Does princeton accept students to the university as a whole

Is princeton engineering a separate admissions process, or does princeton accept students to the university as a whole>>>>>>>>

From Princeton Admissions website:

“We ask you to tell us on the application which degree program you may be most interested in following: A.B. (bachelor of arts), B.S.E. (bachelor of science in engineering) or undecided. We look closely at the math and science preparation of students considering engineering studies. However, students apply to the first-year class of Princeton University, not to the engineering or liberal arts programs, and are not locked into a degree program (or a specific department within that degree program) upon admission. Students in the engineering school choose a concentration (major) by the end of the first year; bachelor of arts students have two years to choose a concentration.”

So if i apply to college of arts and sciences and am admitted, I cannot transfer into the school of engineering or vie versa?

“students apply to the first-year class of Princeton University, not to the engineering or liberal arts programs, and are not locked into a degree program (or a specific department within that degree program) upon admission.”

I think this makes clear that there is flexibility for admitted students.

“So if i apply to college of arts and sciences and am admitted, I cannot transfer into the school of engineering or vie versa?”

As far as whether you’re allowed to transfer to the school of engineering upon being admitted as an arts and science student is something you’ll have to contact the admissions staff at Princeton for the most accurate info. One thing for sure is that the reason why they ask you to check off your intended field of study with BSE as one option is so that the adcoms can look at your math and science preparations in your application. Since another option is “Undecided,” I’m assuming that you can check that off, and once admitted, declare your BSE major in May of your freshmen year. CAVEAT: This is where you’d need to contact the Admissions office for clear answer. Even if you can get around to this, at the time of declaring your BSE major, you may not be allowed to major in BSE should you not possess the requisite math and science proficiency. So be sure to get all the accurate answer if getting a BSE degree is of utmost importance to you. If you have the flexibility of falling back on a degree in arts and sciences, then checking off the “Undecided” box might be the best option for you. Again, just contact the Admission office for a clear answer. You need to pose two questions: 1) whether you’re allowed to go from undecided to declaring BSE major by April of your freshmen year, 2) does the school of engineering make the decision as to who can major in BSE or not at that point based on your math and science proficiency.

From Princeton website:

Declaring a Major

Most AB students declare their majors in April of sophomore year, whereas BSE students formally declare their majors in May of their first year after meeting with departments in April.

BSE Major Declaration

STEP 1. Departmental Approval and Course Advising. The process of choosing a major involves attending the Engineering Departmental open houses at the beginning of April, meeting with an adviser in your intended department (you may meet with advisers in several departments before deciding), having your intended program of study approved, and enrolling in the fall-term courses appropriate for a sophomore in your department.

STEP 2. Major Declaration. During the first week in May, BSE students confirm their choice of major by visiting the major declaration page on the Registrar’s website, having been sent a link to this page when it is activated. If you change your mind over the summer or at the beginning of sophomore year, there is a simple process for changing departments.

Complete information on the process of joining a department is sent to all BSE freshmen by the Undergraduate Affairs Office of the School of Engineering and Applied Science after spring recess.

Princeton is not similar to Penn where you are admitted to a specific college. If you are admitted to Princeton you are admitted to the university as a whole and can choose any major. You are NOT admitted specifically to the engineering school or to a college of arts and science. Your application should make sense; if your letters of recommendations are from your English and History teachers and you received a B in math stating that you want to major in engineering would be a surprise to the admission officer. Engineering majors have freshman prerequisite courses in calculus, physics and chemistry their freshman year. It is easy to transfer from an engineering major to a AB major during your freshman year. You can transfer from a AB major to the engineering school if you have taken the prerequisite courses. About 50% of the students change their major from the major they initially indicate. If you select the appropriate freshman courses you can defer selecting your major until your sophomore year.