Alumni Engagement

In 2021, the University publicly launched Venture Forward, a campaign that aims to build community and alumni engagement, to seek critical philanthropic support for the University’s highest strategic initiatives, and to share Princeton’s defining principles and their impact on the world.

Princeton alumni contribute extensively to the life of the campus, with more than 26,000 alumni, guests and other members of the Princeton community attending Reunions annually. There are approximately 100,022 living Princeton alumni, including 70,946 undergraduate alumni and 29,076 Graduate School alumni (1,032 with dual degrees). Princeton graduates live in all 50 states and 140 countries. There are more than 150 Princeton regional associations throughout the world.

In a typical year, approximately 27,000 volunteers work for Princeton in class and regional association activities, fundraising and community service. Many serve in University advisory and volunteer leadership roles. In addition to their volunteer service, Princetonians generously support all aspects of the University’s teaching and research mission. 

Alumni participation in Annual Giving is unsurpassed and owes its success to an exceptional volunteer effort that galvanizes Princetonians from around the world. The 2023–24 Annual Giving campaign raised $66,702,675 — among the top 10 totals in Princeton history. An important part of the Venture Forward campaign, gifts made through Annual Giving are flexible and immediately available for the University’s highest needs. These unrestricted funds provide nearly 10% of the University’s overall budget for educational expenses.

Donors may make capital and endowed gifts that advance the University’s mission by supporting specific programs, initiatives or building projects aligned with Princeton’s Strategic Framework. Recent Venture Forward gifts from alumni and friends have supported University priorities including new residential colleges and academic buildings, new health and well-being facilities, research institutes and professorships, scholarships, fellowships and other endowed funds for key academic and co-curricular initiatives.

The University’s generous financial aid program makes the extraordinary Princeton education affordable by meeting the full demonstrated financial need of every undergraduate, without loans as part of financial aid packages. This exceptional program is generously supported by endowed scholarships and Annual Giving. Eighty-nine percent of Princeton’s students graduate debt-free; those who choose to incur debt average $17,500 for all four years, thanks to the generosity of the University’s alumni and friends.

Helping Students Look Ahead

The Center for Career Development empowers undergraduate and graduate students to develop the insights, experience and connections to pursue personally meaningful careers throughout their lives. Nearly 95% of undergraduate students engage with the Center for Career Development during their time at Princeton. 

Each year, the center surveys members of the undergraduate senior class regarding their post-graduation plans. Post-graduation outcomes were reported for 1,252 (99.3%) of the 1,261 graduates of the Class of 2023. By Dec. 31, 2023, 88.8% of graduates of the Class of 2023 reported securing their post-graduation outcome. A total of 61.4% of graduates accepted employment and 25.5% confirmed admission to a graduate or professional school.

In addition, GradFUTURES is the Graduate School’s professional development program, designed to prepare graduate students to pursue academic and non-academic paths. Working with campus partners, the program serves as a hub for providing graduate students with skills training, mentorship, experiential opportunities and interdisciplinary learning.