Access and Success at Princeton

 

The Emma Bloomberg Center for Access & Opportunity, established in 2021, enhances and expands Princeton’s fundamental commitment to the college success of all students, including those from first-generation, lower-income and underrepresented backgrounds. The Center brings together the University’s nation-leading initiatives in college access and opportunity, serves as a hub for research and innovation in the field of college access and success, and informs and strengthens similar efforts at colleges and universities across the country. Its programs include:

  • Princeton University Preparatory Program (PUPP) is a rigorous academic and cultural enrichment program that supports high-achieving, low- income high school students from local districts.

  • The Princeton University Summer Journalism Program’s goal is to diversify college and professional newsrooms by encouraging outstanding students from low-income backgrounds to pursue careers in journalism. The program welcomes 35–40 high school juniors (rising seniors) from low-income backgrounds every summer to Princeton’s campus for an intensive, 10-day seminar on journalism in addition to providing one-to-one college admissions mentorship. 

  • The Freshman Scholars Institute (FSI) is a seven-week summer program that allows a cohort of entering students the chance to experience the intellectual, co-curricular, and social life at Princeton prior to the beginning of the Fall Semester. FSI Online is a seven-week, fully virtual academic and co-curricular bridge program designed primarily for first-generation and/or low-income (FLi) students. FSI online gives students an early opportunity to enroll in one online, credit-bearing Princeton course titled Ways of Knowing; connect in structured exchanges with faculty, staff, and peers; and gain familiarity with various academic and co-curricular campus resources. Through these experiences, students will be able to reflect upon the transition to college, learn to navigate University resources, establish early mentoring relationships with faculty, and develop the skills foundational to scholarly work.

  • The Transfer Scholars Initiative (TSI) is a full time, eight-week pilot summer program that hosts a small and talented cohort of local community college students considering transfer to highly selective four-year colleges with excellent completion rates. Students benefit from taking two for-credit Princeton courses as well as intensive transfer success programming as they plan their four-year application process.

  • The Scholars Institute Fellows Program (SIFP) provides all first- generation and lower-income students at Princeton with mentorship, academic enrichment and scholarly community throughout their tenure at Princeton.

  • The Transfer Program each year admits academically promising students who have excelled at other institutions of higher learning. Through the program, students who bring a variety of perspectives and experiences join the campus community, including those with backgrounds as first-generation, low-income students, community college students and U.S. military veterans.

  • The Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) is the centerpiece of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s initiatives to increase diversity in the faculty ranks of institutions of higher learning. The fellowship identifies highly qualified underrepresented students and other students who have demonstrated a commitment to diversity.

  • Aspiring Scholars and Professionals (ASAP) is a cohort program designed to introduce undergraduates from other New Jersey colleges and universities to higher education careers in the humanities and qualitative social sciences.

    Princeton also partners with national organizations that support the success of students from under-represented backgrounds, including Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA), AI4ALL, the W.E.B. DuBois Scholars Institute and the Warrior-Scholar Project.

    In addition, the University participates in national outreach and engagement efforts dedicated to expanding access and opportunity for under-represented students, including The American Talent Initiative (ATI), the FGLI Consortium, the Trenton College Access Network (TCAN), and the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE).

Graduate Programs

Access, Diversity & Inclusion (ADI) provides programs focused on supporting the success of graduate students who add to the rich diversity of the graduate school community. We design our programs to ensure every student can flourish in graduate school.

  • The Princeton Prospective Ph.D. Preview (P3) is a nationally recognized prospective student visitation program that allows undergraduate scholars to learn more about graduate life at Princeton. During the visitation, students participate in workshops that prepare them for the graduate admissions process, they have the opportunity to network with faculty and graduate students in their academic fields, and they develop skills that will help them transition to graduate school.

  • The Princeton Graduate Scholars Program (GSP) is a cohort-based mentoring program designed to support students in their graduate school journey. GSP hosts over 20 events throughout the academic year, including an annual retreat to foster community, networking, career development, and wellness workshops, along with faculty and postdoctoral lunch and learns. Scholars meet one-on-one with ADI dean mentors and benefit from our robust peer mentoring program through GSP student-centered mentoring pods.

  • The Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Initiative provides students with a one-year fully funded fellowship that includes an offer of regular admission to the sponsoring doctoral program following their Pre-Doctoral Fellowship year. The fellowship is for students who would benefit from an additional year of independent study to ensure their success in the sponsoring department's Ph.D. program.

  • The Diversity Fellowship allows graduate students to gain programming and recruitment experience. Fellows collaborate with the ADI team to design programs and workshops for graduate students focusing on inclusive community building, networking, and academic success. Fellows participate in recruitment events and are a student resource for prospective graduate students.