How To Get Into Princeton University

As one of the most elite and well-known universities in the Ivy League, Princeton University has earned a level of prestige that few other higher learning institutions have. Located in Princeton, New Jersey, the school is renowned for its faculty members' quality, groundbreaking research, and the students it educates. 

The university’s motto is Del Sub Numine Viget, which translates to Under God’s Power, She Flourishes. Princeton is a private school and carries the nickname “The Tigers.” As an elite Ivy League institution, about 75% of classes at Princeton have fewer than 20 students. Only 4% of classes have over 100 students.

Princeton University was founded on October 22, 1746, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Its original name was the College of New Jersey, and the Presbyterian Synod chartered it. The college moved to Newark, New Jersey, a year later, and in 1748, a president charter was granted for the college in New Brunswick.

In 1753, a group of wealthy aristocrats deeded 10 acres to the college in Princeton, New Jersey. Nassau Hall was erected on the land and completed in 1756, and the college moved from Newark to Princeton. 

In 1776, the college’s president, John Witherspoon, signed the Declaration of Independence. A year later, George Washington drove British soldiers from Nassau Hall, which also served as the U.S. Capitol in 1783.

The College of New Jersey did not officially change its name to Princeton University until 1896. Albert Einstein became a life member of the Institute for Advanced Study in 1933. The university currently has 11 faculty members on staff who are Nobel Prize winners.

Princeton University has been ranked the best university in the United States by U.S. News & World Report for over a decade. Princeton graduates are among the best and brightest in the world, and alumni are consistently ranked amongst the world’s top leaders in all industries. A few of the many well-known Princeton alumni include:

• Michelle Obama
• Jeff Bezos
• Brooke Shields
• F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Dean Cain
• Steve Forbes
• Arthur Compton
• Donald Rumsfeld
• David Duchovny
• Ralph Nader
• Pete Conrad
• Oliver Ellsworth
• James Madison
• Aaron Burr

This is just a very small list, but if you want to add your name to the list of alumni, you’ll need to learn everything you can about how to get into Princeton. You will need to earn an impeccable GPA, score very high on the SAT or ACT, cultivate an impressive record of extracurricular activities, and stand out with your leadership skills. 

You will also need to write inspirational, compelling short essays and personal statements on your admission application if you are going to be a competitive candidate for admissions. The school values motivation, perseverance, liveliness of mind, and independent thinking. 

Princeton University is well-known for its extremely low admit rate, so you’ll need all the Princeton application help you can get to boost your chances of receiving that coveted acceptance letter. 

Following are some of the most commonly asked questions about how to get accepted into Princeton.

Many people are unaware that all eight Ivy League schools have agreed on their admission policies. These are detailed in the Joint Statement for Candidates on Common Ivy Admission Procedure. This basically means that all eight schools have agreed to simplify the admissions process by enacting more uniform procedures for admissions. 

There are several procedures under which the schools operate, including:

• The timing of admission decisions (Early Decision, Early Action, Regular Decision)
• Common reply rates
• Early evaluations
• Letters to student-athletes
• Financial aid policies (Need-based and awarding financial aid)

The eight institutions participating are Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, UPenn, Princeton, Yale, and Harvard.

For Princeton University’s class of 2026, the school has not released information about its admit rates. However, many experts estimate that the number hovers at less than 4%, putting Princeton as one of the most difficult colleges to get into in the world.

The acceptance rate for the class of 2025 was a mere 3.98%. Of the 37,601 applications the university received, only 1,498 students were invited to join the incoming class.

If you applied and received a deferred decision, there is still a chance that you will be accepted to Princeton. A deferred decision means that your application will automatically roll into the regular decision process and be considered another time in the context of that pool of applicants. A small number of Early Action applicants who were deferred to the regular round have been admitted.

There is nothing more for you to do if you were deferred. If you have submitted all the required information, the admissions staff has everything it needs. If a significant update becomes available that you believe would benefit your application, you can add it to your file through the Applicant Portal. You can also email the information to the undergraduate admission office.

The school recommends that you start reading up on all the application materials and requirements during your junior year in high school. You should plan to start filling out your application during the summer before your senior year or during the fall of it. 

The deadline for Regular Decision admissions is January 1. If you are interested in applying for the Early Action program, the deadline is November 1. 

Princeton University accepts the Common Application, which becomes available in mid-August. The Common Application also contains a Princeton Supplement, which is also required. The university also accepts the QuestBridge College Match Application. 

Princeton University offers an Early Action program that is non-binding. If you apply under this option and are invited to Princeton, you are not legally bound to accept. This may be an excellent option for students who have thoroughly considered their college options and are certain that Princeton is their number one choice.

If you are interested in the Early Decision option, you must submit your application in its entirety by November 1. You cannot apply to an early action program at any other private school, but you can apply for early programs at any public university as long as the program is non-binding.

Students who apply under the Early Decision option will receive a decision by the middle of December and will be able to consider their decision until May 1, when they are required to respond.

If you apply under this early option, you can apply to other schools’ regular programs, which can help you compare financial aid offers and admission policies. In addition, you will need to ask your counselor to submit any available senior-year grades if you are applying early.

If you apply for Early Action or Regular Decision and want to change from one to the other, you can email the admissions office to request the change. You will receive a confirmation email if the change has been granted. You don’t need to submit an entirely new application.

Students at Princeton follow a unique academic structure founded on a solid liberal arts background. While many other schools have students follow a more rigorous academic structure and schedule through their college years, students are encouraged to explore new interests and subjects at Princeton.

Princeton University is a liberal arts college blended with a major research institution. Faculty members challenge students to explore options before declaring a major. Even after a major is selected, students can still further their academic prowess in other areas of study. The interdisciplinary connections that benefit students represent the heart of the school’s curriculum.

The school heavily encourages students to share thoughts, perspectives, and experiences with each other as it brings together faculty, students, and staff members from a wide array of backgrounds, locations, and cultures. Princeton cites intellectual curiosity and academic excellence as the two most important factors in its decision-making process for admissions.

No. Princeton is proudly a need-blind institution, which means that it operates under an admission policy that does not disadvantage applicants in any way if they are also financial aid applicants. 

This need-blind admission policy ensures equal opportunity for exceptional students whose families cannot afford the cost of attending. The policy covers all applicants from the U.S. and abroad.

Princeton cites academic GPA as “very important” in the admissions process, in addition to a handful of other factors that include:

• The rigor of high school courses
• Class rank
• Standardized test scores (when required)
• Application essays
• Extracurricular activities
• Character/personal qualities
• Talent/ability
• Teacher recommendations

Princeton aims to seek students who will thrive on campus while they contribute in unique ways to the culture that defines the university. Although the school does not release the average GPA scores of the students it admits and doesn’t have a solid number requirement for admission, it’s estimated that this number is about 3.9 (unweighted). 

This means that you’ll need to earn almost all As in your classes. If your GPA isn’t quite up to snuff, your application will need to be extra strong in other areas to compensate.

Princeton does not require a specific minimum score on either the SAT or ACT, and there are no cutoffs for admission. The admissions committee considers every application within the context of each student’s situation and school. 

However, the strongest applicants do have very high scores on standardized tests. Princeton University has changed to a test-optional policy for admissions for students applying through 2023 for the class of 2027. If you choose not to submit test scores, your application will not be disadvantaged.

However, it’s still recommended that you prepare for them and take one or both tests at least a couple of times. If you score well enough and choose to submit your scores, it can help boost your chances. 

Your scores will need to be reported directly from the testing firms. You should take the test of your choice by the October test date if you apply for the single-choice early action option and by the December date if you will be using the regular decision option.

SAT and ACT scores for students admitted to Princeton to join the class of 2026 are:

• SAT Middle 50%: 1490-1580 (Math 760-800 and Reading and Writing 730-780)
• ACT Middle 50%: 33-35

Princeton University does not require Subject Tests, which the College Board eliminated in January 2021 for domestic students (and in June 2021 for international students). However, if you already took any Subject Tests and want to submit your score, Princeton will still allow you to do so.

If you choose to take the SAT and submit your scores, Princeton will allow you to use the score choice feature. The school will also accept your highest composite ACT score if you choose to take that test. However, the school does encourage students to submit all of their test scores.

Princeton will super score your SAT results across all sittings, but for the ACT, it will not consider scores if you retake an individual section. Only the highest composite scores are considered for the ACT.

It’s not enough to get As in all your classes; Princeton University expects you to take the most rigorous coursework available during high school. If your high school offers Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses, make sure to take as many as possible (without sacrificing your sanity, health, or grades). 

These courses will demonstrate to this prestigious Ivy League school that you are ready for college-level coursework and seek out challenges, even when easier paths are available. Princeton looks for applicants who are always working to improve themselves in various ways.

Princeton describes itself as a community of learning that is made better by the vast array of perspectives its students bring. Undergraduates are advantaged by the resources available on the world-class campus, fortified by the formidable research done at the university.

It’s important to understand the school’s Advanced Placement Policy, through which you may be able to earn recognition for college-level and advanced classroom work. Students can be placed in Princeton courses that match their education and preparation levels. In some cases, you might also be allowed to skip introductory courses, opening the door to more advanced coursework earlier in your college career. 

If you choose to take AP or IB tests, the university recommends that you self-report your scores on your application. Consult the school’s Reference Table for AP Credit Accepted at Princeton for specific information.

If you want to know how to get into Princeton, you need to know what courses the university expects you to take during high school. Princeton does not offer a list of requirements for admission but instead has a list of recommended courses. 

Princeton states that it understands that all high schools are unique and they don’t all offer the same classes. Furthermore, the university knows that not all students have access to the same academic opportunities. It’s one of the reasons Princeton makes its admissions decisions according to a holistic policy, considering many factors in its decisions, not just one or two.

Princeton University recommends that you take the following courses during high school, at a minimum:

• Four years of mathematics
• Four years of one foreign language
• No fewer than two years of laboratory science
• A minimum of two years of history
• Four years of English

The English recommendation includes continued practice in writing meaningful, clear prose. The mathematics recommendation includes calculus if you are interested in majoring in engineering. 

The laboratory science recommendation includes chemistry and physics if you are interested in engineering, and the strongest applicants have also studied in the performing or visual arts.

No, Princeton doesn’t offer credit toward degrees for those types of classes. However, you can take AP exams offered by some of the departments at Princeton. If you do well, you may be able to skip introductory courses in those areas. The Princeton Undergraduate Course Catalog contains specific information about this policy.

Princeton University does hold bonds with its alumni in high esteem; therefore, although the application process itself is the same for all applicants, having legacy status is a plus. In other words, if your father, mother, stepmother, or stepfather attended Princeton, the admission faculty considers that information as part of the admissions review process.

Interviews are offered on an optional basis at the sole discretion of the admissions committee. While no interviews are conducted on campus grounds, there are off-campus interviews held by the Princeton Schools Committee. 

Princeton volunteers conduct all interviews, so they are only offered in areas where a volunteer is located. If a volunteer is available in your home area, you will be contacted by a Princeton interviewer after submitting your application. 

However, if an interview is not possible for you, know that your application will not be disadvantaged in any way and will still be considered complete without an interview. Please do not contact the admissions office requesting an optional interview; they will reach out to you if the opportunity is available.

You can opt out of the interview in the Princeton Supplement. If you do so, your application won’t be disadvantaged. However, you are strongly recommended not to opt out of the interview. If an interview is available, students who do not opt-out will be contacted via email.

The interviews usually run between 30 and 45 minutes and are designed to be informal, candid conversations between applicants and volunteers. You will have the opportunity to ask questions about Princeton that are important to you and get a first-person point of view from a Princeton alumnus.

Be aware that the interviews are not allowed to be recorded in any way. Unfortunately, students participating in the QuestBridge National College Match won’t be able to participate in these interviews, but again, their applications will not be disadvantaged because of it.

If you have devoted a considerable amount of time, talent, and effort to a specific art form or skill, you should consider submitting your work as part of your application via the optional Arts Supplement. Students who may choose this option are those with work in:

• Dance
• Music
• Theater
• Visual arts
• Architecture
• Creative writing
• Music theater

Princeton values all art forms and invites students to submit the optional Arts Supplement by November 7 for Early Action applicants and by January 9 for Regular Decision applicants. If you are a transfer student, the deadline for your submission is March 8.

To submit this optional material, indicate your intention to do so on your application in the appropriate section. You can also access a link to submit your materials in the Princeton Applicant Portal. Either way, you must submit your application for admission to the school before you can submit the optional Arts Supplement. 

Unfortunately, students participating in the QuestBridge College Match program cannot submit the optional Arts Supplement.

No. Visiting campus will not directly help your chances of getting into Princeton University. The school does not track demonstrated interest, which means it does not keep records of which students visited campus or showed interest in the school in other ways.

Some of the most common ways students do demonstrate interest are through:

• Visiting the campus
• Taking virtual tours
• Contacting an admissions counselor
• Connecting on social media
• Participating in off-campus recruiting events

Some universities keep track of demonstrated interest. However, to maintain its stance on equal opportunity application policies, Princeton does not. This is because low-income students who could not afford to travel to campus would be at a disadvantage if Princeton tracked demonstrated interest.

However, participating in the previously mentioned activities will help you learn much about the school. It will also allow you to discover if Princeton best fits your needs and academic goals. Therefore, it’s always strongly recommended that you take part in such activities whenever possible.

Princeton University has created the Tiger Talks program to allow interested high school students to speak with student ambassadors via Zoom meetings. These meetings are parent-free, admissions officer-free, professor-free, and counselor-free allowing all students to speak candidly and openly.

The Tiger Talks sessions are limited to a maximum of 20 participants and are allotted one hour. The student ambassadors will speak for the first 45 minutes, and then the floor will open for students to ask questions.

Princeton requires two letters of recommendation from teachers and requests (but does not require) one from a school counselor. Many students are interested in supplying the university with additional letters; however, the school discourages this, stating that additional letters are only helpful if the author knows you well and can provide new and detailed information.

You should choose teachers who can speak to your intellectual and academic potential to write your letters. If you are currently enrolled in high school or college coursework, your letters should be written by a teacher who instructed you within the past two or three years. Preferably, the person should also be a teacher of courses similar to those you are interested in taking as part of your main field of study.

Teachers of in-person courses are preferred, but if your only option is an online course teacher, that will be accepted. If you were involved in any rigorous academic workshops, such as Warrior-Scholar Project, you might procure letters of recommendation from those instructors.

After you add Princeton to your list of schools you want to attend on the Common Application, you will be able to see the supplemental questions for the school. Different applicants should answer different questions on the supplement, which will depend on their intended fields of study.

For A.B. degree students and those who are undecided, the following question should be answered in 250 words or fewer:

• What academic areas interest you, and how do Princeton’s programs cater to those interests?

For B.S.E. degree applicants (in 250 words or fewer):

• Why are you interested in studying engineering here? How do you think our programs will suit your interests?

For all applicants, in 150 words or fewer:

• Discuss an experience, hobby, or activity that is meaningful to you.

There are two additional questions that the university asks applicants to answer in 250 words or fewer, and they are similar to the following:

• Discuss a time when you had a conversation with someone about a difficult topic. What did you learn, and how will you use that information in the future?
• Talk about how your story intersects with Princeton’s commitment to civic engagement and service.

The following short-answer questions are also included, which the university expects you to answer in 50 words or fewer:

• What makes you happy?
• What song is the current soundtrack of your life right now?
• What new skill would you like to learn in college?

Make sure you always use your voice, no matter which prompts and questions you answer or how long your answers are. Be yourself, be original, and be genuine. The Princeton essays are a chance for the admission staff to get to know you better as a person, not just a student.

Make sure to avoid re-stating information that is already present somewhere else on your application. This is your chance to add things about yourself that wouldn’t fit within any other section. 

The university cautions you about making sure that you write your own essays. They do encourage you to ask others to proofread your answers but also remind you that it’s extremely important that the answers are your own work. 

A crucial principle at Princeton is intellectual integrity. Needless to say, any student who has been found to have submitted essays written by another source will be removed from the applicant pool. This includes essays that are found on the internet.

Unlike other universities, Princeton requires applicants to supply a graded written paper as part of their admission application. The paper should come from a class that is listed on your high school academic transcript, not a summer course or a college course outside of school. It should be a maximum of five pages long or 1,000 words.

You have two options for submitting your graded paper:

• Email it to the admissions office, mail it via USPS, or upload it to your applicant portal. (Princeton will accept scanned documents.)
• Upload it along with your application materials when you submit your completed Common Application

This paper must have been written during your last three high school years. If you cannot provide this graded paper, the admissions staff will still review your application but will have less information to work on approval. If you have a paper, but it has a grade and comments on a separate piece of paper, you can attach that piece of paper to your submission. If no grade is written, ask your teacher to attach or attest to your original grade.

If your paper is on Google Docs, the university recommends converting it to a Word document with markups. Instead, you can take a screenshot of the graded paper if the grade and comments are visible.

The university states that it is interested in the talents and interests students have that are outside of the classroom. The admissions staff does not value any one activity over another. What is more important than the number of activities or the type of activities you are involved with is the value of those activities to you.

Princeton is interested in activities you truly enjoy that speak to your personality, passions, and interests. It is interested in the leadership opportunities you sought and your impact on others while involved in various activities. 

These activities include school clubs and organizations, community groups, and more. Princeton appreciates sustained commitment demonstrations, taking note of exceptional accomplishments and talents.

The school is less concerned with the number of activities you do and wants to see activities of true value instead. It’s important to note that the university does not expect heavy involvement in activities from students with high external responsibilities. 

These responsibilities include full-time or part-time jobs, family and home obligations, and more. These are also considered extracurricular activities and should be included in your application. All activities relay a commitment of time and responsibility to others alongside your academic work, which Princeton values highly.

Princeton University offers its own set of tips, suggestions, and recommendations for students interested in applying for admission to the school. The university states that it looks for students who have pursued and achieved excellence in academics, extracurricular activities, and personal accomplishments.

The school asks applicants to help the admissions counselors appreciate their accomplishments, talents, and achievements by making sure to submit all materials. The admissions committee wants to learn more about you other than just what the numbers say. 

They want to learn what makes you special. Let them know through your essays and personal statements how you would take advantage of all that Princeton has to offer. Let the committee see why you would be the right choice for the school by showing them all you have to offer.

Princeton suggests that instead of worrying about meeting all kinds of quotas and criteria, you cultivate an application that displays your achievements in their own context. A great way to focus your application is to center it around helping the admissions team understand your potential to contribute to the Princeton community.

The best way to do this is to show them how you took advantage of the resources around you during your high school career. You can also achieve this by thoroughly relaying to them how you contributed to your community, peers, and school during that time.

While academic achievement is important in the admissions selection process, Princeton does not seek only students devoted to their studies. The strongest applicants are those that make a difference in their communities and schools. Make sure you include all examples of your leadership activities, extracurricular involvements, special skills, and interests on your application.

Making sure your application is complete before submitting it is crucial. And ensuring that you have all the required and requested components is also critical for avoiding delays in processing. The university has provided a thorough application checklist outlined in three actionable steps:

1. Submit
2. Request
3. Report

For first-year applicants, you must submit all materials on or before the relevant application deadlines, whether you apply for Early Action or for the Regular Decision round. 

The first component is your completed application, which must be submitted online through the Common Application website. You must also complete the Princeton Supplement, which should also be submitted online through the Common Application website.

Next, you will need to submit the graded written paper, which must be no longer than 1,000 words or five pages in length. The paper should be on the subjects of history or English.

Finally, submit the application fee or an application fee waiver. There are two ways for you to submit a waiver. The first is through the Common Application, where your school counselor must approve the request online. The second is by selecting a fee waiver option through the Supplement. 

Low-income students and students who have served in the U.S. military are eligible for a waiver. If you use the Princeton-specific waiver through the Supplement, you do not need a school counselor’s approval.

Components of the application you also will need to request and have submitted include:

• An official high school transcript
• School Report (SR)
• Counselor’s recommendation letter
• Two teacher letters of recommendation
• Midyear School Report (MSR)

These components must be submitted by an appropriate person other than yourself. With the exception of the two letters of recommendation by teachers, your high school counselor must handle the other application components. 

The School Report is available through the Common Application website, but you must ask your counselor to complete and submit it. Note that the SR and Counselor Recommendations are different; you must invite your academic advisor or counselor to complete both.

You must ask the two teachers who write your letters to complete and send the teacher recommendation forms on the Common Application website. 

Items that will need to be reported by official organizations include:

• SAT or ACT test scores (if required)
• SAT Subject Tests (if taken already)
• IELTS, TOEFL, or PTE scores

The IELTS, TOEFL, and PTE scores are only for students who are non-native English speakers. If English is your primary language, you do not need to take these tests.

Don’t forget to complete any and all relative components of the application that may apply to your situation, such as the optional Arts Supplement and the optional interview.

You will need to log into Princeton’s Applicant Portal to verify that the university has received everything it needs. Once you submit the application, you should receive a confirmation notice within 48 hours. Be aware that you must submit the application before submitting financial aid forms or anything else that is supplemental.

When you know how to get into Princeton and start planning years in advance while you’re in high school, your chances of being admitted will go up with each passing year as you make an impact and plan for a bright future.