Admission to the J.B. Speed School of Engineering

Admission Requirements

Students apply for admission to the J.B. Speed School of Engineering by completing a University of Louisville undergraduate application. The application and detailed directions are located online.

Students are admitted to the J.B. School of Engineering on either a degree seeking or non-degree seeking basis. High school visitors, visiting students from other institutions, auditors, post baccalaureate students, and continuing studies students are considered non-degree seeking. All other students are considered degree seeking. Applicants will be notified by the University’s Office of Admissions of their status and of the conditions of their enrollment at the time they are accepted. Students planning to earn degrees from the J.B. Speed School of Engineering must be degree-seeking in order for the credits they have earned to apply toward their degrees. Students remain in a degree-seeking status until they graduate, transfer to another college or university, or are suspended/dismissed.

Freshmen Students

Admission requirements vary between the different schools in the university. A student is eligible for admission to the academic programs of the J.B. Speed School of Engineering upon the basis of courses taken in high school, grade-point average, and, when possible, test scores achieved on either the ACT or SAT. Considered for admission to the J.B. Speed School of Engineering for entering freshman students will be based on the following requirements.

• High School Curriculum Requirements: All schools require graduation from an accredited high school and completion of the Kentucky Pre-College Curriculum requirements. In addition, Speed School requires successful completion of the following courses in high school:
  • Calculus or pre-calculus
  • Chemistry

Students with ACT / SAT Scores

• ACT composite and math scores of 25 OR SAT combined CR+M score of 1200 and math score of 590. A 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale OR
• ACT composite and math scores of 24 OR SAT combined CR+M score of 1160 and math score of 570. A 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale

Students without ACT / SAT Scores

• HS GPA of 3.0 (or better) on a 4.0 scale
• Comprehensive transcript evaluation
• Review of Student Resume

Transferring to Engineering BS degree programs

Students with less than 12 transferable semester hours are considered in a similar fashion as freshmen students and must meet the admissions requirements for new freshmen and have a minimum college grade point average of 2.8.

Students with 12-23 transferable semester hours will have a minimum college grade point average of 2.8 (including UofL GPA), Reading ACT of at least 20, or Accuplacer Reading of at least 244, or successful completion of ENGL 101 or equivalent and at least B-minus grades in each of the following courses: ENGR 181 (or equivalent) OR MATH 190 (or equivalent) and Intro to Chemistry (CHEM 101 or equivalent). 

Students with 24 hours or more transferable semester hours will have a minimum college grade point average of 2.8 and at least B-minus grades in each of the following courses: ENGR 181 (or equivalent) OR MATH 190 (or equivalent) and Intro to Chemistry (CHEM 101 or equivalent). 

It is recommended students successfully complete Physics I (PHYS 298 or equivalent) before transferring to the J.B. Speed School of Engineering.

Transferring to the Computer Science BA degree program

Students with less than 12 transferable semester hours are considered in a similar fashion as freshmen students and must meet the admissions requirements for new freshmen and have a minimum college grade point average of 2.8.

Students with 12-23 transferable semester hours will have a minimum college grade point average of 2.8 (including UofL GPA), Reading ACT of at least 20 or successful completion of ENGL 101 or equivalent and at least B-minus grade in College Algebra (MATH 111 or equivalent).

Students with 24 or more transferable semester hours will have a minimum college grade point average of 2.8 and at least B-minus grade in College Algebra (MATH 111 or equivalent).

All applicants meeting admissions criteria will be reviewed by the J.B. Speed School of Engineering Admissions for decision.

Transfer students must be admitted to the J.B. Speed School of Engineering by October 1 to enroll in the following Spring semester or May 15 to enroll in the following Fall semester.

In addition to the minimum grade requirements for College Algebra or Pre-Calculus and General Chemistry I, the J.B. Speed School of Engineering requires a minimum D-minus grade for any transferred course to be accepted as credit toward a degree. A transfer student must earn at least sixty semester hours applicable toward the baccalaureate degree at a fully accredited four-year college or university. Thirty of the last thirty-six semester hours must be earned at the University of Louisville and at least 25 percent of the degree program hours must be earned at University of Louisville.

Admission Status

Successful applicants who satisfy all J.B. Speed School of Engineering requirements will be granted unconditional admission with a Good Standing status. If there is a deficiency in academic qualifications, successful applicants will be admitted to the College of Arts and Sciences in a pre-engineering curriculum.

Mathematics Placement

Mathematics courses for Engineering Programs are taught within the J.B. Speed School of Engineering. The majority of incoming freshmen start in one of three courses, ENGR 181, ENGR 100, or ENGR 101. Information on placement into each of these courses can be found here.

Good Standing

Freshmen students (and transfer students with less than 24 hours) who satisfy all requirements will be granted unconditional admission into their selected Department with a Good Standing status. 

Applicants who do not meet high school curriculum requirements for the J.B. Speed School of Engineering or are below grade point average or test score requirements, but still satisfy university admission requirements, will be admitted to Arts and Sciences in a pre-engineering curriculum. The pre-engineering curriculum prepares students for the mathematics and sciences courses in the J.B. Speed School of Engineering curriculum. Students who complete the pre-engineering curriculum with at least B-minus grades in in each of the following courses:  MATH 111 (or equivalent) or MATH 190 (or equivalent) and Intro to Chemistry (CHEM 101 or equivalent) and have a cumulative grade point average above 2.8 will be considered for an intra-university transfer to the J.B. Speed School of Engineering.

Readmission

If a student has a break in enrollment of two or more calendar years, the student must apply for readmission by completing a University of Louisville undergraduate application. If admitted, the student will be subject to catalog requirements in effect at the time of readmission.

Non-degree Students

High school visitors, visiting students from other institutions, auditors, post baccalaureate students, and continuing studies students wishing to take courses offered by the J.B. Speed School of Engineering must complete a University of Louisville undergraduate application. Upon admission, students should contact the engineering advising office for further instructions.  Students must show documentation of meeting prerequisites and have permission of the relevant department chair, which will be facilitated by the advising office. All grades earned by non-degree students will be recorded on an official University transcript.