Admission to the Major for Current CSE Students
Overview:
Admission to a major in the College of Science and Engineering is a competitive process based on the successful completion of specific technical courses and a grade point average (GPA) based on technical courses (the technical GPA).
CSE Students who have completed the necessary technical courses and have a 3.2 or above technical GPA at the end of fall semester will be guaranteed admission to that major. All other students who have completed the necessary technical coursework for their intended major (as identified by each department) will be considered for admission to that major on a space-available basis.
The College of Science and Engineering website has more information on applying to your major as a CSE student.
Application Requirements
+
Prerequisite Courses
Students are eligible to apply once they have met the following minimum requirements for prerequisite courses and technical GPA.
Students must have completed or be currently enrolled in the following courses with a grade of C- or better:
- Calc I (MATH 1371 or equivalent)
- Calc II (MATH 1272 or equivalent)
- Multivariable Calculus (MATH 2374 or equivalent)
- Physics I (PHYS 1301W or equivalent)
- Physics II (PHYS 1302W or equivalent)
- Statics & Dynamics (AEM 2021 or equivalent)
- Chemistry I Lecture & Laboratory (CHEM 1071 & 1065 or equivalent)
- In addition to the above courses, students must also complete one of the following for admission to the major (both are requirements of the major):
- Material Science (MATS 2001 or equivalent) OR
- Thermal Science (ME 3331 or equivalent)
+
Technical GPA
Meet the technical (unbracketed) grade point average (GPA) requirement for courses taken at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities:
- Students with a 3.2 Technical GPA or higher will be guaranteed admission to the major when applying for the fall semester.
- Students below a 3.2 technical GPA, but above a 2.00 technical GPA, will be considered for admission to the major based on space available in the program.
+
More about your technical GPA
The technical grade point average (or technical GPA) is calculated using your University of Minnesota - Twin Cities grades in specific courses. Courses taken at other institutions may fulfill degree requirements; however, they will not be included in the technical GPA calculation.
An "unbracketed" technical GPA is used as part of the criteria for admission to the major. This means that all attempts at a course (which resulted in a letter grade of A - F) or its equivalent will be used to calculate the technical GPA. Your technical GPA can be found on a "What If" APAS Report for Mechanical Engineering.
See more information and policies at Application to a major information for current CSE Students on the CSE Advising Page.
+
Submitting a Personal Statement with your Application:
In recent terms, Mechanical Engineering has had a GPA cutoff for admission to the major. Most recently the GPA cutoff was a 2.5 technical GPA for the Fall 2025 application.
Students that have had extenuating circumstances impacting their GPA that are below or around a 2.5 technical GPA are strongly encouraged to submit a personal statement to the department.
Please use this form to submit a personal statement to the Department of Mechanical Engineering to be reviewed alongside the application to the major. Information submitted in this form will be used to holistically review students applying to the major that may fall below the cutoff GPA.
The deadline is May 25 for those applying to the major in Spring 2026.
Related Links:
CSE Application to the Major
Office of Admissions: Freshman Admission Information
Office of Admissions: Transfer Admission Information
Can't find the answer here? Try CSE's page.