is imperative that students simultaneously make progress toward a major in their original college. Please visit the College of Engineering‘s Change of College website for complete details on the application process.
Transferring from another University or Community College
Applicants must complete the University of California admissions application by November 30 for admission for the following Fall Semester. UC Berkeley does not accept new transfer applications for the spring semester. For more information on the admissions process, contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at 510-642-3175 . How well you will compete will depend on the strength of the applicant pool in any given year. However, successful junior college transfer students generally have overall GPA’s of 3.5 or better.
Applicants are evaluated primarily on the following:
- The completeness of the applicant’s preparation at the level considered
- The grades earned through the last semester completed
- Grades in particular courses
- The total units accumulated including work currently in progress
- Total number of semesters it will take the student to graduate
- Personal Statement
What courses should I complete in order to be a good candidate?
You should follow the lower-division program for the major. One hundred percent completion of the lower division requirements betters your chances of being accepted. No one expects you to have taken the Engineering courses already, but having a good start on the remaining course work is essential to your success in getting admitted.
Here are the lower division courses:
- Math 1A, 1B, 53, 54
- Chemistry 1A/1AL, 3A/3AL
- Physics 7A, 7B
- Engineering 7 or CS61A
- English 1A & 1B
What kinds of information should I include in my personal statement?
- How did you get interested in engineering?
- Why are you interested in this particular major?
- What excites you about this major?
- What experiences influenced your decision? (Job experiences, discussions with faculty, professional engineers or engineering students, related projects, courses, etc.)
- What other experiences, such as co-curricular activities, have you had that you can relate to engineering? You should also include activities that may not relate to engineering. What skills did you learn from these activities that will help you in engineering?
- What are your goals or aspirations? What do you want to do after you graduate?
How are courses in progress treated?
Courses in progress, as listed on the submitted “APPLICATION FOR TRANSFER TO THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING” are considered completed in the calculation of the lower-division completion rate. However any change to your study list needs to be reported to Engineering Student Services immediately, as it may affect your transfer status. Final acceptance will require satisfactory completion of the term in progress.
Courses in progress thru spring are considered completed in the completion rate. Summer work prior to fall enrollment is not considered in the admissions process.