Admission & Enrollment Policies

Freshman Applicants

When students apply to the College of Engineering and Applied Science from high school, they may indicate to enter the college as “open option” (unsure of engineering major), or they may select a preliminary engineering major. Sometime after completion of the first semester, and by the eighth week of the second semester, all students should finalize their choice of major in the college. For details regarding this process, see www.colorado.edu/engineering/academics/policies/confirming-your-major.

Specific admission requirements are detailed in Undergraduate Admission in the General Information section of this catalog. Students are expected to be enrolled as full-time students and must petition to be enrolled part time.

For more information, see www.colorado.edu/admissions/undergraduate/apply/freshman.

Transfer Students

Students desiring to transfer from other accredited collegiate institutions are considered for admission on an individual basis. All transfer students are expected to be enrolled as full-time students and must be admitted to the college prior to the last 45 semester credit hours of their degree program. Admission criteria for students at other CU campuses are the same as for other transfer students.

For more information, see www.colorado.edu/admissions/undergraduate/apply/transfer.

Intrauniversity Transfer Students

Undergraduate intrauniversity transfers (IUTs) on the Boulder campus of the University of Colorado to the College of Engineering and Applied Science are considered on designated criteria. The applicant’s academic record must fulfill the IUT admissions requirements of the College of Engineering and Applied Science. Specific admission criteria and application details may be found at www.colorado.edu/engineering/admissions/transfer/intra-university.

Former Students

A former student is expected to meet the current requirements outlined in Undergraduate Admissions in the General Information section and must reapply to the university. Courses taken at other collegiate institutions are not necessarily a determining factor in the student’s readmission to the University of Colorado, but transcripts on all such work must be submitted. 

Interruption of studies may require completion of current degree work in addition to repetition of course work for new degree requirements.

A former student returning to the college after a break in attendance must have course work reevaluated by the student's major department if it is older than 10 years from the date of his or her return. 

Minimum Academic Preparation Standards (MAPS)

All students entering the University of Colorado who finished high school in the spring of 1988 or after must meet Minimum Academic Preparation Standards (MAPS) specified by each school or college. The College of Engineering and Applied Science has adopted the following standards for students. These standards are defined in high school units; a unit is one full year of high school course work:

• English: 4 units
• Mathematics: 4 units (includes at least 2 of algebra, 1 of geometry, and 1 of college preparatory math such as trigonometry, analytic geometry, or elementary functions)
• Natural Science: 3 units (2 of physics AND 1 of biology or chemistry; OR 2 of chemistry AND 1 of physics or biology; OR 2 of biology AND 1 of chemistry or physics; OR 1 of physics AND 1 of chemistry or biology AND 1 of another science)
• Social Science: 3 units
• Foreign Language: 3 of the same foreign language or 2 years in each of two different foreign languages

For additional information, see the Undergraduate Admission and MAPS sections of this catalog.

Attendance and Full-Time Enrollment

Successful work in the College of Engineering and Applied Science is dependent upon regular attendance in all classes. Students who are unavoidably absent should make arrangements with instructors to make up the work missed. Non-attendance does not constitute withdrawal from a course. If students stop attending a course in which they are formally enrolled, they are likely to receive a failing grade (F). 

Changing Majors

The form necessary for transferring from one undergraduate engineering major to another, or to add an additional engineering major, is available online at www.colorado.edu/engineering/academics/advising-and-registration (Change of Major). 

Class Standing

To be classified as a sophomore in the college, a student must have completed 30 semester credit hours; to be classified as a junior, 60 hours; and to be classified as a senior, 90 hours. A student with more than 120 hours is classified as a fifth-year senior. All transfer students are classified on this basis according to their hours of credit accepted at the University of Colorado. This class standing does not necessarily reflect the academic standing of a student in a degree program.

Credit Policies

Advanced Placement

Advanced placement (AP) and college credit may be granted on the basis of the College Entrance Examination Board’s (CEEB) Advanced Placement tests. For students who have taken an advanced placement course in high school and who make the required score in the CEEB’s Advanced Placement examination, advanced placement and college credit are granted. All advanced placement credit must be validated by satisfactory achievement in subsequent courses, in accordance with the transfer credit policies of the college. For additional information, see www.colorado.edu/admissions/undergraduate/apply/freshman/credit.

College-Level Examination Program Credit

Prospective students may earn college credit on select College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) examinations, provided that they score at the 67th percentile or above. A list of subjects in which CLEP examinations are accepted may be obtained in the College of Engineering and Applied Science dean’s office. All CLEP credit must be validated by satisfactory achievement in subsequent courses, in accordance with the transfer credit policies of the college.

Credit for Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC)

Up to 6 semester hours of credit of approved ROTC courses may be counted toward a student’s degree requirements in the humanities/social sciences. These approved courses may be found at www.colorado.edu/engineering/academics/policies/hss. With written approval from the student’s major department, additional ROTC credit hours may be applied as free electives and/or technical professional electives.

Final Grade Appeal

The college’s grade appeal policy may be found at www.colorado.edu/engineering/sites/default/files/Grade-Appeal-Policy.pdf.

Incompletes

The grade of I (incomplete) may be given by an engineering faculty member when requested and only with documented circumstances beyond a student’s control. A substantial amount of work must have been satisfactorily completed before approval for such a grade is given. If an incomplete grade is given, the instructor is required to document both the conditions precedent to the removal of the incomplete and the time limit for the fulfillment of these conditions. The specified time shall not exceed a one-year period. A copy of the “Incomplete Grade Form” is filed with the dean’s office, the student’s major department, the instructor, and the student involved. 

Course work to complete a grade of I must be taken on the same campus on which the grade of I was awarded. Credit for a course similar to the course in which the grade of I was awarded may not be used to substitute for the incomplete course or be used to remove the grade of I.

If the I grade is not resolved within one year, it reverts to an F.

No Credit Restrictions

In the College of Engineering and Applied Science, courses required for fulfillment of graduation requirements cannot be taken for no credit (NC). Once a course has been taken for no credit, the course cannot be repeated for credit. Engineering students must petition for approval before enrolling for any course NC.

Pass/Fail Option

The primary purpose for offering courses on a pass/fail grading option is to encourage students to broaden their educational experience by selecting elective courses with this grade option without serious risk to their academic record. Individual departments may have rules that should be checked before registering for the pass/fail option. The college pass/fail policy is:

1. The maximum number of credit hours a student may elect with the pass/fail option shall be designated by the student’s major department, but no more than 16 semester hours of pass/fail credit can be applied toward degree requirements. (Study abroad pass/fail credit is exempt from this limitation.)
2. Students should obtain advance approval via petition prior to selecting the pass/fail option using the College Petition form. Course work taken pass/fail without appropriate approval may be reverted to the letter grade earned.
3. All students who wish to register for the pass/fail option must do so during the university registration or schedule adjustment period. 
4. Students on academic probation may not elect the pass/fail grade option.

Transfer Credit

After a prospective transfer student has applied and submitted transcripts to the University of Colorado, the Office of Admissions issues a transfer credit evaluation listing those courses acceptable for transfer by University of Colorado Boulder standards. A copy of this evaluation is made a part of the student’s college record. The student’s major department will then indicate which of those courses are acceptable in meeting engineering degree requirements. It is the responsibility of the transfer student to request final validation of the transfer credit hours by the major department and confirm that this validation is noted in the student’s college file.

If at any time a student wishes to have a course not previously accepted reconsidered for transfer, the student should consult with the faculty transfer credit evaluator in the major department  and petition the dean through the department for approval of the course.

Nontransferable Credit Hours. Students desiring to transfer credit hours from engineering technology programs should note that such credit hours are accepted only upon submission of evidence that the work involved was fully equivalent to that offered in this college.

Some technology courses are taught with titles and textbooks identical to those in similar engineering courses. These courses may still not be equivalent to engineering courses because the areas of academic em-phasis are divergent.

In order to assist engineering technology students with transfer problems, the following guidelines have been established:

1. Courses on basic subjects such as mathematics, physics, foreign languages, literature, or history may be acceptable for transfer credit if they were taught as part of an accredited program for all students and were not specifically designated for technology students.
2. Students who have taken courses with technology designations that may be valid equivalents for engineering courses have these options:

• They may petition for permission to waive the course requirement. The course requirement can be waived if students demonstrate that, by previous course work, individual study, or work experience, they have acquired the background and training normally provided by the course. No credit is given for a waived course, but students may benefit from the waiver by being able to include more advanced work in their curriculum. Other students may profit by repeating the course at this college and thus establishing a fully sound basis for what follows.
• The appropriate University of Colorado academic department may recommend to the dean’s office that credit be transferred to count toward the requirements for a related course in its curriculum. Credit cannot be given for vocational/technical or remedial courses under rules of the university. 
• The student may seek credit for the course by examination. 

For more information on transfer of credit policies, see Transfer of College-Level Credit in the Undergraduate Admission section.

Work Experience

It is the academic policy of the College of Engineering and Applied Science that credits accrued in the official records of a student that were awarded for work or co-op experience do not apply toward degree requirements.

Petition Policy

A student desiring a waiver of college or departmental policies must request and secure approval for this waiver through a petition procedure. Petitions are first presented to the student’s major department for review, followed by review at the dean’s office. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain official notification of the petition decision from the dean’s office. Petition forms and information on the petition procedure are available in the dean’s office, in the academic department office, or at www.colorado.edu/engineering/academics/advising-and-registration. 

Registration and Enrollment

To ensure the prompt completion of degree requirements and satisfaction of the four-year guarantee, the undergraduate student is expected to register for, and complete each semester, a full-time course load as outlined in the relevant major department curriculum. All students are expected to be enrolled full time and must petition to be enrolled part time. Part-time enrollment (less than 12 credit hours) will negatively impact the student’s financial aid and scholarships, and is likely to negatively impact student health insurance, on-campus housing, and the four-year graduation guarantee. Students must also petition to be enrolled in more than 19 credit hours in any given semester. 

Sequence of Courses

Students are expected to follow the curriculum recommended by their major department.

A student who receives a grade of D+ or lower in a course that is prerequisite to another may not enroll in the succeeding course without an approved petition from the student’s major department, the instructor of the succeeding course, and the dean’s office. (Check with the major department for more stringent requirements on prerequisite course grades.)

All courses are not necessarily offered each semester. According to college policy, undergraduate courses having an enrollment of fewer than 20 students may be cancelled. Students can minimize scheduling problems by closely following the curricular sequence recommended by their major department. If a course is unavailable, a student may petition to enroll for equivalent study.

Add Policy

After the add deadline published by the Registrar’s Office, late course adds are processed by the instructor’s department (with instructor approval). Engineering students may not enroll in more than 19 credit hours in a semester (17 credit hours for first-semester students) without an approved college petition.

Drop Policy

Students may drop a class online through the initial drop deadline published by the Registrar’s Office (during the third week of classes in a semester), without a W grade appearing on the student’s transcript. After that date, students may still drop a class online through the final drop deadline published by the Registrar’s Office (during the tenth week of classes in a semester), but a W grade will appear on the student’s transcript. After the final drop deadline, students must file a detailed college petition to request a late drop, which may be approved under the following conditions:

• After the tenth week of class, a student may be approved to late drop a course if they had not previously attended or participated in the course, handed in homework, or taken any examinations. Course instructor approval is required.
• After the tenth week of class, a student may be approved to late drop a course only with documentation to verify circumstances beyond their control or a university error. Course instructor approval is required.

Students are responsible for being aware of the consequences of a late drop(s), including impacts on financial aid/scholarships, health insurance, on-campus housing eligibility, academic progress towards degree requirements, etc.

Repeating Courses

A student may not enroll more than three times in a course that applies towards degree requirements; furthermore, after the third attempt, a student may not substitute an equivalent course. This means that a student has a maximum of three opportunities to show sufficient mastery of a particular subject area, whether the course is from CU-Boulder or through another collegiate institution. Furthermore, the most recent occurrence of the subject is the grade which is applied (e.g., to meet a grade required for a prerequisite course). If a student has earned AP or IB college credit and then subsequently enrolls in that course content, the later grade is applied. All grades will be employed to calculate grade point averages, including any courses which are repeated.

Withdrawal from the University

If you are leaving the university during an academic semester/term or after having paid your registration deposit, you must withdraw from all courses through the Registrar’s Office. See www.colorado.edu/registrar/withdrawing-university for procedural information. Students are responsible for being aware of the consequences of a withdrawal, including impacts on financial aid/scholarships, health insurance, on-campus housing eligibility, academic progress towards degree requirements, etc.

If a student withdraws, college permission may be required for reenrollment. Students who interrupt their course of study may be required to complete all current degree requirements and to repeat courses previously completed.