A department entered after the first year
Princeton says students apply to the University, not to departments, and engineers choose one of six engineering departments at the end of their first year.
Undergraduate · Princeton
Princeton Civil and Environmental Engineering: chosen after you arrive
Princeton admits students to the University, not to a department, and Civil and Environmental Engineering is one of the six engineering departments that award the B.S.E. For an applicant drawn to infrastructure, water, cities and the environment, the useful questions are what the department says it studies, how engineers choose a department at the end of the first year and how it differs from Princeton's Chemical and Biological Engineering and ORFE departments. This guide makes no claim of a separate application to the department.
Official information · read 1 November 2026, no entry-year label
What Princeton says about Princeton Civil and Environmental Engineering
Taken from Princeton Admission's Academics, Standardized Testing and International Students pages and Princeton Engineering's undergraduate and Civil and Environmental Engineering department pages, read on 1 November 2026. The pages carry no entry-year label, so for a 2028-entry application every statement below is evidence for the previous cycle and may change; check Princeton's pages for the 2028-entry details.
The B.S.E. is the engineering degree
Princeton Engineering says six departments offer B.S.E. degrees. About a quarter of each class is enrolled in the B.S.E. programme.
Built environment and natural environment
The department's page describes research on the built environment, the natural environment and the interactions between the two.
Named focus areas
They include water resources, civil engineering materials, urban environments including smart cities, climate impacts on water and structural art and design.
The SAT or ACT is required
Princeton says fall 2028 first-year applicants need to submit either SAT or ACT scores.
Official sources
- Princeton Admission: Academicsadmission.princeton.edu
- Princeton Engineering: Undergraduate Studiesengineering.princeton.edu
- Princeton Engineering: Civil and Environmental Engineeringengineering.princeton.edu
- Princeton Admission: Standardized Testingadmission.princeton.edu
Read on 1 November 2026 on Princeton Admission's Academics, Standardized Testing and International Students pages and Princeton Engineering's undergraduate and Civil and Environmental Engineering department pages, which describes 2027 entry. The pages carry no entry-year label. The department's own website, the Undergraduate Announcement, the course lists and path to graduation, deadlines and financial aid were not read, and the department website sits behind a bot-verification page that was not bypassed and are not stated.
The department
What Princeton says Civil and Environmental Engineering studies
Princeton Engineering summarises the department as giving fundamental insights into the built and natural environments and their interactions. The department page lists focus areas that run from civil engineering systems and materials, through water resources, air and water quality and smart cities, to climate impacts and structural art and design. The page read is a department overview. It does not set out the undergraduate curriculum, and this guide does not describe courses or the path to graduation.
Is it the right department?
Civil and Environmental Engineering, Chemical and Biological, or ORFE
All are engineering departments Princeton describes separately, so the choice is made at the end of the first year. Avandy's comparison is general and covers only departments Avandy has already published.
Civil and Environmental fits if
you are drawn to infrastructure, water, cities and how engineered systems meet the natural environment.
Chemical and Biological Engineering fits if
your interest is human health, energy, materials and industrial processes. Avandy's Princeton Chemical and Biological Engineering guide covers it.
Operations Research and Financial Engineering fits if
you prefer mathematical tools for decisions under uncertainty. Avandy's Princeton ORFE guide covers it.
Admission and testing
A Princeton application and the SAT or ACT
Princeton asks for an academic record that includes internal grades and marks from external exams such as A levels or the IB, with predicted or achieved results sent as they become available. It says first-year applicants for fall 2028 will need to submit either SAT or ACT scores. Engineering is a path chosen after enrolment, not a separate application. In the first two years engineering students meet requirements in mathematics, physics, chemistry and computer science. This guide states no score.
A decision framework
Three questions before you commit
This is Avandy's own framework, not Princeton's.
Which part of the department's range draws you?
The page spans water, materials, cities, climate and structural design.
Are you comfortable choosing the department at the end of the first year?
Princeton says engineers choose from six departments then.
Can you plan the SAT or ACT with your A levels or IB?
Princeton says fall 2028 first-year applicants need to submit one of them.
Planning for 2028 entry
Planning for 2028 entry: what carries over and what is awaiting publication
Princeton's pages carry no entry-year label, so nothing on them is confirmed for 2028 entry. Use them to understand the structure of the application, then check Princeton's own pages for the 2028-entry details.
The requirements and descriptions on the pages read on 1 November 2026, which carry no entry-year label
These are the best guide to what to prepare. Princeton has not confirmed them for 2028 entry.
Deadlines, fees, financial aid and any department prerequisites not quoted here: not stated
This guide has not read them. Check Princeton for the values that apply to your application year.
What to do now
Read the department page and the Undergraduate Announcement entry, and plan the SAT or ACT alongside your A levels or IB.
Support
Independent support with planning your own application
Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support. It is not affiliated with Princeton University or any of its colleges or departments. Preparation sits within the Avandy Trinity Advisory Model: a Strategic Admissions Consultant, a PhD-level Academic Mentor and a Subject-specific Tutor, working to the actual requirements of each course. Support here is limited to understanding the requirements and planning the applicant's own work; Avandy does not write or edit essays, does not submit any materials and has no partnership with Princeton University. No outcome is promised.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
Can I apply directly to Princeton Civil and Environmental Engineering?
No. Princeton says students apply to the University, not to individual departments, programs or schools. Engineers choose a department at the end of their first year.
Is it a B.S.E. or an A.B.?
Princeton Engineering says six departments offer B.S.E. degrees. The pages read name no A.B. option for this department.
What does the department study?
Its page describes research on the built environment, the natural environment and the interactions between the two, with focus areas such as water resources, materials and smart cities.
Do I need the SAT or ACT?
Princeton says first-year applicants seeking to enrol in fall 2028 will need to submit either SAT or ACT scores.
Do A levels and the IB count?
Princeton asks for marks from external exams such as British A levels or the International Baccalaureate, with predicted or achieved results as they become available.
Are these the rules for 2028 entry?
No. They are Princeton's wording with no entry-year label. Check Princeton's pages again when Princeton publishes its 2028-entry requirements.
Students and families
Talk to us about Princeton Civil and Environmental Engineering
Tell us about the student's curriculum, their mathematics and physics, their interest in infrastructure and the environment and their SAT or ACT plan, the universities on the list, and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare.