EECE Undergraduate Admissions
Major Application Open!
Admissions Information
Admission to the Electrical and Computer Engineering major is a two-phase process. After acceptance to WWU, students first declare as a pre-major when they begin courses at WWU. Pre-majors must complete a set of foundational courses in math, physics, computer programming, and electrical and computer engineering principles in order to apply to the full major.
The required list of foundational courses are listed below. Depending on when students are able to begin calculus, pre-majors can complete the foundational courses in 3 quarters. Some of the foundational courses may be taken at a community college or other institutions. See Transfer Students for more information. Upper division courses, which begin in year 2, are restricted to students who have been accepted to the full major.
Questions? Want to Meet?
Prospective students and pre-majors are encouraged to contact EECE@wwu.edu with advising questions, or schedule a meeting with our pre-major advisor (in-person or virtual).
How to Apply to the EECE Major
Major applications are currently being accepted for students entering the major in Fall 2026. This application window has a deadline of Friday, June 5 11:59pm.
There will be a second application window for Fall 2026 entry beginning in late-June with a deadline of Tuesday, August 25, 11:59pm.
Only complete and on-time applications will be considered. Required courses may be in progress at the time of application. Accepted students begin taking full major courses in fall quarter of the year they are admitted.
Applications include a required questionnaire which asks about the applicant's goals, demonstrated leadership experiences, collaboration and teamwork examples, strategies for studying, and ability to overcome adversity.
Application Course Requirements
To be eligible to apply for the major, you must have successfully completed or be in progress with the following primary courses --
- EECE 111 - Circuit Analysis I
- CSCI 140 or 141 - Programming Fundamentals in C++ or Python
- MATH 124 - Calculus I *
- MATH 125 - Calculus II
- MATH 204 - Linear Algebra
- PHYS 161 - Physics w/ Calculus I *
- PHYS 162 - Physics w/ Calculus II
* Planning for a Four-Year Degree: To stay on track to graduate in four years, first-year students should complete MATH 124 and PHYS 161 by the end of their first fall quarter.
Additional Course Notes
While not required for your application, strong grades in the following courses will be positively considered if they are completed. These courses carry less weight than the primary list above.
- PHYS 163 - Physics w/ Calculus III
- MATH 224 - Multivariable Calculus
- MATH 331 - Differential Equations
In addition, EECE 108 is not required to apply for the major. However, it must be completed during your first opportunity on campus. Transfer students entering in Year 2 are exempt from this requirement and its co-requisite EECE 109.
General Questions
When do students apply to the major? The Electrical and Computer Engineering program only accepts applications in early June at the end of spring quarter and in late August at the end of summer quarter. Students accepted into the full major will begin major courses in the fall quarter of the year they are admitted. Transfer students who have completed the minimum requirements apply at the same time as current WWU students.
What factors are used to determine acceptance? Admission to the major is determined primarily by academic performance in the required courses, as well as other secondary factors including an application questionnaire about the applicant's teamwork and leadership experiences, motivation, and goals. Admission to the major is competitive. Neither completion of the prerequisites nor attainment of any specific GPA guarantees admission.
Students must obtain a C- or above in the required courses, and an overall GPA of 2.0 or higher to be considered. AP scores are converted to GPA as follows: 5 = A; 4 = B; 3 = C. Decisions are based primarily on cumulative GPA in the prerequisite courses, however successful completion of other required major courses, GPA in the major, and overall GPA are also considerations.
How competitive is the major? The program accepts approximately 60 students per year into the major, and the acceptance rate varies from year-to-year based on the volume of applications received. Over the five-year period from 2020 to 2024, the program admitted between 76-94% of applicants who applied, depending on the year. Recently, admission to the EECE program has been on the more competitive end of this range.
Other Frequently Asked Questions
There is no direct admissions into the EECE major. Students must first be accepted to Western, then declare as a pre-major to begin taking Year 1 foundation courses. Typically, first-year students spend one year at WWU as a pre-major in Electrical and Computer Engineering completing the required foundational courses before they are ready to apply. Transfer students should speak with the pre-major advisor to determine readiness to transfer and apply to the major.
While the essay questions can change from year to year, in AY2025-26, the essay questions were:
- Why are you applying to the Electrical and Computer Engineering major and what are your goals following graduation?
Pick one of these constraints and describe how you'd adapt your learning plan for the first term in EECE:
- you can only study 8-10 hours/week outside class
- you have caregiving responsibilities
- you're working 20 hours/week
- you're returning after a long break from math
Explain what you'd prioritize, what you'd drop/defer, and what support you'd seek.- Describe an experience where you had to diagnose and troubleshoot a problem. This experience may be technical, academic, or from everyday life. Focus on your diagnosis and troubleshooting process rather than the outcome.
- Describe a specific time you noticed a teammate or peer was struggling to contribute or at risk of being left out. What did you do to help them participate and succeed, and what changed as a result? Based on that experience, name one concrete practice you would use in future team projects to prevent unintentional exclusion (for example, around jargon, pace, or assumptions about prior experience).
- Describe an experience in which you initiated and achieved a goal through perseverance and overcoming adversity. What changed in your approach, and what did you learn about handling setbacks?
- Optional: Is there anything else you would like the Electrical and Computer Engineering admissions committee to know?
All questions had a 250-word limit.
Students who are not admitted into the EECE program are encouraged to seek advice from the pre-major advisor about next steps. The advisor can help decide if reapplying makes sense. Students are also encouraged to explore other engineering degrees and/or minors offered at WWU.
Because the full applicant pool is not known until Summer, the Spring admissions cycle is intentionally more selective than the Summer. In particular, during the Spring admission cycle, the department reserves seats for students who become eligible later in the year, including transfer students and students completing required coursework over the Summer. This helps ensure that students are considered fairly regardless of whether they are able to apply in Spring or Summer.
For this reason, some students who are not admitted in Spring may still be competitive for admission in Summer. Students who are not admitted in Spring and remain interested in the major are strongly encouraged to apply again during the Summer application period. Spring applications are not automatically carried forward, so students must submit a new application by the Summer deadline to be considered.
The number of seats held in Spring varies from year to year depending on the strength and size of the Spring applicant pool and the need to preserve fair access for students who can only apply in Summer. The total number of students admitted for fall entry is 60, but we do not fill all 60 seats in Spring.
No. All applicants are reviewed and admitted according to the same standards. It is illegal to consider race or gender in any admissions or hiring decisions for any program at any public school in the State of Washington. No preference is given to anyone based on gender or race.
The EECE major is a full-time program and courses are taught during the day. Students who are in the EECE major should plan to carry a full credit load every quarter. Special circumstances in which a student does not attend full-time would have to be addressed with the program committee and approved on a case by case basis.
Spring applicants will receive email notification by June 21, and Summer applicants by Sept 1. If these dates fall on a weekend or holiday, notifications will go out the next business day.
Short answer: No. You’ll have access to well-equipped computers in the EECE labs, so a personal machine isn’t required. That said, owning a laptop gives you flexibility to work anywhere and personalize your setup. We recommend these minimum specs:
- Operating System: Windows 11
- Processor: Intel i5 10th gen or newer
- Memory: 16 GB or larger
- Storage: 256 GB or larger solid state drive
Students can also use their own computers to remote into lab computers for times when more horsepower or specific licensed software is needed.
Transfer Students
Transfer students who have successfully passed or are currently taking the prerequisite courses listed above may apply to the EECE major during the spring or summer application. Students must first be accepted to the university. An incoming transfer student, who has not yet completed the prerequisite coursework will be designated as an EECE pre-major and will need to follow the standard application process at the next available opportunity.
Transfer students who are interested in pursuing the EECE program should contact the program early to discuss their options.
For additional information for Transfer Students.
Questions?
Please reach out to EECE@wwu.edu with your questions about admissions and advising.