Princeton University

Princeton University Contact Us

Undergraduate Admission Office

110 West College
P.O. Box 430
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ 08542-0430
Phone: (609) 258-3060
Fax: (609) 258-6743
E-mail: uaoffice@princeton.edu
Request a printed application and viewbook

Office Hours
Monday - Friday, 8:45 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Summer hours, June through August: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Undergraduate Financial Aid Office
P.O. Box 591
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ 08542-0591
Phone: (609) 258-3330
Fax: (609) 258-0336
E-mail: faoffice@princeton.edu

Summary

Princeton University is a private institution that was founded in 1746. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 5,113, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 500 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Princeton University's ranking in the 2011 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 2. Its tuition and fees are $36,640 (2010-11).

Princeton, the fourth-oldest college in the United States, is located in the quiet town of Princeton, N.J. Within the walls of its historic ivy-covered campus, Princeton offers a number of events, activities, and organizations. The Princeton Tigers, members of the Ivy League, are well known for their consistently strong men’s and women’s lacrosse teams. Students live in one of six residential colleges that provide a residential community as well as dining services but have the option to join one of the 12 eating clubs for their junior and senior years. The eating clubs serve as social and dining organizations for the students who join them. Princeton’s unofficial motto, "In the Nation’s Service and in the Service of All Nations," speaks to the university’s commitment to community service.

Princeton includes highly ranked graduate programs through the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Princeton, along with Harvard and the University of Virginia, eliminated its early decision program in 2006 in an attempt to create a more equal opportunity admissions process for applicants of all socioeconomic backgrounds. One unique aspect of Princeton’s academic program is that all undergraduate students are required to write a senior thesis. Notable alumni include U.S. President Woodrow Wilson; John Forbes Nash, subject of the 2001 film A Beautiful Mind; model/actress Brooke Shields; and First Lady Michelle Obama. According to Princeton legend, if a student exits campus through FitzRandolph Gate prior to graduation, he or she may be cursed never to graduate.

School mission (as provided by the school):

Princeton University is unique in combining the strengths of a major research university with the qualities of an outstanding liberal arts college. Whether...

Applying

When applying to Princeton University, it's important to note the application deadline is January 1. Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due January 1. The application fee at Princeton University is $65. It is most selective, with an acceptance rate of 10.1 percent.
For more information about the tests, essays, interviews, and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.

Selectivity	most selective
Fall 2009 acceptance rate	10%
Application deadline	January 1
SAT/ACT scores must be received by	January 1

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Academic Life

The student-faculty ratio at Princeton University is 6:1, and the school has 73.0 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at Princeton University include: Economics; History; Political science and government; Psychology; and Public policy analysis. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 98.0 percent.

Class sizes
Student-faculty ratio	6:1
4-year graduation rate	90% - High
Five most popular majors for 2009 graduates
Economics 11% History 8% Political science and government 10% Psychology 5% Public policy analysis 7%

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Student Life

Princeton University has a total undergraduate enrollment of 5,113, with a gender distribution of 51.2 percent male students and 48.8 percent female students. 98.0 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing and 2.0 percent of students live off campus. Princeton University is part of the NCAA I athletic conference.

See what students are saying about life at Princeton University.

Total enrollment	7,592
Student gender distribution
Undergraduate men who are members of a fraternity
Undergraduate women who are members of a sorority
Collegiate athletic association	NCAA I

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Campus Info & Services

Princeton University offers a number of student services including women's center, health service, and health insurance. Princeton University also offers campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transport/escort service, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, and controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc). Alcohol is permitted for students of legal age at Princeton University.

Students who have cars on campus	N/A
Health insurance offered	Yes
Students required to own/lease a computer	No

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Paying for School

At Princeton University, 58.7 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $34,828.
Paying for college doesn't have to be difficult or devastating. Go to the Paying for College knowledge center to get advice on raising cash and reducing costs.

Tuition and fees	$36,640 (2010-11)
Room and board	$11,940 (2010-11) - High
Financial aid statistics

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Student Reviews Ratings data provided by Unigo

Like any outstanding organization, Princeton's greatest strength is its people. Admission does a fantastic job of composing a talented cohort of diversely gifted students, but the magic really happens once they arrive on campus and spend four years working, learning, and living with one another. It sounds hard to believe, but Princetonians' loyalty to the University and one another rages early and lasts a lifetime. Illuminating examples: - Princeton clothing is always acceptable attire - An overwhelming majority of students would rather stay on campus than go abroad for a semester (perhaps misguidedly...) - Over one hundred alumni from the class of 1964 registered for their 45th reunion 16 months in advance of the celebration The quality of human capital at Princeton doesn't stop with the student body, though. In fact, I would argue the caliber of Princeton faculty and administration is second to none. Each of them, most importantly, is dedicated to the undergraduate experience. And for this institutional focus to resonate at a research university is truly exceptional.

Lindsay Alum

The "big picture" at Princeton inevitably includes the Princeton name. This isn't meant in a snobby way at all because I truly believe that the vast majority of people apply to Princeton for reasons other than simply being able to say they went to Princeton, but there's a certain connotation when the name rolls off your tongue. It can be good in the way that the university has fostered academic excellence for years and continually ranks among the top research universities in the world, or it might not be so great when people think of the typical stereotypes about Princeton. Yet, the Princeton name is something you begin to take ownership of once you arrive on campus. All of a sudden, you're part of over 200 years of tradition and you begin to understand a subtle language of "precepts," "the Street," and "zee groups," among other things. You feel and are an integral part of a community and so you become part of that name, which carries so much weight. And I think you have a little more pride when you say the name, the more you feel like you own part of it.

Brendan Junior

Princeton's size is ideal - there are just enough students to make studying here dynamic and fun, and to justify ridiculous expenditures on everything from student plays to bizarre scientific experiments. Princeton spends about $90,000 a year on every student, and it really spares no expense in making sure that you can achieve what you want to do. The town is a little quiet, but "the Street" which contains the eating clubs brings everyone together and is, perhaps surprisingly, a unifying rather than divisive social factor. New York is a short train ride away, and overall social options are diverse. The administration is a bit autocratic, enacting some changes with little to no consultation. Overall, though, Princeton is a school that prides itself on not denying its students anything.

Andy Sophomore

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