Applying to purdue engineering

All undergraduate engineering students at Purdue University in West Lafayette apply to and begin in the First-Year Engineering Program where they will complete a core first year curriculum before transitioning to their engineering major in their sophomore year. This allows students time to explore all 17 engineering majors offered in West Lafayette, start to learn engineering design, and gain strong foundations in math, science, English, and computer skills in addition to team dynamics, problem solving and critical thinking skills.

While choosing area of interest on the common app does not impact your application, this is where you can indicate what engineering major you are interested in, or you can simply select ‘Undecided within Engr’ if you’re not sure. All students are considered equally for First-Year Engineering regardless of the specific engineering major they are considering, meaning a student who indicates an interest in Mechanical Engineering, for example, is not considered any differently than a student who indicates they are undecided. We simply use the Area of Interest field to gauge interest in majors for statistical and historical purposes, and not for admissions purposes.

For more details about First-Year Engineering, check out the “What is First-Year Engineering” topic on our Common Questions page.

All undergraduate engineering students at Purdue University in Indianapolis begin in a First-Year Engineering Experience and complete a core first year curriculum before taking classes in the engineering major where they are admitted. This experience allows students time to learn engineering design, gain strong foundations in math, science, English, and computer skills and engage in team dynamics, problem solving and critical thinking skills.

Students applying to engineering at Purdue University in Indianapolis, an extension of Purdue University West Lafayette, apply and are directly admitted to their engineering major.

You can learn more about the first-year experience in Indianapolis below:

November 1 is Purdue’s Early Action deadline, and it is also the priority deadline for both West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Priority means that students applying by November 1 will receive priority consideration for admission, however Admissions will continue accepting applications up to the regular application date of January 15.

Students who apply by November 1 will have an admission decision on January 15 and will automatically be considered for Purdue’s full range of scholarships. November 1 is also the deadline to apply for admission consideration into the John Martinson Honors College. Applying Early Action is non-binding, meaning a student who applies Early Action, and is admitted, is not required to accept their offer of admission.

To maximize your options and consideration, it is truly in your best interest to apply to Purdue Engineering by November 1.

All new beginner, incoming students must meet Purdue’s minimum high school course requirements to be eligible for admission. Students can make up for high school course deficiencies by taking college-level courses. One semester of college coursework equals 2 semesters of high school coursework.

Due to capacity limitations, our West Lafayette First-Year Engineering program is indefinitely closed to transfer applications. Instead, transfer students must apply directly to a specific engineering major.

All incoming transfer students must meet Purdue’s minimum high school course requirements to be eligible for admission. Students can make up for high school course deficiencies by taking college-level courses. One semester of college coursework equals 2 semesters of high school coursework.

Be sure to choose the College of Engineering when selecting “college, school, or program”. You may notice there are available majors in engineering technology on the application. These majors are in the Purdue Polytechnic Institute, NOT the College of Engineering. 

It is possible to select an alternative major. We recommend only doing this if it is a major that you are genuinely interested in pursuing. Changing your degree objective (CODO) to engineering after you have started at Purdue is not guaranteed. If studying engineering at Purdue is your only area of interest, you do not need to apply to a second choice major.

Be sure to closely research all of the information on the Office of Admissions’ Apply to Purdue page for important dates, deadlines, requirements, and information regarding the application process. The Office of Admissions is who reviews and makes decisions on all of the applications to Purdue’s undergraduate programs, so they are your best resource for any questions you have about the application and admission process. You can reach them at admissions@purdue.edu and (765) 494-1776.