The Grainger College of Engineering

Engineering Undeclared FAQ

As with any major, you may have a lot of questions about Engineering Undeclared (EU). Read through our most frequently asked questions below, and contact our EU team with any other questions you have. 

FAQs for Current Illinois Students FAQs for Prospective Students

Current Students

No. If you reach your second semester and/or meet the course requirements for transfer, but still need time to decide on a major, you don’t have to apply to transfer yet. 

Before you apply, consider several things: 

  1. Are you familiar with the majors you’re applying to, and can you explain why you chose them? 
  2. Have you taken the required courses to transfer into each of the three majors you’ve chosen? 
  3. Do your current grades make you a strong candidate for the program? 

No. There is no benefit to submitting the application early. Instead, focus on crafting a complete application that fully represents your interests and abilities. Just be sure to apply by the deadline. Applications are usually reviewed once grades are posted for the current term. 

No. All submitted applications are final. You can’t edit a submitted application or send new materials after the deadline. 

No. Letters of recommendation will not be considered with your application. 

Since Chemical Engineering falls under the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (LAS), it’s not listed as a major choice on the Engineering Undeclared IDT application. To apply to Chemical Engineering, you must follow the LAS ICT Procedures. Students who start in EU as first-time freshmen and apply to Chemical Engineering at the end of their freshman year will have shorter transfer requirements but will still need to apply using the LAS ICT process. Students who apply to Chemical Engineering in their third or fourth semester will need to meet the normal LAS declaration criteria for the major. 

Please meet with an EU advisor for guidance if you’re interested in Chemical Engineering as a major. 

If you successfully submit your application, you’ll receive a confirmation email. If you have application issues, please check the following: 

  1. Make sure you’ve completed all required elements of the application document.
  2. Make sure that no more than two of your three selected majors are competitive majors.
  3. Make sure the file names for your resume and course plan don’t contain the apostrophe symbol (‘).
  4. Check the file size of your resume and course plan.
  5. Clear your cache and try a different browser (Chrome or Firefox preferred), or a different computer. 

If you continue to encounter errors, please email engr-undeclared@illinois.edu as soon as possible.  

We recommend that you don’t wait until the last minute to submit your application, in case you run into technical errors.

Once you’re out of Engineering Undeclared, all future major changes within The Grainger College of Engineering must follow the college’s IDT/ICT process. Before requesting a major change, please meet with a college advisor to discuss your plans. Requests for a second major change are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and will only be considered for majors that aren’t in high demand. You must be able to clearly demonstrate your interest in the program and propose a reasonable timeline for graduation.

Yes, you can decline a transfer offer. A timeframe to accept or decline will be given. However, declining an offer may bring future consequences. If you turn down a specific major, but later decide to include it in a future transfer request (even as a second or third choice), you must address in your professional statement of interest why you declined it before and why you are more interested in it now. 

Please speak with an EU advisor before making that decision. There could be many reasons why you weren’t accepted to the program, and our advisors want to help you pursue a potential major that suits your strengths and goals. Declining an offer from a second- or third-choice major in hopes of reapplying to your first choice may not be ideal. Similarly, accepting an offer and attempting to transfer later brings its own complications. 

Prospective Students

If you’ve narrowed down your selection to two engineering majors, it’s best to list one of the majors as your first choice and the other as your second choice. If you arrive at Illinois and become interested in a different engineering major, our advisors can help you apply to transfer majors as early as the end of your first year. The more competitive majors may be difficult to transfer into. Transfer to Computer Science, Computer Science + Bioengineering, and Computer Science + Physics is closed. 

Pick a second-choice major that best relates to your career interests at this time. If you list Engineering Undeclared as your first choice, you might be admitted to your second-choice option depending on demand.

You’ll take a regular set of foundational courses that prepare you for many potential majors, plus one or two “gateway” courses. 

Foundational courses include calculus, chemistry, physics, and rhetoric. Students with appropriate AP credit can speak to an advisor about skipping one or more of these courses. You’ll also be required to take an Engineering Undeclared-specific course that gives an overview of engineering disciplines and serves as the cornerstone of exploration in the program.

Gateway courses are technical subjects that provide an entry point to one or two specific majors. These courses let you “sample” a discipline. Examples of gateway courses are ECE 110 (for electrical and/or computer engineering) and SE 101 or ME 170 (for mechanical, civil, systems, and industrial engineering).  

You’ll choose all classes with the help of an engineering advisor. 

To remain in good academic standing with the EU program, you must: 

  • Maintain at least a 2.5 Illinois GPA and a 2.5 specialized GPA (GPA in all STEM courses) 

  • Meet any GPA requirements that your intended major has for its current students 

  • Earn at least a B- in your EU major exploration class (ENG 100 for students who start in the program as freshmen; ENG 101 for students who ICT into EU).

  • 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 who earn at least a 3.0 Illinois GPA and a 3.0 specialized GPA while fulfilling the above requirements are best situated for assignment into one of their three majors of interest.

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, especially if a student is not in good academic standing within the university (below a 2.0 Illinois overall or semester GPA), removal from the program and therefore no longer eligible to pursue a major within Grainger.

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. 

The EU program and its advisors help you hold open as many options as possible before picking a major. The program gives you a unique opportunity to explore many different areas of engineering in order to learn what interests you most. Plus, you get access to courses that might otherwise be restricted. 

Once you begin a specific major, you’re assured a seat in that major as long as you stay in good academic standing. You’re welcome to explore other majors by taking gateway courses or engaging in other forms of exploration. If you wish to transfer from one major to another, talk with a college advisor as soon as possible.

EU students can’t declare or change their major to Computer Science. In fact, Computer Science, Computer Science + Bioengineering, and Computer Science + Physics are CLOSED to all Intercollegiate and Interdepartmental transfers for anyone who entered the university as a first-year student. Applications to change into Mathematics & CS, Statistics & CS, or CS+X programs are accepted and handled through the Illinois college housing the major. Acceptance into these majors is highly competitive. 

You can, however, pursue a CS minor, which could put you on the path to a CS master's degree at Illinois. 

Meet with an EU advisor and an advisor in your intended major to learn about the transfer process. You’ll follow the “ICT/IDT” transfer rules for your intended major.