However:
- You then have to leave the LAC to finish your engineering major.
- Admission to the "2" school is not guaranteed, and may be competitive. Even if guaranteed for grades/GPA, the thresholds may not be easy to meet. Example: https://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/apply/combined-plan .
- Financial aid at the "2" school may be different from that offered at the "3" school, and not known at the beginning when entering the "3" school. One of the common "2" schools, Columbia, claims to meet 100% of need (as determined by them) for frosh and regular transfer students, but *not* for 3+2 Combined Plan students: https://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/apply/combined-plan .
- Five total years could mean higher cost, even if financial aid is good.