We are extending our test optional policy for first-year and transfer applicants for the next three admission cycles (that is, for applications due in the falls of 2023, 2024 and 2025). 

We aim to be a helpful presence in your communities throughout the year and to work together in shared engagement. This important work gets done because of our partnership with you. You play a critical role in the development and decision-making process for your students. With your help, we can identify students who can thrive in and contribute to the Princeton community in a myriad of ways. 

- Karen Richardson '93, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid

Experience Princeton

Application Materials

 

Counselors will need to submit the following materials on behalf of students applying to Princeton:

  1. Transcript. An official transcript must be sent by a school counselor or school official.

  2. School Report (SR). The SR form is available from the Coalition Application Common Application website. Students should ask their school counselor or other school official to complete and submit the SR form. 

  3. Counselor Recommendation. Please note that the SR and the Counselor Recommendation are separate items. Students should “invite their school counselor or academic adviser to complete both items. We understand that not all schools send counselor letters along with the secondary school report. As such, we do not penalize applicants for school policy in the event a counselor recommendation is not submitted.

  4. Midyear School Report. Students should ask their school counselor or other school official to complete and submit this form when their midyear grades are available. 

 

Information on Advanced Standing

 

We consider it a promising sign when students challenge themselves with advanced courses in high school. We understand that not all secondary schools offer the same range of advanced courses, but our strongest candidates have taken full advantage of the academic opportunities available to them in their high schools.

If your student is taking advanced or college-level courses in high school, they might be able to take advantage of Princeton’s Advanced Standing policy

  • Through this policy, your students may receive recognition for their previous advanced or college-level work. 

  • The policy allows your students to be placed in courses that match their level of preparation and, in some cases, may allow them to skip introductory courses and proceed to upper-division coursework.

 

 

Faculty Highlights 

 

Hear from Princeton faculty as they share their insights on various topics impacting the world today. 

 

 

Learn more about our professors on the Faculty Profiles page.

 

Fee Waivers

 

We want to make sure that Princeton is accessible to all candidates, regardless of their individual family’s financial situation. If your student is from a lower-income background, or if the application fee is a hardship for their family, and they are applying for financial aid, Princeton will waive their application fee. Additionally, we will waive the application fee for all candidates who are serving or have served in the U.S. military. Students may submit a fee waiver one of two ways:

  1. Your student will select the fee waiver option on the Coalition Application or the Common Application. You must approve your student's fee waiver request online or submit their fee waiver form by mail or fax.

  2. Your student will select one of the following fee waiver options on the application: Princeton-specific, ACT, College Board, NACAC. All lower-income students are eligible for the Princeton-specific fee waiver. In addition, all applicants who are serving or have served in the U.S. military are eligible for the Princeton-specific fee waiver. If they use the Princeton-specific fee waiver, they do not need to get approval from you as their college counselor. Students named QuestBridge Finalists should select the QuestBridge fee waiver.

Upon submission of their application with the Princeton-specific Questions, the checklist in their Princeton Applicant Portal will reflect that their fee waiver has been granted. Please note that applying for a fee waiver will not disadvantage their application in any way.

 

Financial Aid 

 

Princeton's financial aid policy is one of the most generous in the country. For lower- and middle-income students, Princeton is often more affordable than a state university. Princeton covers the full cost of tuition, residential college fee, and room and board for families with a household income of $65,000 or less. Most students from family incomes up to $160,000 pay no tuition. Plus, every aid package relies on grants, which do not have to be repaid, rather than loans. Thanks to this no-loan policy, about 82% of recent seniors graduated without debt. For the 18% who chose to borrow, usually for additional expenses such as a laptop computer or an unpaid internship, average indebtedness at graduation was about $9,000, far below the national average of $29,200.*

* The Institute for College Access & Success, Student Debt and the Class of 2020

Counselor Newsletters

Connect With Us

If you would like a Princeton admission representative to attend a college fair, panel, workshop or other events, email fairs@princeton.edu to let us know.

Sign Up For Our Counselor Newsletter Virtual Visit Meet the Admission Team @apply.princeton Princeton Near You
Students playing guitar on the lawn

Connect With Us

If you would like a Princeton admission representative to attend a college fair, panel, workshop or other events, email fairs@princeton.edu to let us know.

Sign Up For Our Counselor Newsletter Virtual Visit Meet the Admission Team @apply.princeton Princeton Near You

Academic Preparation

We offer a suggested course of study to help students prepare for Princeton. This is not a list of admission requirements. We understand that not all secondary schools offer the same academic opportunities, and we give full consideration to students who don’t have access to all of these courses.

Recommended Course of Study
bookshelf

Academic Preparation

We offer a suggested course of study to help students prepare for Princeton. This is not a list of admission requirements. We understand that not all secondary schools offer the same academic opportunities, and we give full consideration to students who don’t have access to all of these courses.

Recommended Course of Study

Faculty Profiles

Princeton's approximately 950 full-time faculty members are leaders in their fields who conduct disciplinary and interdisciplinary research that pushes back the frontiers of knowledge.

Explore

Request Info

For students interested in learning more about Princeton, we recommend they join our mailing list to receive emails and notifications about Princeton and admission-related information.

Sign Up

Advanced Standing

Through Princeton’s AP policy, students may receive recognition for previous advanced or college-level work and, in some cases, may allow them to skip introductory courses.

Review