Declaring a Major

The Engineering Undeclared Transfer Process

Interdepartmental Transfer (IDT) Process Overview

Engineering Undeclared students will formally apply to transfer into a major through the IDT process. Students will be able to apply in the semester they are completing courses required to transfer, as early as their second semester. EU students who need to complete additional required courses may apply to transfer in their third or fourth semesters. All EU students must be declared in a major by the start of their fifth semester at Illinois.

Major Exploration

The transfer process begins during your first semester in Engineering Undeclared: taking engineering classes (including ENG 101) and beginning to explore potential majors in the Grainger College of Engineering or other colleges at Illinois.

Identify Majors of Interest

EU students must identify three (3) majors of interest and share these with an EU Advisor during mandatory course planning. Students can pick from all majors in Grainger (except Computer Science) and Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering in LAS. Students may only select two competitive majors in their three majors of interest.

Submit IDT Application

EU students will submit their application as early as their second semester at Illinois and no later than their fourth semester to be officially enrolled in a major the following term.

Successfully Transfer into a Major

Students will begin in their majors the term after a successful application. The EU Team will help you connect with the advisors in your new department.

Transfer Eligibility

In order to apply to transfer to a major from EU, students must meet the following criteria:

Completion of the required classes for their majors of interest by the end of the semester in which they submit their IDT application.
First-year EU students: Be enrolled in their second semester or later at Illinois.
Students who transferred into EU: Be enrolled in at least their first full semester in the EU Program.

All IDT applications will be reviewed at the completion of the semester and decisions will be made before the start of the following semester. Accepted students will be in their major the semester following when they apply.

Course Transfer Requirements

Students must complete all of the following foundational courses to be eligible to transfer to any of the majors in Grainger:

General Chemistry 1 and lab (CHEM 102 & CHEM 103)*
Calculus 1 (MATH 220 or MATH 221)
Calculus 2 (MATH 231)
University Physics: Mechanics (PHYS 211)
Composition 1 (RHET 101 &102, RHET 105, ESL 111 & 112, ESL 115, CMN 111 & 112, or equivalent transfer course)
Engineering at Illinois (ENG 101)

AP, A-level, IB, and other proficiency or transfer credit is accepted. *Students who earned AP credit for CHEM 102 do not need to take the CHEM 103 lab. Students who earn proficiency credit for CHEM 102 must still complete CHEM 103.

The following majors have additional course requirements to transfer:

Bioengineering: Completion of MCB 150, CHEM 102 & 103, CHEM 104 & 105, with grades of B or higher. BIOE 120 is strongly recommended.
- Note: For students with AP credit for CHEM 102 only, CHEM 103 is still required. For students with AP credit for CHEM 102 and 104, CHEM 103 and 105 are still required. These courses are not waived for BIOE/Neural.
Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering (first year students only): CHEM 102 & 103, CHEM 104 & 105, or CHEM 202 & 203, 204 & 205, with grades of a B- or higher.
- Students in their 3rd semester or beyond will need to go complete the normal College of LAS ICT process and requirements for Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering.
- Please note: All EU students who wish to transfer to Chemical Engineering must submit an application through the LAS ICT process. Chemical Engineering does not appear on the EU IDT Application as a major option.
Computer Engineering: Completion of ECE 110 or ECE 120, with grades of a B- or higher in any of those courses taken.
Electrical Engineering: Completion of ECE 110 or ECE 120, with grades of a B- or higher in any of those courses taken.
Materials Science & Engineering + DS (available on Fall 2025 IDT application and beyond): Completion of CS 107, CS 101, or CS 124.
Neural Engineering: Completion of MCB 150, CHEM 102 & 103, CHEM 104 & 105, with grades of B or higher.
- Note: For students with AP credit for CHEM 102 only, CHEM 103 is still required. For students with AP credit for CHEM 102 and 104, CHEM 103 and 105 are still required. These courses are not waived for BIOE/Neural.
Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering + DS (available on Fall 2025 IDT application and beyond): Completion of CS 107, CS 101, or CS 124.

Core Requirements for all Majors

CHEM 102 & CHEM 103
MATH 220 or 221 and MATH 231
PHYS 211
ENG 101
Composition 1 Requirement

Time Frame

Students must have completed two semesters in EU if admitted to the program as first-time freshmen; if admitted as an ICT transfer student into EU, students must complete at least one semester in EU.

Maximum Time in Engineering Undeclared

Students can remain in Engineering Undeclared through the end of their 4th semester. All students must be declared in a major by the 10th day of their 5th semester.

Major Selection

Engineering Undeclared students are able to pursue transfer to any major in the Grainger College of Engineering as well as Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering (housed in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences) with the sole exception of Computer Science and the Grainger CS+X programs (CS+BIOE and CS+PHYS).

Students who transfer to EU via the ICT process specify their majors of interest in their application to EU. Those students who start as first-time freshmen in EU state their majors of interest at the end of their first semester. Modification of the majors of interest may be possible in consultation with an EU advisor.

Students will indicate three majors of interest in ranked order on their application. These majors of interest will have been discussed with an Engineering Undeclared advisor during a course planning appointment. Students may select up to two (2) competitive majors on one application. The current competitive majors are: Aerospace Engineering, Bioengineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Neural Engineering. Indicating more than 2 competitive majors will have a negative impact on the success of your transfer application.

While Engineering Undeclared students may pursue transfer to Chemical Engineering, Chemical Engineering is not accessible through the Engineering Undeclared IDT process. Students must follow the procedures for ICT to LAS and meet the declaration criteria for Chemical Engineering (see course transfer requirements above).

Still figuring out your majors of interest?

Consult our Major Exploration page for exploration tips and strategies!

The IDT Application

The transfer (IDT) application will be offered twice per academic year, once in the fall semester (for admission in the spring) and once in the spring (for admission in the fall).

Application timelines:

Spring Applications: April 1 - April 30

Fall Applications: November 1 - November 30

The EU IDT Application for Fall 2025 will be open November 1 - December 1, 2025

Please see below for applications details and FAQs.

All applications are due by 11:59PM Central Time on the final day of the above period.

Note: You will not be able to edit after submitting. Please read all information carefully first.

You will receive a confirmation e-mail after your application has been successfully submitted.

IDT Application

Application Questions

1) Major Selection: Indicate, in order of preference, your three majors of interest. You are only allowed to choose two competitive majors (see above)

2) Resume: Upload a current copy of your resume (PDF only). We suggest you utilize the campus Career Center or Engineering Career Services for assistance with preparation of your resume and for additional review. Be sure not to include an apostrophe (') in the file name, otherwise your application will not submit.

3) Academic Record Essay: Comment (150-250 words) on your college academic record (courses and grades). Feel free to approach this in the way that suits you best: use it to highlight your strengths, discuss any low grades you have received, courses that you were unable to take, or anything else you wish the review committee to know. This is your opportunity to tell a deeper story about your academics than simply the courses taken and grades received.

4) Extracurricular Involvement Essay: Describe (150-250 words) your involvement in activities outside the classroom. This essay can focus on your participation in student organizations, research, internship or job experiences, job shadowing, individual projects, and so on. You should focus on how your experiences have informed your exploration and developed your interest in your three majors.

5) Proposed Course Plans: Use our template to submit a PDF of the following academic plans for your three majors of interest:

First major of interest: A proposed degree completion plan (or 4-year plan)
Second and third majors of interest: A proposed schedule for your first semester in each major

Please utilize the suggested sequence for your majors of interest as found in the Undergraduate Academic Catalog and the major curriculum maps. Please use the linked fillable template; instructions for completing the template can be found here. Be sure not to include an apostrophe (') in the file name, otherwise your application will not submit.

6) Professional Statements of Interest: Submit a professional statement of interest that explains your interests in each of the three majors you selected. You will submit three separate statements of 250-450 each, one statement per major, that address the following:

1) What factors led to you choosing this major?

2) How does your interest in this major match your career goals?

3) What opportunities unique to this major stand out to you?

We recommended that you use the campus Writer's Workshop to review all your IDT application essays (questions 3, 4, and 6).

Application Review and Notification Timeline

Review of applications will begin after grades post for the application term. Decisions will be sent to a student's official Illinois e-mail address by July 15th for spring applications and by one week prior to the start of the spring term for fall applications. Students will be notified of the decision release window approximately one week prior to the release. Deadlines for students to accept or decline potential transfer offers will be indicated in the decision notification.

Students in EU are expected to maintain good EU standing to support transfer into an engineering major. To remain in good EU standing, students must:

Maintain at least a 2.5 UIUC GPA and a 2.5 Illinois Specialized GPA (all STEM courses; seen as College GPA on degree audit),
Meet any GPA or grade requirements that their intended major has (see above),
Earn at least a B- in ENG 101,
Make appropriate progress in foundational and technical STEM coursework,
Earn at least a C in foundational technical courses,
Meet with an EU advisor each semester.

Students in EU who earn at least a 3.0 UIUC GPA and a 3.0 Illinois Specialized GPA and earn a B- or higher in major exploration courses for majors of interest, in addition to meeting the requirements to remain in good EU standing, are best situated for assignment into one of their three majors of interest. While we try to place each student in their first-choice major of interest, placement into any major is not guaranteed through Engineering Undeclared. Placement depends on the holistic review of a student’s application to their majors of interest and capacity in individual majors. Major capacity may change from semester to semester. Students placed into their third-choice majors will be encouraged to speak to an EU advisor to discuss their options.

Students whose Illinois GPA and Specialized GPA fall between 2.5 and 3.0, or who earned below a B- in a major exploration course for their majors of interest, will still be considered for their three programs of choice. They will meet with an EU advisor to discuss their options.

Students who don’t maintain good academic standing will be individually advised by the EU staff and will engage in active discussion about viable major options, including identifying parallel plans outside of the Grainger College of Engineering. These students may be considered for placement on EU warning status or could be no longer able to pursue a major within the Grainger College of Engineering.

While we try to place everyone into their first-choice major, it’s not guaranteed. Placement depends on a holistic review of your application and the capacity within those majors at the time, which can change from semester to semester. If you’re placed in your second- or third-choice major, you’re encouraged to speak to an EU advisor to discuss your options.

Major Exploration Courses

The following are Major Exploration Courses considered for major placement. In majors where multiple courses are given, students need to earn at least a B- in any listed courses that they take.

Agricultural and Biological Engineering: ABE 100, 127, 128, 141, 227, 228.
Aerospace Engineering: AE 140 (or ME 170 or SE 101), PHYS 211, TAM 210 or 211
Bioengineering: BIOE 120. Please see additional grade requirements for this major.
Chemical Engineering: Please see additional grade requirements for this major.
Civil Engineering: CEE 190, CEE 201, CEE 202, SE 101.
Computer Engineering: ECE 110, 120, 210, 220. Please see additional grade requirements for this major.
Electrical Engineering: ECE 110, 120, 210, 220. Please see additional grade requirements for this major.
Engineering Mechanics: ME 170, PHYS 211, TAM 195, TAM 211
Environmental Engineering: ATMS 201, ATMS 202, CEE 190, CEE 201, CEE 202, SE 101
Industrial Engineering: SE 101, PHYS 211, TAM 211
Materials Science & Engineering: MSE 182, MSE 201, MSE 206, CHEM 104/105
MatSE+DS: CS 101, CS 107, CS 124, MSE 182, MSE 201, MSE 206, CHEM 104/105
Mechanical Engineering: ME 170, PHYS 211, TAM 210 or 211
Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering: NPRE 100, NPRE 200, TAM 210 or 211
NPRE+DS: CS 101, CS 107, CS 124, NPRE 100, NPRE 200, TAM 210 or 211
Physics: PHYS 211, PHYS 212, PHYS 213, PHYS 214, PHYS 225
Systems Engineering and Design: SE 101, PHYS 211, TAM 211

Note: ME 170 and SE 101 will count for any major that requires a CAD class and will also cover AE 140. AE 140 will not count for any major outside of Aerospace.

IDT FAQ

To help guide you as you think through when to apply and your application, we have compiled some frequently asked questions. Still have questions? Please reach out directly to an EU advisor or contact us at engr-undeclared@illinois.edu

IDT Application process and timeline

1. Do I have to apply to transfer in my second semester or as soon as I meet the course transfer requirements?

Before you should apply to transfer, you should consider a few things: Do you feel you have a strong sense of the majors you are applying for and why you are applying to them? Have you taken all the required courses to transfer to all 3 majors of interest? Do you feel your anticipated grades for the current term situate yourself strongly to transfer?

There is no "right answer" for when you should apply to declare a major. Students who started in EU as first-time freshmen can apply for possible transfer in their second, third, or fourth semesters. Students who ICT into EU can transfer can apply for potential transfer in their first semester in the program and as late as their fourth semester at Illinois.
2. Do I have better chances of being admitted to my top choice majors if I submit my application as soon as the application portal opens?

No, there is no benefit to submitting the application early. The important thing is to submit a complete application that fully represents your interests and abilities by the deadline. Applications will generally not be reviewed until after grades are posted for the current term.
3. Can I edit or amend my application after it is submitted? Can I add additional information to my application after the deadline?

No. All submitted applications are final and cannot be edited. We will also not accept new materials after the final application deadline.
4. Can I submit a letter of recommendation in support of my IDT to a specific major?

No. Letters of recommendation are not required and will not be considered for your application.
5. Can I indicate Chemical Engineering on my EU IDT application?

As Chemical Engineering is a major housed in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (LAS), the major will not be listed as a major choice on the Engineering Undeclared IDT application. All students who wish to apply to Chemical Engineering will need to follow the LAS ICT procedures. Students who started in EU as a first-time freshmen and wish to apply at the end of their freshman year to Chemical Engineering will have shorter transfer requirements (see course transfer requirements above), but will still need to apply using the LAS ICT process. Students who wish to apply to Chemical Engineering in their 3rd or 4th semester will need to meet the normal declaration criteria for the major specified by LAS. Please meet with an EU advisor for guidance if at any point Chemical Engineering becomes your primary major of interest.
6. My application does not seem to be submitting. What should I do?

If you successfully submit your application, you will receive an e-mail confirming receipt of your application. We have worked with ATLAS, the campus partner who runs the FormBuilder platform on which we run our application, to determine common causes of application issues. Please check the following:

1) Look over your application to verify that you have completed all required elements, including not selecting more than 2 competitive majors.

2) Ensure that your file names for your resume and course plans do not contain the apostrophe character. In this case, the application will not proceed and not give you an error.

3) Check the file size of your resume and course plans.

4) Clear your cache, try a different browser (Chrome or Firefox preferred), or a different machine.

If you continue to encounter errors, please e-mail engr-undeclared@illinois.edu as soon as possible. We do not recommend that you try and submit your application at the last possible moment in case you encounter any technical issues.

Accepting and declining offers

7. After I accept an offer one of my top 3 majors, will I be able to change majors again?

After transferring out of Engineering Undeclared, all future major change requests within The Grainger College of Engineering must follow the college's IDT/ICT process (https://advising.grainger.illinois.edu/degree-programs/changing-majors). Before requesting a major change, you must contact Engineering Transfer Programs to discuss your major interests and academic plans. All such transfer requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and will only be considered for majors that are not in high demand and for which there is a clearly demonstrated interest and reasonable time to graduation.
8. Can I decline an offer to a major?

Yes, students are welcome to decline a transfer offer. A timeframe to accept or decline an offer will be provided with all decisions. However, declining an offer to a major may have consequences in the future. If you decline an offer to major X, but decide you wish to include that major in a future transfer request (even as a second or third choice major), you must address in your professional statement of interest for that major why you declined it before and why you are more interested in it now.
9. If I am not accepted to my first choice major and wish to reapply in a future term to that major, can I?

Please speak with an EU advisor before making that decision. You may not have been accepted to that major for a number of reasons and the EU advisors want to ensure that you are pursuing a potential major that suits your goals and your strengths. Declining an offer of admission to a second or third choice major in the hopes of re-applying to the same first choice major again may not be ideal (please see question #6). Similarly, accepting an offer and attempting to transfer to another major later has its own complications (please see question #5).