Please read the following introduction before using the estimator for the first time.

Purpose
This site has been designed to help you find out if you might be eligible for need-based aid which will reduce the overall cost of a Princeton education.  Please remember that our aid program is entirely need based and Princeton does not award merit scholarships.

How it Works
After you answer about 20 basic questions describing your family circumstances, the Estimator will provide an approximation of both the amount your family can be expected to contribute toward your college costs, and the aid you could be eligible to receive from Princeton. The Estimator uses Princeton's own need formula when determining the family contribution, and applies our specific packaging policies (such as no required student loan) to arrive at the award you could receive. The current Estimator shows awards for the 2010-11 academic year. However, even if your first year of college is further in the future, it provides a starting point for understanding how Princeton’s aid program applies to your family.

Limitations
The Estimator is designed for U.S. and Canadian families. It can be used by international students only by carefully converting their answers to U.S. dollars and entering them in equivalent questions. Results may therefore have a wider range of accuracy. Self-supporting students cannot use the Estimator since their eligibility is determined on a case-by-case basis.

Important caveats and other information
The result you receive is not a commitment of an aid award, and because of the tentative nature of this information some of the figures are expressed in ranges.

• While this Estimator reflects Princeton's own aid practices (which differ from other colleges' methods) actual awards for admitted students are reviewed individually. Professional judgments made on a case-by-case basis could result in variations from the standard calculations.
• Federal student aid eligibility is determined through a separate methodology. In some cases the federal calculation of need may limit the types of aid Princeton can offer.
• Outside scholarships and employee tuition benefits will be considered part of the aid award. The term-time job and summer savings expectations are reduced first before replacing grant aid. If the Estimator shows you qualify for a need-based aid award, you should manually factor in any such resources that you expect to receive.
• The accuracy of the information you provide on the worksheet affects the accuracy of your estimated results.
• Your information will not be transmitted to Princeton or stored on this Web page. You should print a copy before you exit the Estimator if you want to retain the results.