Undergraduate Admitted Student Information

The School of Chemical Sciences (SCS) Academic Advisors will meet individually with all incoming students to discuss their interests, goals, and plans for their first semester at Illinois. Students can begin signing up for New Student Registration in March. We recommend that students sign up for New Student Registration as early as possible and complete all necessary tasks (placement exams and online orientations) before their appointment. SCS Advising will email about 1-2 weeks before your registration appointment with details to help you prepare.

New Student Registration

Maybe! Students who have taken AP exams in Chemistry may have earned some Chemistry lecture credit. However, we usually recommend that incoming first-year students waive these credits and take the Accelerated Chemistry sequence, which is the core first-year Chemistry sequence for ChBE majors.

Students who have earned Calculus I and/or Calculus II credit from AP Math exams may be able to use some of that credit and start in a higher-level math course, but it will depend on the student’s experience and skill with math. (There is no harm in starting with Calculus I even if a student has earned AP credit for the course!)

Students who earn a 5 on the AP Physics C exam may have some Physics – Mechanics or Physics – Electricity & Magnetism credits that can be applied to their degree. However, AP credit for Physics 1 or Physics 2 will not count toward the required calculus-based Physics needed for ChBE.

Yes – AP Chemistry exams only provide credit for General Chemistry lectures. Students cannot earn any lab credit from an AP course, so they should plan to take (at least) a Chemistry lab. In general, though, students who have had AP Chemistry in high school and have an appropriate Chemistry placement exam score should plan to take Accelerated Chemistry (CHEM 202, 203, 204, & 205) at Illinois for ChBE.

Yes – it is possible to complete a minor with a ChBE major! Just make sure to speak with your advisor about it and plan ahead since you should allow yourself about 3 years (6 semesters) to complete a minor. ChBE students have pursued minors in a variety of fields, but some of the more common ones include Computer Science (CS); Business; Technology & Management (applications are competitive); Sustainability, Energy, & Environment; Food Science; Statistics; and Spanish. Some of the courses required for these minors may overlap with General Education or technical elective requirements, but most minors will require 5-6 unique classes that may not count toward your major or other degree requirements. 

The average time to degree for a ChBE major at Illinois is just over 4 years. This is often because students take a semester away from classes in order to complete a cooperative education experience where they gain 6-8 months of invaluable on-the-job experience. If you are a first-year student, you should plan on 4 years (8 semesters) to complete the degree in most cases. 

If you are a transfer student, you will need at least 2.5 years (5 semesters) and more commonly 3 years (6 semesters) to complete the ChBE degree. Many of the core ChBE classes must be taken in a certain order and students often cannot double up on core classes in one semester.

Various computer labs, maker spaces, and printing stations can be found around campus. Students in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering also have access to computer labs in 211 & 308 Noyes Lab (off of the main quad). We recommend that students purchase a personal computer and download the Microsoft Office Suite (available for free at the Illinois Webstore). Either a PC or a MAC should be sufficient for your needs.

• Online Illinois Technology Recommendations
• TechZone LAS Computer Recommendations
• TechZone Engineering Computer Recommendations

Our faculty and teaching assistants are engaged and available to meet with you during office hours—which are dedicated times that you can stop in to ask your instructor's questions. The department also offers peer tutoring for the program's core chemical engineering courses.

Free tutoring resources available on campus:

• ChBE Tutoring Program
• Chemistry Learning Center
• Math Tutoring
• Econonomics Tutoring
• The Writer's Workshop
• CARE (Center for Academic Resources in Education)
• OMSA (Office of Minority Student Affairs)

If you have questions about housing choices, assignments, or roommates, please contact University Housing. 

There are so many different communities and ways to get involved at Illinois! We recommend that students explore a variety of professional and more social student organizations. Many of our students are members of AICHE (American Institute of Chemical Engineers) and/or ACS (American Chemical Society) 

You can also search Involved@Illinois for many other registered student organizations (RSOs) online or take advantage of the activities and support offered by the many cultural and resource houses at Illinois. 

Health Professions Advisors at The Career Center assist pre-health students in preparing for the application process to health professional schools. The office provides information, resources, and insight to assist you in exploring the various health professions, identifying hands-on experiences in the health field, and learning how to become a competitive applicant.

Career Center Pre-Health Advising

Illinois also has an excellent Pre-law Advising staff to help students prepare and apply for law school. 

Pre-law Advising