Undergraduate Admission and Enrollment

Princeton admits a class of students each year that stands out not just for outstanding academic ability but also for the wide range of backgrounds, interests, accomplishments and aspirations it represents.

The University seeks students who will benefit from a Princeton education and will use that educational experience to impact their communities and the world.

Princeton offers two admission programs for first-year applicants: Single-Choice Early Action—requiring applicants to apply early only to Princeton—and Regular Decision. Both programs have a candidate’s reply date of May 1.

The University also offers a transfer admission process that enrolls a group of exceptionally well-prepared transfer students. Students from lower-income backgrounds, community college students and U.S. military veterans are particularly encouraged to apply.

Application Deadlines

Admission 2024: Class of 2028

As of August 23, 2024; all percentages rounded

Additionally, for academic year 2024-25, the University is enrolling 36 transfer students, with 26 students transferring from community colleges and 23 having actively served in the U.S. military, with three branches of service represented. 

Numbers are accurate as of Sept. 5, 2024

In 2024-25, the largest numbers of undergraduate students came from New Jersey (897), New York (672), California (602), Pennsylvania (271) and Texas (237). Students also came from 103 nations.

As of June 2024, 85.3% of the entering Class of 2024 graduated from Princeton within four years. The four-year graduation rate is lower than usual due to leaves of absence taken during the pandemic. As of June 2024, 97.6% of the entering Class of 2022 have received a degree from Princeton within six years.

Undergraduate Costs and Financial Aid

Here is what it costs for an undergraduate to study at Princeton:

The University’s pioneering financial aid program, made possible by the University endowment and the sustained generosity of alumni and others, provides the assistance necessary to make sure that all students, including international students, who are admitted and have demonstrated financial need can attend. The aid comes in the form of grants, which do not need to be repaid. Because no student is required to take out loans, Princeton’s aid program allows its students to graduate debt-free. Princeton made substantial enhancements to its aid program starting with the 2023-24 academic year, providing even more generous support to undergraduates and their families.

Class of 2028

Financial Aid for Admitted Students

The average aid package for an undergraduate student in 2024-25 is about $73,000. Most families with incomes up to $100,000 receive aid to cover the cost of attendance, including tuition, housing, food, books and personal expenses. Approximately 25% of all undergraduates are expected to receive this level of aid. Most students from families with incomes up to $200,000 receive aid to cover the full cost of tuition, and many families living in the U.S. with incomes up to and even beyond $300,000 receive grant aid, including those at higher income levels with multiple children in college. 

The amount each family is asked to contribute varies based on a review of income, assets and support provided to undergraduate siblings for college costs. Princeton uses its own need formula to determine the family contribution.

Family Contribution by Income 

• Chart contains information based on families with assets less than $150,000, residing in the United States with one child enrolled in college. Assets do not include retirement holdings or primary residence. Assets do include non-retirement investments, 529 plan college savings, student assets and investments, non-primary vacation and other homes.

• Figures in chart are presented per year.

• Information in chart is not a guarantee of aid eligibility. 

Princeton’s Estimated Financial Aid Budget, 2024–25

Graduate Admission and Enrollment

Of the 19,931 applicants to the Graduate School for 2024–25, 1,465 were admitted and 773 accepted the offer of admission.

While graduate candidates submit applications to the Graduate School, faculty members in the individual departments that will award the degrees review the applications and make admission recommendations to the dean.

In 2023-24, Princeton awarded 403 Ph.D.s and 206 final master’s degrees.

Graduate Admission 2024–25

All Master’s and Doctoral Candidates
All percentages rounded

** Includes domestic candidates who self-identified as Black or African American, Latino/Hispanic, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, or two or more races provided one is included in this definition  
*Percentage is of all U.S. candidates
†Percentage is of all STEM candidates

Graduate Enrollment 2023–24

The Graduate School enrolled 3,225 degree candidates in 43 departments and programs in academic year 2023–24. Forty-four percent of the Graduate School’s students are female, and 43% are citizens of other countries. Twenty percent of domestic graduate students at Princeton are members of U.S. underrepresented populations. The median time from matriculation to receiving a Ph.D. at Princeton, including all departments, is 5.7 years (for 2023–24).

Enrollment of Graduate Degree Candidates by Academic Division, 2023–24

Graduate Costs and Financial Support

All Ph.D. and many master’s degree candidates in the Graduate School receive financial support for the duration of their degree program through some combination of University fellowships, assistantships in research or teaching, and non-University awards. Princeton guarantees funding for its regularly enrolled, degree-seeking Ph.D. candidates for all years of regular program enrollment, contingent upon satisfactory academic performance. This funding covers the full cost of tuition and fees and a stipend intended to support the estimated living expenses of a single graduate student.