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What does it cost to attend Princeton for a year?
The cost of attendance at Princeton includes tuition, room, board, books and personal expenses. Review the most current cost of attendance.

How do you decide who gets financial aid?
Financial aid is awarded based on need only. We use the information you supply on your financial aid application to determine how much support we will provide. Information about how we determine financial need is available in the Undergraduate Financial Aid Information and Application Instructions.

 

What does "need-blind" mean?
"Need-blind" means that Princeton accepts students regardless of their ability to pay the cost of attendance and meets their full demonstrated need with a "no loan" aid package.  There is no disadvantage of any kind in the admission process for financial aid applicants.

Before I apply, can I get a sense of whether I might qualify for aid?
Yes. Just enter your financial information into the Princeton Financial Aid Estimator to get a quick idea of how much aid you may be qualified to receive. The Princeton Financial Aid Estimator is completely confidential and in no way affects your application for admission or financial aid.

Do you give scholarships for academic merit, special talents or athletic ability?
No. All financial aid awards are based solely on need. Learn more about how aid is assigned in the Undergraduate Financial Aid Information and Application Instructions.

Are international students eligible for financial aid?
Yes. Princeton is one of only six schools nationwide that doesn't limit the financial aid available to international students. Admission is offered to students regardless of their ability to pay, and the full need of every admitted international student is met just as it is for U.S. students

How and when do I apply for financial aid?
You should apply for financial aid by February 1 of the year you plan to enter college. We encourage all students to use our easy online financial aid application. Learn more about applying for financial aid in the Undergraduate Financial Aid Information and Application Instructions.

Will applying for aid hurt my chance of being admitted to Princeton?
No. There is no disadvantage whatsoever in the admission process for financial aid applicants.  Princeton has a need-blind admission policy, ensuring equality of opportunity for students who cannot afford the full cost of attendance. This policy covers all admission applicants, including international students. Learn more abouthow our aid program works.

My parents are separated or divorced. Do they both need to submit financial information for my aid application?
Yes. Princeton requires both parents to provide financial information in most cases. See the Undergraduate Financial Aid Information and Application Instructions for more information about exceptions. 

Do I need to supply my parents’ financial information if I am a self-supporting student?
When awarding aid, we require parental financial information for all students, with very few exceptions.

If I do not apply for aid as a freshman and my family circumstances change later, can I request aid after my first year?
Yes. Students can apply for aid at any point during their time at Princeton.

When will I know if I will receive financial aid? 
If you are admitted to Princeton and have applied for aid, you will receive a financial aid award along with your offer of admission.

What kinds of funds will be included in my aid award?
If you receive financial aid, your award will normally include a Princeton grant and a campus job, as well as any outside scholarships you earn. More information about these types of aid is available in the Undergraduate Financial Aid Information and Application Instructions. 

Will I need to take out loans? 
In 2001, Princeton eliminated student loans from financial aid awards, replacing them with grants. Since then, no Princeton student has been required to borrow as part of a basic aid package. 

Does the "no loan" policy mean I would not be allowed to borrow if I wanted to take a student loan?
Loans are available, and some students request an optional education loan to replace a shortfall in the expected student earnings (term-time job or summer employment) or cover expenses not included in the standard student budget. Learn more aboutfinancing options. 

If I qualify for aid, how much assistance will I receive? 
At Princeton, we are committed to meeting 100 percent of the calculated need of each aid applicant based on an individual evaluation by a financial aid counselor. We make this determination using the information you provide on your financial aid application. Learn more about aid awards in the Undergraduate Financial Aid Information and Application Instructions. You can also use the Princeton Financial Aid Estimator to see how much aid might be offered based on your particular situation.

If my aid award includes a campus job, how many hours per week will I work?
We typically expect freshmen to work 7.5 hours per week, which allows them ample time for studies and extracurricular activities. Learn more about campus employment in the Undergraduate Financial Aid Information and Application Instructions.

What if I win an outside scholarship?
Outside scholarships from private sources are used to reduce the campus job and summer savings portions of the aid package. Once the earnings amounts are fully replaced, additional outside scholarship funds can be used toward the purchase of a personal computer. Princeton grant funds are reduced only after these other options have been exhausted. Learn more about how outside scholarships impact the financial aid award in the Undergraduate Financial Aid Information and Application Instructions.

Can I use financial aid to study abroad?
Students who receive financial aid continue to receive their funding for a term or year abroad on a University program.

Is it true that eating clubs for juniors and seniors are too expensive for aid students to join?
The meal allowance included in the aid packages of juniors and seniors is based on the average cost of an eating club board plan. This policy provides access to a variety of dining options for all aid students, including the eating clubs.

Do I need to reapply for financial aid each year?
For each year of attendance at Princeton, students must submit a new financial aid application. The application is evaluated according to the same need-based guidelines that were in effect when the student was admitted. 

Will I receive the same amount of financial aid every year?
It is our policy to meet students’ full demonstrated need each year. Award amounts may vary from year to year, based on changes in a family's financial circumstances and Princeton's cost of attendance. 

Do I have to maintain a minimum GPA to remain eligible for financial aid?
There is no minimum GPA requirement to remain on financial aid, but students must continue to maintain satisfactory academic progress.

There is no question that a private college education is costly. But as costs rise, Princeton’s financial aid program has more than kept pace. In fact, our commitment to helping low and middle income students afford Princeton has never been stronger.

To support this effort, we have developed one of the strongest need-based financial aid programs in the country. Through this program, we actively encourage all qualified applicants to consider Princeton, regardless of whether they can afford the full cost of attending. If admitted, applicants can be confident that their financial need as determined by Princeton’s aid office will be met.

 

No. We consider all applications in the same way, regardless of citizenship or high school location. The admission process is also need-blind for all applicants, including citizens of countries other than the United States.

If English is not the primary language spoken in your home and you attend a school where English is not the language of instruction, you must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) in addition to the SAT Reasoning (or ACT, with Writing, where offered) and SAT Subject Tests. We also request that students attending schools outside the United States submit the Common Application International Supplement form. Otherwise, there are no additional admission requirements for international students or U.S. citizens attending high schools abroad. Review our tips for international students.

Yes, we are familiar with the educational systems and academic credentials of most countries around the world. You are welcome to provide additional information about the educational system in your country.

Yes. The admission process is need-blind for both U.S. citizens and non-citizens. Our policy of meeting financial need in full for admitted students applies to all admitted students, regardless of citizenship. Learn more about applying for financial aid.

To help you through the application process, we've assembled many of the more commonly asked questions here. If your question isn't listed, we invite you to contact the admission office or the financial aid office.

Eligibility
The Application Process
Reviewing the Applications
Secondary School Credentials
Standardized Tests
Interviews
Letters of Recommendation
International Students
The Admission Decision

These PDFs allow you to download the required and optional application forms. 

• Once opened, the forms below can be printed directly or saved to your computer.
• Make a copy for your own reference before you mail anything to Princeton.
• Before you begin your application, please refer to our publication How to Apply to Princeton for more detailed information regarding Princeton's application process.

 

• Application Instructions
• Common Application*
• Princeton's Supplement to the Common Application

*the Common Application PDF download includes these required forms:

• Teacher Evaluation (two are required)
• Secondary School Report (SSR)
• Midyear Report

 

You may wish to include these optional forms when you apply:

• Princeton's Optional Arts Form
• Common Application International Supplement
• Common Application Home School Supplement

 

• Admission Viewbook
• Princeton in Brief
• The Undergraduate Announcement

If you are an applicant to the Class of 2014, you may use Princeton's Application Tracking System to verify whether we have received all your required application materials.

Please refer to the back page of our publication How to Apply to Princeton (PDF) to review what to include in your admission application.

Application materials must be postmarked or submitted electronically by January 1, and we encourage students to submit their portion of the application by December 15, if possible. If you wish to apply for financial assistance, you must submit your Financial Aid Application by February 1. Learn more about important application dates and deadlines.

Required Application Components
Optional Application Components
Application Confirmation 

All applicants must submit:

• A completed application form. You may submit your application using online or paper-based formats by January 1. We encourage students to submit their portion of the application by December 15, if possible. We accept theCommon Application.
• Princeton's Supplement to the Common Application. In addition to the Common Application, all applicants must submit this form, available online at www.commonapp.org, or as a downloadable PDF.
• A Secondary School Report (SSR) and transcript. Please ask your high school counselor or other school official to complete and submit an SSR form along with an official transcript by January 1. This form is available as part of the Common Application or separately as a downloadable PDF.
  In addition to all other application materials required from students applying at schools located within the United States, international students must submit the International Supplement, available at the Common Application site or asdownloadable PDF.
• Two teacher references. Please ask two of your teachers to complete and send the Teacher Reference Forms by January 1. Choose teachers from two different areas of study. These two forms are available as part of the Common Application.
• A mid-year school report. Please ask your high school counselor or other school official to complete and submit this form, which is available as part of the Common Application.
• SAT Reasoning Test or ACT. Take the SAT Reasoning Test by the January test date or take the ACT with Writing by the December date. Learn more about standardized testing for admission.
• SAT Subject Tests. All applicants are expected to take two SAT Subject Tests by the January test date. This is in addition to the SAT Reasoning Test or ACT. If you are considering a degree in engineering (B.S.E.), your two SAT Subject Tests should include Physics or Chemistry, and Mathematics I or II. Learn more about standardized testing for admission.
• Test Registration Codes. When registering for the SAT or ACT, use the following codes to ensure your scores are sent to Princeton:
  SAT: 2672
  ACT: 2588
  
• TOEFL scores. If English is not the primary language at your school and if English is not the primary language spoken in your home, you must take theTest of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). You are not required to take the TOEFL if English is your native language or if you have spent at least three years at a secondary school where English is the primary language of instruction. 
  TOEFL: 2672

 

You may also submit:

• Arts Supplement, if applicable. If you've excelled in architecture, creative writing, dance, music, theater or visual arts, and would like us to consider your talent, consult Princeton's Optional Arts Form. To be considered, you must mail your materials to the Admission Office by January 1.

• Interview. Depending on availability, once you have applied, you may be invited to interview with a member of one of our Princeton Alumni Schools Committees. If so, we encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity. Interviews take place after the Admission Office has received your application. Many Princeton Alumni Schools Committees have enough volunteers to offer every applicant an interview. As the interview is not a required element of the application, you will not be at a disadvantage if an interview is not available in your area. We do not offer on-campus interviews.
  

 

If you have provided us with an e-mail address, you will receive a confirmation notice when we have received your application and another notice when we have received all required supporting materials. Applicants who don’t provide e-mail addresses will be contacted by regular mail. If your application is incomplete, we will let you know which pieces are missing.  Beginning in November, you may also track the completeness of your application online, after registering using the PIN and e-mail address you listed on your application.

Are you taking advanced or college-level courses in high school? If so, you might be able to take advantage of Princeton’s advanced placement (AP) policy. Through this policy, you may receive recognition for your previous advanced or college-level work. The policy allows you to be placed in courses that match your level of preparation and, in some cases, may allow you to skip introductory courses and proceed to upper-division course work. 

You can find detailed information about Princeton’s AP policy in our undergraduate course catalog, or review these frequently asked questions:

What tests do I need to take to earn advanced placement?
How will my AP credits be applied to my work at Princeton?
When will I know how much AP credit I will receive? 
Can I earn AP credit for courses taken at another college or university?
My school has a dual-enrollment program with a local college and I have completed college courses through that program. Can I earn credit for those courses?
What is advanced standing?

When determining advanced placement, we typically use one or more of the following:

• AP tests
• International Baccalaureate (IB) higher level exams
• British A-Level exams
• SAT subject tests
• placement tests offered by some academic departments

For more information about required tests and minimum scores, consult the Reference Table for AP Credit.

Students can use AP credits to enter upper-level courses or to fulfill the foreign language requirement. In a few cases, students who have earned a large number of AP credits use them to graduate early through advanced standing. AP credits may not be used to fulfill the writing requirement, reduce students’ course load in a given term or fulfill the distribution requirements. To see how your test scores may translate into advanced placement at Princeton, consult the Reference Table for AP Credit. 

At the beginning of the fall term of their freshman year, students receive a report of all the AP units they have been granted. Later in the term, they receive a second report reflecting any scores that have since been received.

Students are not eligible for credit for college courses taken before they enter Princeton. Many academic departments at Princeton offer advanced placement to students who have done well on an approved standardized exam (AP, IB, A-Level). Some departments may award advanced placement for a high score on departmental placement tests. Consult the Reference Table for AP Credit.

Although students are not eligible for credit for college courses taken through a dual-enrollment program, students may earn advanced placement for high scores on departmental placement tests offered by some Princeton departments. Consult the Reference Table for AP Credit.

Some entering students have earned enough advanced placement credit to accelerate their progress toward graduation from Princeton. Every incoming student enters as a freshman. In some cases students use their AP credit to take one term off during their sophomore year. Others have enough AP credit to advance to the junior class after their first year at Princeton. Eligible students are notified by their residential college dean during November of their freshman year.

To be considered for admission to Princeton, you must submit the results of the SAT Reasoning Test or ACT (with Writing, where offered). In addition, all applicants must submit the results of two different SAT Subject Tests. We do not use minimum cutoff scores for standardized tests in our admission decisions. Learn more about this requirement:

Required Tests
Registering for Tests
Testing Deadlines
Substituting Other Tests for the SAT

When applying for admission to Princeton, you must submit official scores for either the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT (with Writing, where available). All applicants must also take two SAT Subject Tests. 

Applicants who intend to pursue a B.S.E. degree should take one SAT Subject Test in either physics or chemistry and one SAT Subject Test in mathematics (Level I or II).

If you choose to take more than two subject tests, we will consider all your scores, giving the greatest weight to your two strongest scores.

Applicants are welcome to use the score choice option for standardized test score submission. Princeton will consider the highest individual section results across all sittings of the SAT Reasoning and the highest composite score for the ACT with Writing, as well as the two highest SAT Subject Test scores. We encourage applicants to submit all official test scores as soon as they are available.

 

Visit the SAT Online Registration website to register. Use code 2672 to ensure your scores are sent to Princeton. We accept only scores submitted directly by the College Board.

Visit the ACT Online Registration website to register. Use college code 2588 to ensure your scores are sent to Princeton. We accept only scores submitted directly by the ACT.

All SAT testing must be completed by the January test date. All ACT testing must be completed by the December test date. If you currently live outside the United States or Canada, try to complete all testing by the December test date, if possible.

While you may submit the ACT with the Writing Test in place of the SAT Reasoning Test, you must still submit scores for the two required SAT Subject Tests.

You cannot submit the College Board English Language Proficiency Test as a substitute for the SAT Reasoning Test or for one of the two required SAT Subject Tests.

If you cannot meet these testing requirements, please contact the Admission Office as soon as possible.