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Princeton University

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ · City · 5,709 students
Nov 1 · Restrictive Early Action · in 30 days
Checked Sep 2026 · admission.princeton.edu
$6,128
Average net priceYour net price
2023-24
<30
30–48
48–75
75–110
110+
By household income — tap a bar
97%
Graduation rate
Entered fall 2017 & 2018
70% typical
$110,066
Earnings 10 years on
Measured 2020 & 2021
$63,395 typical
5%
Acceptance rate
Applied for fall 2024
73% typical · not scored
Accredited by Middle States Commission on Higher Education
About

Princeton University is a world-renowned Ivy League institution celebrated for its exceptional focus on undergraduate education, with premier academic programs in public and international affairs, engineering, economics, and mathematics. A defining hallmark of the academic experience is the mandatory senior thesis, which requires almost all undergraduates to conduct original, faculty-mentored research before graduating. Campus life is close-knit and deeply residential, uniquely anchored by the residential college system and the historic, student-run "eating clubs" along Prospect Avenue. Backed by a trailblazing no-loan financial aid policy, Princeton provides an intellectually rigorous and highly collaborative environment on a picturesque, park-like New Jersey campus.


Wikipedia:Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. The institution moved to Newark in 1747 and then to its Mercer County campus in Princeton nine years later. It officially became a university in 1896 and was subsequently renamed Princeton University.

Location
Princeton, NJ, 08544-0070 · City campus
✈
Nearest airport from college
EWR · Newark
35 mi away
Cost & aid
Cost of attendance
YoursEveryone
Tuition & fees$62,688
Housing & food (on campus)$20,250
Books & supplies$1,050
Cost of attendance$94,624
Average net price$6,128
Same price for all students
Tuition & fees$62,688
Housing & food (on campus)$20,250
Books & supplies$1,050
Cost of attendance$94,624
Average net price$6,128
How it’s made up · 2026-27
Princeton University’s own figures for 2026-27, newer than the 2024-25 federal figures above, so the amounts differ.
Tuition$68,140
Fees$314
Housing$13,010
Food$9,110
Books & supplies$1,050
Personal expenses$3,000
Total published by the school$94,624
Net price by family income · 2023-24
$0–30k
$41
$30–48k
$352
$48–75k
$1,217
$75–110k
$4,478
$110k+
$36,094
Outcomes
Completion
Within 6 yrs
97%
Entered 2017–18
Within 4 yrs
75%
Back for yr 2
98%
Transferred
0%
8 yrs after starting · first-time, full-time students
98% graduated · 1% transferred · 1% left or unknown · none still enrolled
Earnings · measured 2020 & 2021
6 yrs after entry$87,815
10 yrs after entry$110,066
Debt
Median at graduation$10,320
Monthly payment$109
Middle 50% owe$3k–$16.1k
90th percentile$25,000
Green marks a figure above the typical Doctoral University: 70% graduate within 6 yrs, $63,395 earned 10 yrs after entry.
Admissions
Getting in · applied for fall 2024
Admit rate
5%
Test policy
Test optional
Checked Sep 2026
SAT average
1553
R 740–780 · M 770–800
ACT midpoint
34
Comp 34–35 · E 35–36 · M 32–36
SAT middle 50%: 1510–1580
40080012001600
Application deadlines · first-year, fall 2027 entry
Restrictive Early Action
Nov 1 2026
in 30 days
Not binding, but it limits where else you can apply early. Check the school’s rules.
Regular Decision
Jan 1 2027
in 91 days
Not binding: the standard deadline.
Checked Sep 2026 · admission.princeton.edu · Confirm on the school's site before you apply.

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Essay prompts
From Princeton University (admission.princeton.edu) · 2026–27 application · checked Sep 28, 2026
  • Choose one of two · A.B. Degree Applicants or Those Who Are Undecided
    • As a research institution that also prides itself on its liberal arts curriculum, Princeton allows students to explore areas across the humanities and the arts, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. What academic areas most pique your curiosity, and how do the programs offered at Princeton suit your particular interests?
      250 words max
    • Please describe why you are interested in studying engineering at Princeton. Include any of your experiences in or exposure to engineering, and how you think the programs offered at the University suit your particular interests.
      250 words max
  • Princeton values community and encourages students, faculty, staff and leadership to engage in respectful conversations that can expand their perspectives and challenge their ideas and beliefs. As a prospective member of this community, reflect on how your lived experiences will impact the conversations you will have in the classroom, the dining hall or other campus spaces. What lessons have you learned in life thus far? What will your classmates learn from you? In short, how has your lived experience shaped you?
    400–500 words
  • Princeton has a longstanding commitment to understanding our responsibility to society through service and civic engagement. How does your own story intersect with these ideals?
    250 words max
  • What is a new skill you would like to learn in college?
    50 words max
  • What brings you joy?
    50 words max
  • What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment?
    50 words max

Quoted from Princeton University's own page; answered in the Common Application or the QuestBridge Application. The application itself is the final word.

The personal essay is separate: see the Common App essay prompts.

Student Body
Gender
Men 50%Women 50%
Who enrolls
Faculty ratio
5 : 1
Pell grant
19%
First-gen
28%
Family income
$37,036
Age at entry
19.0
Part-time
0%
Race & ethnicity
White
34%
Hispanic
10%
Black
9%
Asian
23%
Two or more
7%
Non-resident
13%
Unknown
4%
Varsity sports
NCAA Division I-FCS · EADA 2024-25
  • Baseball
    Men's
  • Basketball
    Men's · Women's
  • Fencing
    Men's · Women's
  • Field Hockey
    Women's
  • Football
    Men's
  • Golf
    Men's · Women's
  • Ice Hockey
    Men's · Women's
  • Lacrosse
    Men's · Women's
  • Other Sports
    Women's
  • Rowing
    Men's · Women's
  • Soccer
    Men's · Women's
  • Softball
    Women's
  • Squash
    Men's · Women's
  • Swimming and Diving (combined)
    Men's · Women's
  • Tennis
    Men's · Women's
  • Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
    Men's · Women's
  • Volleyball
    Men's · Women's
  • Water Polo
    Men's · Women's
  • Wrestling
    Men's
Programs & Earnings
Bachelor's degrees by annual completions · 4yr national median earnings
Median earnings, all programs · measured 2020 & 2021
After 6 yrs
$87,815
After 10 yrs
$110,066
Computer Science201
Economics132
Public Policy Analysis114
Operations Research77
History72
Political Science and Government57
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology52
Research and Experimental Psychology50
Mechanical Engineering45
Mathematics38
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology37
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering36
Physics34
Sociology34
English Language and Literature, General31
Civil Engineering30
Type your major above to highlight and detail relevant programs.
Institutional
Resources
Endowment
$33.4B
Full-time faculty
87%
Faculty salary
$25,354/mo
Teaching spend
$73,220
per student
Federal loans
2%
Classification
Carnegie type
Doctoral University
Research activity
R1 — very high research
$559M research spending · 432 research doctorates a year
Undergraduate profile
Four-year, more selective admissions

Wondering if Princeton University is the right fit for you?

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Financial aid & net cost estimates
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