Frequent Q & A

This should be done using BoilerConnect.  You should search for our associate director, Darshini Render, under professional school inquiry and that you choose the "Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering." Please explain the meeting briefly in the comments so we can prepare appropriately.

You may or may not be aware that, at Purdue, there is no direct entry into the Biomedical Engineering program.  Engineering students all start out in the First-Year (freshman) Engineering Program.  The First-Year Engineering (FYE) curriculum encourages and provides opportunities for students to explore which discipline of engineering will best match their interests.  After their first year, they are eligible for admission to professional schools, such as BME, by the following process: Transition to Major - School of Engineering Education - Purdue University 'Area of Interest - First Choice', while a required field on the Common App used by Purdue, does not impact your application. This is where you can indicate what engineering major you are interested in. All students are considered equally for First-Year Engineering regardless of the specific engineering major they are considering, meaning a student who indicates an interest in Biomedical Engineering, for example, is not considered any differently than a student who indicates they are undecided. Purdue uses the Area of Interest field to gauge interest in majors for statistical and historical purposes, and not for admissions purposes.


Unfortunately, due to high demand and the small size of our program, facilities, and faculty pool, we cannot accept transfer students into Biomedical Engineering at Purdue. Reviewing the Purdue admission pages for transfer students will show that Biomedical Engineering is a “closed program,” meaning that transfer to this program is not possible.


Please note that you won’t be able to change your major to BME. We almost exclusively admit students from First Year Engineering and usually don’t have space for students who change their major. Students who do wish to CODO to BME have to meet the CODO requirements


BME is a space-limited program that only admits CODO students to start in the fall semester. However, because of our space limitations, even if a student meets CODO requirements, they are not guaranteed admission into the program. You would need to meet the BME CODO requirements before we would be able to consider you for admission. These CODO requirements and space limitations are unlikely to change in the near future. We encourage you to talk with First Year Engineering and/or Office of Future Engineers for more information.


Please email Cindy Holderbaum at cholderb@purdue.edu with the date(s) you are considering – taking note that we are not here on weekends.  She will work with you on our availability and recommendations for additional campus sessions.


Since engineering students at Purdue spend their freshman year in FYE (First-Year Engineering), high school classes typically don’t apply to the BME Plan of Study directly, but they may fulfill a first-year requirement. Generally speaking, 4s and 5s on the AP tests will earn you credit here at Purdue. For more specific details, check out the Purdue credit for AP Tests page on the Office of Admissions' website for the ultimate guide to earning AP credit.

To see how that credit would apply to a Purdue Engineering degree, check out the First-Year Engineering plan of study for freshman year courses and the plan of study for your desired engineering major for classes sophomore year and beyond.


See first destination data page (link)


When you apply is an extremely important part of the application process. To maximize consideration of your application, you will need to make sure you apply by Purdue's Early Action Deadline of November 1. November 1 is also the priority deadline for First-Year Engineering (listed as "Engineering (First-Year)" on the Common App), meaning that the highest likelihood for admission is for those who apply by the priority deadline.