Transfer Students
Students can transfer to the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign from another department, college, or university. We're excited to welcome you into our program!
Note: In most cases, students who transfer into our program in the first year are still able to graduate on time.
Transferring from another program
In order to transfer from another program at the University of Illinois, you must apply to the department and obtain departmental permission. The department will make an evaluation based on the following:
- Your academic ability at UIUC. You will be evaluated based on a University of Illinois GPA of at least 3.1 based on at least 2 semesters of work. GPA padding, excessive use of independent study, courses not required for graduation, or significant underloading of coursework is not favorable for transfer applications.
- Your academic ability within ChBE. You will be evaluated based on your potential success in ChBE courses. For successful transfer, the department is looking for a grade of “C” or better in two of the following: CHBE 221, 321, or 421. The department will additionally look at other ChBE courses that you’ve taken in order to make a determination of your ability to succeed in our program.
- A satisfactory graduation plan within 10 semesters of college entry. Students must develop a graduation plan to be approved by either the head advisor or a faculty/staff member designated by the department head, which should not include excessive course overloads or include taking multiple difficult classes within the same semester. For example, a plan that requires CHBE 430, 431, 440, and CHEM 315 to be taken in the same semester is not acceptable.
Transferring from another university or community college
Transfer applicants who have completed more than 6 semesters or 80 hours of coursework are subject to an additional review. Priority is given to students who can complete degree requirements within a total of ten semesters in college (not counting summer sessions). A grade point average of 3.2 or higher (A=4.00) is required for admission. Applicants are considered based on space availability.
General Education Requirements
Admission requirements for transfer include completion of equivalent transfer coursework to the following University of Illinois courses, which must be successfully completed prior to the desired term of entry. Sixteen hours of approved general education electives are required, including at least six hours in social perspectives or behavioral sciences and at least six hours in literature and the arts or historical and philosophical perspectives. A current list of approved courses that may be used to satisfy this general education requirement is available in the Academic Catalog. If you have more than six hours in either category, the excess will be counted as other Humanities or Social Science hours. More information about “General Education" requirements can be found on the Course Explorer.
| Required Course and Name | Credits |
| CHEM 202: Accelerated Chemistry I (1) | 3 |
| CHEM 203: Accelerated Chemistry Lab I | 2 |
| CHEM 204: Accelerated Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 205: Accelerated Chemistry Lab II | 2 |
| MATH 220: Calculus I (2) | 5 |
| MATH 231: Calculus II | 3 |
| MATH 241: Calculus III | 4 |
| PHYS 211: University Physics: Mechanics (3) | 4 |
| PHYS 212: University Physics: Elec & Mag | 4 |
| PHYS 214: University Physics: Quantum Physics | 2 |
|
Highly Recommended Course and Name |
Credits |
| CHEM 236: Fundamental Organic Chem I | 4 |
| CHEM 237: Structure and Synthesis | 2 |
| CHEM 436: Fundamental Organic Chem II (7) | 3 |
| CS 101: Intro to Computing: Engrg & Sci (4) | 3 |
| MATH 285: Intro Differential Equations (5) | 3 |
| MATH 415: Applied Linear Algebra | 3 |
| RHET 105: Principles of Composition (6) | 4 |
| Language Recommendation | – |
| UIUC’s General Education requirements (7) | 16 |
- Students who have taken a non-accelerated general chemistry sequence will enroll in CHEM 222, Quantitative Analysis Lecture and CHEM 223, Quantitative Analysis Laboratory, after transferring.
- Depending on the available courses, the 3-semester sequence in calculus and analytic geometry, including basic linear algebra and matrix theory, should be equivalent to at least 12 semester hours.
- Depending on the available courses, the most advanced physics sequence or the one for engineering majors must be followed. If no 3-semester, 12-hour sequence is available for engineering majors, a 2-semester, 10-hour sequence may also be acceptable, provided it includes modern physics.
- The computer course must be a course in FORTRAN, C or C++ programming, including numerical methods (University of Illinois CS 101, Introduction to Computing, Engineering/Science); it should be a course intended for engineering majors.
- Depending on the available courses, the 3-semester sequence in calculus and analytic geometry, including basic linear algebra and matrix theory, should be equivalent to at least 12 semester hours.
- At most institutions, the equivalent requires a two-course English Composition sequence.
- Sixteen hours of approved general education electives are required. This must include at least six hours in social perspectives or behavioral sciences and at least six hours in literature and the arts or historical and philosophical perspectives. A current list of approved courses that may be used to satisfy this general education requirement is available in the ChBE Undergraduate Office, Room 99, Roger Adams Laboratory, or on the Academic Catalog website. If you have more than six hours in either category, the excess will be counted as other Humanities or Social Science hours.
If you have questions about transferring into our program, contact scs-advising@illinois.edu.