Admission to the Chemical Engineering and NanoEngineering Major

Welcome to the NanoEngineering Department and congratulations on being admitted to UC San Diego.

If you are a current student interested in applying to the NanoEngineering (NA25) and Chemical Engineering (CE25) majors, please read below.  

All current students interested in applying to our majors must submit their application through the My Jacobs School of Engineering Major Change Application. If the application states that you are not eligible to apply but you have met all of the admission requirements, we recommend you continue submitting an application.

Due to high demand, all engineering majors at the Jacobs School have been designated as oversubscribed and have been granted capped status. This means that although we are still taking applications for both majors, a limited number of applicants will be accepted during each application period for both majors.

Applications for the NanoEngineering major are open each quarter (Fall, Winter and Spring), and in the Summer

               Nano Dates

Applications for the Chemical Engineering major will only be accepted once a year, in the Summer.

                     CENG Dates                 

Prospective undergraduate students can click here for more information about transferring into an engineering major, capped majors, student advising, and more.

Change of Major Requirements - Effective Fall 2017 Quarter and later

Current first and second year students - First and second year current students can apply to either Chemical Engineering or NanoEngineering major, so long as they have completed all required Freshmen or Sophomore screening courses (below) and earned a minimum of 3.0 GPA in the screening courses. Admission into both majors is limited. As continuing students, applications are accepted during the following period(s):

  • For prospective NanoEngineering majors: students can apply until the end of their 6th quarter at UC San Diego. After the grades for the current quarter is posted, students may apply during the application period (see chart above). 
  • For prospective Chemical Engineering majors: students can apply during the summer term after spring grades have posted and the completion of their 6th quarter at UC San Diego (see chart above).

Transfer students - Transfer students interested in applying to either the NanoEngineering or Chemical Engineering majors must apply no later than the end of their 3rd quarter at UC San Diego. Transfer students must have completed all required Transfer screening courses (below) and earned a minimum of 3.0 GPA in the screening courses. Admission into both majors is limited.

  • For prospective NanoEngineering majors: transfer students can apply until the end of their 3rd quarter at UC San Diego.  After the grades for the current quarter is posted, students may apply during the application period (see chart above). 
  • For prospective Chemical Engineering majors: transfer students can apply during the summer term after spring grades have posted and the completion of their 3rd quarter at UC San Diego (see chart above). 

Screening Course Requirements

Please note:  If you have not completed all of the lower division requirements listed below, please contact our Undergraduate Advisors for more information about the major and how long it will take you to graduate:

  • NanoEngineering FRESHMEN Applicants*: Math 20A-C; Physics 2A; Chemistry 6A-C
  • NanoEngineering SOPHOMORE and TRANSFER Applicants*: Math 18 (formerly MATH 20F), MATH 20A-D; Physics 2A-D; Chemistry 6A-C, 7L
  • Chemical Engineering FRESHMEN Applicants*: Math 20A-C; Physics 2A-B; Chemistry 6A-C, 7L
  • Chemical Engineering SOPHOMORE and TRANSFER Applicants*: Math 18 (formerly MATH 20F), MATH 20A-D; Physics 2A-C, 2CL; Chemistry 6A-C, 7L

*Freshmen and Sophomore applicants have until the end of the sixth quarter at UC San Diego to complete the requirements listed. Transfer students have until the end of their 3rd quarter. We will not consider transfer student applicants who exceed 3 quarters at UC San Diego.

Questions? If you are a current UC San Diego student and have additional questions, contact an advisor through the Virtual Advising Center (VAC).  If you are not a UC San Diego student, you can reach an advisor at ne-ugradinfo@ucsd.edu.