Not sure yet? We encourage you to look at our signature research areas, opportunities for undergraduates, and student spotlights. For details about the field of biomedical engineering, visit our careers page.
Prospective Purdue Engineering students should visit the Office of Future Engineers website for information on admission to Purdue and Engineering specifically.
purdue biomedical engineering acceptance rate
Typically a total of 8 students are admitted into the program each year with about 30% opting for a BME PhD. Our admissions process is highly selective.
BME Admissions
The Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering admits approximately 96 new students per year from the First-Year Engineering Program. In recent admission cycles, the Weldon School has admitted all qualified applicants from the FYE Program. To qualify for admittance into the Weldon School, students must complete (with a C- or above) all First-Year Engineering required courses, including the science selective: CHM116.
The Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering uses the same standards and process for admission as all the other schools in the College of Engineering. Please check out the Transition to Major process for First-Year Engineering students transitioning to an engineering professional degree program.
How soon will I be notified regarding my admission status?
You will be notified of your preliminary admission status in mid-March. Admission into BME will be finalized upon successful completion of your First-Year Engineering Program curriculum and after your spring semester grades have been posted. Offer emails should be sent out by mid-May.
What if I am admitted in March and do poorly in a required first-year engineering course?
You will have to repeat the course in question during the summer before your sophomore year begins. All first-year engineering courses must be completed with a C- or above for final admission into the BME program. This will put you at a disadvantage, as we will attempt to fill all our spots in mid-May. With that said, we may have spots available for students completing FYE requirements in August.
The Engineering Experience: Karen Hubbard
My favorite part about engineering is the versatility of your degree. You learn how to be a technical/critical thinker and an efficient problem solver. The skills you gather are applicable to almost any field in industry and other occupations.
My favorite class I have taken is a Study Skills Seminar with Miss Brenda Downing. I learned so much about my study habits and how to integrate self-care in my schedule. Every time I left that class, I left with something new to apply to my student-life. My grades improved after taking this class as well! I still use the tactics I learned in that class this semester.
The best thing about Purdue is the passion instilled in the staff. Ive had wonderful academic experiences with Professors because they communicate how much they care about our success, academic experiences and life after graduation. Professors and other teaching staff have impacted me greatly and encouraged me to become more rooted at Purdue through different avenues other than academics.
When Professor Craig Miller wore my hoop earrings for a lecture!
I am a chapter member of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and on the Regional Board as Region 4 Treasurer. I am on the 2018 ElectHer Planning Committee, and I work in the Minority Engineering Program Office as the Program Administrator. I am also a member of the Biomedical Engineering Society and the Biomedical Engineering Mentee Program.
I wish I had known which AP/ACP Classes transfer for credit. I would have challenged myself more in high school to take more advanced classes!
Always discover what you enjoy early. Finding something you are passionate about will help you realign with your goals when you feel discouraged.
I won 2018 Black Purdue Homecoming Queen!
Plan of Study
Purdue admits to individual majors. Transfer students must meet Purdues overall transfer criteria, as well as any major-specific requirements. Before you apply, check the closed programs page to confirm this major is open to transfer students. If it is, refer to the information below for major-specific transfer criteria.
Program Availability: Closed to transfers
What areas of research are offered at Purdue in biomedical engineering?
Primary areas of research include: Engineered Biomaterials & Biomechanics; Imaging; Instrumentation; Quantitative Cellular & Systems Engineering.
Transition to the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering (BME) from First Year Engineering (FYE)
For general information about the Transition to Major (T2M) process, please consult with your FYE academic advisor directly.
Eligibility for T2M: You must complete all FYE courses with a GPA of 2.0 or higher. Our ranking system prioritizes Engineering Admissions Index (EAI) first and then cumulative GPA. The maximum capacity is determined by the number of available seats in our teaching labs. This number varies annually based on a variety of circumstances and is determined usually in January.
For May:
Maximum capacity for incoming FYE students is 150 seats.
For August:
Maximum capacity for incoming FYE students is 10 seats.
Suggested Classes while in FYE
For the science selective, CHM 11600 is recommended for T2M into BME. Please see our Curriculum and Program Requirements for the suggested Plan of Study if you are on schedule with classes. If you are ahead, we have some suggestions for classes to take during FYE. BME courses are only open to students admitted into the program; however, you may be able to take advanced courses in other departments.
If you are ahead in courses during FYE, please consider the following suggestions:
Accepted Equivalents (in BME only):
|
Required Class |
Accepted Equivalents |
|
BME 29500 (Thermo in Biol Sys) |
ABE 20200, or ME 20000 |
|
CHM 11600 |
CHM 13600 |
|
CS 15900 |
CS 18000 if considering CS minor |
|
MA 16500 and MA 16600 |
MA 16100 and MA 16200 (Only 8 credits can count toward BSBME) |
|
MA 26100 |
MA 27100 |
|
MA 26200 |
MA 26500 and MA 26600 |
|
PHYS 24100 |
PHYS 27200 if pre-med |
|
STAT 35000 |
STAT 51100, CHE 32000, IE 33000, or STAT 41600 and 41700 |
Annual Open House and Tours
BME hosts an annual Open House every October. Check your email for an invitation during the Fall semester.
During the Fall and Spring semesters, BME offers daily tours on weekdays at 1:30 pm in MJIS 1021. No registration necessary. These tours are led by current BME students and are open to the public. During the summers, please call (765) 494-2995 in advance to schedule a tour.
Considering Medical School?
About 10% of graduating BME students go on to medical school. Please use the resources available through the Center for Pre-Professional Advising and the BME-specific course info page for pre-med students.
You might also consider enrolling in the 0-credit Spring course, BIOL 39600 Premed Planning Seminar.
Co-Ops and Internships
Scholarships
We do have a limited number of small scholarships for admitted BME students, however they are merit based and quite competitive.
Please refer to the College of Engineering and University-wide scholarships websites to investigate other opportunities.