Princeton University
Princeton, NJ 08544
Princeton University is a private NJ university founded in 1746, offering Bachelor’s degrees for undergraduates and Master’s and Doctoral degrees for graduate students. Princeton University is a hyper-selective school, only accepting 4.0% of applicants. Princeton University’s athletics teams compete at the club and varsity levels, and the university employs 997 full-time instructional staff with a 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio.
Information Updated: March 2023 | Data Sources: US News & World Report, Collegeboard, Princeton University
Empowerly Score®
98
University Score
- School Performance
- Extracurriculars
- Standardized Tests
- Essays
Empowerly Score®
At Empowerly, we prioritize data to customize our approach to student counseling. College admissions is becoming more selective by the year, so it’s never been more important than now to prepare in advance and give yourself the best chance for success.
Take the Empowerly QuizESSAYS
Applicants will be required to write one personal statement based on a set of prompts within the application and be required to answer specific questions about the university.
Deadlines For Submitting Applications
Early Action Application Deadline
November 1st
Regular Admission Application Deadline
January 1st
ATTENDANCE FACTORS
- Extracurricular Activities - Very Important
- Character/Personal Qualities - Very Important
- Application Essay - Very Important
- Academic GPA - Very Important
- Rigor of Secondary School Record - Very Important
Average Acceptance Rate
4.00%
STUDENT LIFE
Princeton, New Jersey, holds the #1 of “Best Places to Live” in the state by Niche.com’s yearly rankings. The Princeton University campus comprises over 200 buildings on 600 acres in an idyllic suburban setting. Princeton has a busy semester-based academic calendar with one of the best academic and community life balances for students and faculty as a residential college. Its unique campus traditions include eating clubs which continue to be its most popular dining and social option for upper-level students. Students also can join some of the oldest and most prestigious student organizations on campus and in the United States, such as the nation’s oldest debate union, the oldest daily college newspaper, and the oldest touring college musical-comedy theater group.
Housing
Princeton provides on-campus housing for students for all four years. 96% of students live in university-affiliated, -operated, or -owned housing, with only 4% living off-campus. First-year students and sophomores are required to live on campus. Most juniors and seniors live on campus to stay connected to Princeton’s close-knit residential community life, which offers various activities and programs year-round to enhance campus life and develop a sense of home for all, intellectually and socially. As Freshmen, you will be randomly placed in six dorms (here called residential colleges). Each residential college is assigned a junior or senior resident advisor who makes the transition to college life more enjoyable with freshman seminars, shared meals, competitions, and other out-of-class activities.
Life as a Student
Princeton University has a diverse campus community and student life thanks to its small-town setting in Princeton, NJ (Population: 31,000) in Central NJ, yet proximity to New York City and Philadelphia, approximately 55 miles away by train. You will find a nearly 50/50 male/female enrollment ratio and an exceptional 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio. While Princeton excels academically as one of the nation’s top schools, life for a student isn’t all work. With over 300 student organizations, 38 sports clubs, 19 chaplaincies, and other on-campus opportunities, you can immerse yourself in other interests. Princeton campus life consistently gets high marks because of the school’s view that education and socialization are equally important.
TOP MAJORS
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services
Social Sciences
Public Administration and Social Service Professions
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Engineering
History
SERVICES
Health and Safety
- 24-hour trained security on campus
- Student security patrol
- Late night ride/safe escort service available
Student Services
- Health Center
- Legal Advice
- Psychological Counseling
- Women's Center
Athletics
Varsity
Varsity
Baseball
Basketball
Cross-Country Running
Fencing
Football
Golf
Ice Hockey
Lacrosse
Rowing - Heavyweight
Rowing - Lightweight
Soccer
Squash
Swimming and Diving
Tennis
Track and Field
Volleyball
Water Polo
Wrestling
Basketball
Cross-Country Running
Fencing
Field Hockey
Golf
Ice Hockey
Lacrosse
Soccer
Softball
Squash
Swimming and Diving
Tennis
Track and Field
Volleyball
Water Polo
FINANCIAL AID INFORMATION
Princeton University will cover 100% of a student’s demonstrated need, and an estimated 61% of students qualify for financial aid. Additionally, 83% of recent seniors graduated debt free, and the average net cost of tuition, college fee, housing, and food for recipients of Princeton University’s financial aid is $13,405.
*All costs below are estimates and may differ based on your circumstances.
- Tuition - $57,410
- Room Charge - $10,960
- Board Rate - $7,670
- Miscellaneous Expenses - $3,500
- Total Estimated Cost of Attendance - $79,540
CORPORATE PARTNERSHIP / AFFILIATES
HISTORY
Princeton University was founded in 1746 as the College of New Jersey in Elizabeth, NJ, and is the fourth oldest higher education institution in the United States. It is also one of the first nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. The school moved to Newark in 1747, then to its current location in suburban Princeton, NJ, nine years later. The site for its present campus was chosen to avoid being too close to New York and become centrally located in N.J. instead. However, it wasn’t until 1896 that the college officially became a university and was renamed Princeton University.
Princeton’s unofficial motto is “Princeton in the nation’s service.” It was the title of a keynote speech inspired by one of its then professors, Woodrow Wilson, who would eventually become Princeton University’s 13th president and the 28th president of the U.S. During his tenure as the university’s president from 1902 to 1910, Wilson began plans for the Graduate College. He concentrated on developing Princeton’s still outstanding high-quality education, encouraging changes like smaller class discussions to support the larger lecture classes in humanities and social sciences. Princeton—the school, the town, and its undergraduate life—also has a long history of being a popular setting in well-known novels by famed authors Scott Fitzgerald, John W. Aldridge, and Thomas Baird from the 1920s to the 1970s.
Today, Princeton University is ranked #1 among National Universities by U.S. News Best Colleges and has a total undergraduate enrollment of 5,548 and graduate enrollment of 3,157. It is legendary for its highly selective 5.8% admissions rate. Admitted students can look forward to the best academic, athletic, and campus life. Its athletic team, the Ivy League’s “Princeton Tigers,” competes in club and varsity level competitions and is well known for winning the most titles in its conference and sending numerous alumni and students to the Olympics. Throughout its history, Princeton University boasts 69 Nobel laureates, 6 Fields Medalists, and 16 Turing Award laureates as associates either as alumni, faculty, or researchers. Notable Princeton alumni include U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, U.S. President John F. Kennedy, model/actress Brooke Shields, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and former first lady Michelle Obama.