Intra-University Transfer

Congratulations on your interest in the College of Engineering and Applied Science! It’s a big step to decide on a college major, and we’re happy you think engineering is the fit for you.  Although the following information may not be the most exciting, it is very detailed and it's important that you read through it all. Please read all of the information before attending a meeting or contacting us – in most cases your question is answered here.

Undergraduate students wishing to transfer to the College of Engineering and Applied Science from another college or school on the Boulder campus must do so through the Intra-University Transfer (IUT) process. This college reserves the right to revise the IUT application process or admissions criteria whenever it finds necessary.

The following information pertains to degree-seeking students new to the CU-Boulder campus in Fall 2011 or later. 

Information Sessions

For interested students, the college offers IUT information sessions on the following dates (unless otherwise noted, sessions are held in the ECAD 100 Clark Conference Room in the Dean's Office administrative wing):

• January 30, 2013 at 12:00 p.m.
• February 28, 2013 at 12:00 p.m.
• March 20, 2013 at 12:00 p.m.
• April 25, 2013 at 12:00 p.m.
   

Application Process and Deadlines

The IUT application form must be obtained from and returned to the college Dean’s Office (ECAD 100). Deadlines for submitting the IUT applications are November 1 (for students enrolled in and who complete at least 12 CU-Boulder credit hours during the Fall semester, to be considered for Spring semester admittance), April 1 (for students enrolled in and who complete at least 12 CU-Boulder credit hours during the Spring semester, to be considered for Fall semester admittance), or August 1 (for students enrolled in and who complete at least 6 CU-Boulder credit hours during the Summer term, to be considered for Fall semester admittance). Applicants must be full-time students (completing at least 12 CU-Boulder credit hours during the Fall or Spring semester, or 6 CU-Boulder credit hours during the Summer term) when they apply and while the application is being considered. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the application form is submitted prior to the deadline date and that this form accurately documents all of the applicant’s academic record. Once submitted, an IUT application may not be withdrawn.

In all cases, the college waits until the end of the semester/term, after final grades have posted, before reviewing IUT applications. Students who apply by November 1 receive decisions in early January, following the posting of Fall semester grades. Students who apply by April 1 receive decisions by the end of May, following the posting of Spring semester grades. Typically, IUT applications are reviewed twice a year (following each semester). However, students who are enrolled in and complete at least 6 CU-Boulder credit hours in summer may submit their applications by August 1 and must specifically request to be reviewed following posting of all Summer term grades. Students who apply by August 1 receive decisions in mid-August, following the posting of Summer term grades. Accepted students matriculate in the college in either the Fall or Spring semester (not Summer term).

When am I eligible to apply?

It depends!** Generally, applicants are required to complete a minimum of four CU-Boulder courses to be reviewed for admission: two appropriate mathematics courses and two appropriate science courses. A typical sequence involves two semesters of college calculus and two semesters of a laboratory science course (college-level chemistry and/or calculus-based physics). For example, students would apply when they have completed APPM 1350 (or MATH 1300) and are enrolled in and completing APPM 1360 (or MATH 2300).

For the appropriate science coursework, a combination of PHYS 1110 + CHEM 1113/1114, or PHYS 1110 + PHYS 1120, or CHEM 1113/1114 + CHEM 1133/1134 is appropriate. These courses in chemistry and/or physics are required for an IUT transfer, irrespective of intended major degree requirements. Students may wish to enroll in additional courses applying to engineering degree requirements—see "CU-Boulder Course Selection" section of this advising guide for details about choice of additional courses. It is important that advance planning be done for course requirements; consult the intended major department academic advisor when planning course selection and sequences.

If a student has previously completed any portion of the aforementioned courses elsewhere than at CU-Boulder, or gained college credit otherwise (e.g., AP exam credit), he/she should confer with the college’s Assistant Dean for Students regarding appropriate CU-Boulder math and science courses for the IUT.

**EXCEPTION: Students who never previously applied to the College of Engineering and Applied Science at CU-Boulder may apply for admission if the semester admitted would occur within 18 months of their high school graduation date, as long as: 1) the student’s high school academic record meets the current Guaranteed Admission for Colorado Resident Freshmen criteria (for Engineering), 2) the CU-Boulder Cumulative GPA is at least 3.100, and 3) no grades earned at CU-Boulder are below C-. In addition, if a student has established a CU-Boulder Technical GPA, this GPA must be at least 2.500. All application deadlines as described in this advising guide apply.

Rules of the college require that the last 45 semester credit hours used to fulfill degree requirements must be taken as a regular degree student in the College of Engineering on the Boulder campus. Consequently, IUT applications may not be accepted from applicants with less than 45 semester credit hours remaining in engineering degree requirements unless there is a written agreement that the student will complete 45 hours in this College and this will require the student to take coursework beyond minimum degree requirements. The College in-residence credit requirement may not be waived by petition or appeal.

All IUT applicants are required to know and abide by college and university policies as detailed in the University Catalog. An accepted student’s degree requirements are dictated by policy in effect at the time of matriculation into this college, not when he/she entered the university.

Admission Criteria

Students meeting the criteria below will be admitted:

- The student must have completed a full-time CU-Boulder course load for the semester/term of application (i.e., semester/term being completed), with a semester/term GPA of at least 2.000.

- The CU-Boulder Cumulative GPA must be at least 2.500. Only CU-Boulder campus coursework is used in this computation, not coursework from other CU campuses.

- The CU-Boulder Technical GPA must be at least 2.500. See UCB Technical GPA to know what courses are included in the CU-Boulder Technical GPA. Individual grades in the CU-Boulder Technical GPA must be at least C-. Note that certain majors and/or classes require higher course grades than C-; students are responsible for checking with their intended major department on minimum grade requirements. Only CU-Boulder campus coursework is used in this computation, not coursework from other CU campuses.

- You may run the "GPA Calc for Engineering IUTs" degree audit on MyCUInfo.colorado.edu to track your CU-Boulder Cumulative GPA and CU-Boulder Technical GPA.

If a course or equivalent course was repeated at CU-Boulder, only the most recent grade will be included in the above GPAs (note in all cases that the College only allows a student three attempts to master the subject at the required level for degree requirements).

Any grades earned prior to ten years from the date of IUT application will not be considered in the GPA calculator.

Admission Decisions

The college will make one of the following decisions concerning IUT applicants:

ADMIT- The applicant is admitted to this college as a full-time undergraduate student.

REFUSE - The applicant is refused admission to this college. Once refused, the applicant may continue in engineering courses for the following semester and then be automatically considered for IUT admission a second time. If not admitted this second time, no additional engineering courses may be taken (unless for a minor) and the student cannot apply to this College in the future.

The college may decide to defer the admit or refuse decision. This option is allowed only if documented external events have negatively impacted the applicant during the semester in which the IUT application was processed, e.g., extended medical care throughout the semester or a family emergency with considerable time away from school.

Engineering Major

IUT applicants must select a major from one of the 12 undergraduate degree programs offered by the college.

CU-Boulder Course Selection

If a student wishes to consider enrolling in additional courses beyond the minimum needed for IUT application consideration, consult with an academic advisor in your intended engineering major for specific course selection and course approval questions. Selected engineering department courses are open to enrollment by non-engineering students on a space-available basis. Contact the appropriate academic department of the course being offered for enrollment information. See our list of academic advisors for contact information.

Other courses may be selected to fulfill degree requirements in the humanities or social sciences and to meet MAPS requirements. See the college’s Humanities, Social Sciences, and Writing degree requirements and MAPS requirements.

Note for Chemical Engineering, Chemical & Biological Engineering, and Environmental Engineering applicants:  If the student’s schedule permits, the IUT applicant may consider enrolling in CHEN 1211-3 and CHEM 1221-2 (General Chemistry for Engineers with laboratory). Alternatively, IUT applicants may substitute both CHEM 1113/1114 (General Chemistry 1 with lab) and CHEM 1133/1134 (General Chemistry 2 with lab) for this degree requirement.

Note for Double Degree applicants: If you are planning to add a major in this college to another major in another college/school at CU-Boulder, students must satisfy curricula for both programs and may need to complete additional semester credit hours above and beyond the largest minimum credit hour requirement.

FAQs