Princeton In Brief

Here are questions the Admission Office staff is asked most frequently. If you do not find answers to your questions in this selection, please visit us on the Web at www.princeton.edu/admission or call 609-258-3060.

Are minimum grade point averages, class ranks, or test scores required for admission?
No. We consider all of these measures, but only within the context of each applicant’s school and situation. In general, our most promising candidates tend to earn high grades and have comparatively high scores on standardized tests. These criteria, while important, do not by themselves provide a complete picture of each student’s academic accomplishment or potential. We evaluate all aspects of a student’s academic preparation.

Can students begin studies at Princeton during the spring semester?
No. Freshmen are admitted for the fall term only.

Is it possible to transfer to Princeton from another college or university?
No. At this time, Princeton does not offer transfer admission. Any student who has enrolled as a full-time degree candidate at another college or university is considered a transfer applicant and isn’t eligible for undergraduate admission.

Does Princeton consider applicants who have been home-schooled?
Yes. We admit home-schooled students every year.

May high school juniors apply?
While we will consider applications from students who choose to leave high school early, they must be competitive with students who have completed rigorous, comprehensive coursework through senior year. This option tends to be most realistic for students who have exhausted their high school’s academic offerings.

How and when should I begin my admission application?
You may request an information booklet at any point and an application any time after the spring of your junior year. The online Common Application and Princeton’s Supplement to the Common Application are available July 1. The online Princeton Application is available in August.

When are applications due?
January 1 is our final postmark or electronic submission deadline. We encourage applicants to submit their portion of the application by December 15, if possible.

Does Princeton offer Early Decision?
No. We eliminated the Early Decision option in order to evaluate all applicants in one process.

Is financial aid available?
Yes. Princeton offers a generous need-based financial aid program that ensures that students from all economic backgrounds can afford a Princeton education. Princeton meets the full demonstrated need of every admitted student with a combination of grant aid — which does not have to be repaid — and a campus job. These policies apply to both domestic and international applicants. For the Class of 2012, the average grant — which does not have to be repaid — is $33,000. See page 17 for more details.

How and when do I apply for financial aid?
You should apply for financial aid by February 1 of the year you plan to enter college. Princeton’s free, easy online aid application is at www.princeton.edu/admission/financial aid.

Do students apply to specific academic departments or schools?
We ask you to tell us on the application which degree program you may be most interested in following: A.B. (liberal arts), B.S.E. (engineering), or undecided. We look particularly closely at the math and science preparation of students considering engineering studies. However, students apply to the freshman class of Princeton University, not to the engineering or liberal arts programs, and are not locked into a degree program (or a specific department within that degree program) upon admission. Students in the engineering school choose a concentration (major) by the end of the first year; liberal arts students have two years to choose a concentration.

How can I let the admission staff know about my special talent in the arts?
Please send samples of your work in the arts (architecture, creative writing, dance, music, theater, and visual arts) to the Admission Office, following the guidelines on Princeton’s Optional Arts Supplement. Appropriate faculty will review your submissions and advise the admission staff regarding your abilities.

How can I let the admission staff know about my special talent in athletics?
Talented student athletes interested in one of our varsity Division I programs should contact our coaches for more information about varsity athletics at Princeton. Coaches will advise the admission staff about applicants with exceptional athletic talents. The Admission Office makes the final decision on each candidate.

What does Princeton look for in its applicants?
We review each application individually to get a sense of that student’s particular combination of strengths. We don’t have a profile of the ideal applicant or the ideal class. One of Princeton’s greatest strengths is the variety of talents, personal qualities, experiences, and points of view in each incoming class. There are some qualities we hope all Princeton students share: integrity, a deep interest in learning, and a devotion to both academic and nonacademic pursuits. Many also bring distinctive academic and extracurricular talents and achievements. Beyond those fundamental qualities, we consider how each candidate might contribute to the interesting mix of people we will bring together for that year’s class.

Is different weight given to different parts of the application?
No. We consider all of the components of your application holistically and look to find your particular strengths.

How does Princeton measure academic promise?
We include many things in our assessment, particularly your secondary school program and record, as well as standardized test results and teacher and counselor recommendations. All of these components are taken into consideration when we assess how students might fare in our rigorous academic programs, in which liveliness of mind, motivation, creativity, perseverance, and independent thought are as important as sheer ability. A prospective student’s intellectual curiosity and academic excellence are the most important factors in our decision.

Do weighted grades or class rank matter in the evaluation of applications?
In trying to get a sense of the strength of the academic program you have pursued in high school, we look at your transcript course by course and consider all the information your school provides about your academic performance. We also ask the school official completing your Secondary School Report to comment on the rigor of your academic program in the context of what is available at your school. Weighted grades or class rank can be another measure of the strength of your academic program as compared to other students who also have many As, but we give equal consideration to applicants from schools that don’t weight grades or rank.

To what extent are extracurricular activities considered in the application process?
In addition to academic qualifications, we are interested in what talents and interests you will bring to a college campus outside the classroom. We don’t value one type of activity over another. Rather, we value sustained commitment to your interests. Some of the students we admit have one well-honed talent; others have participated in a range of activities. We take particular note of leadership and exceptional talents or accomplishments.

Does Princeton limit the number of students who can be admitted from a particular school?
No. We will look at your application individually, in comparison to the entire applicant pool, not only in comparison to applications from other students at your school.

Will my choice of a main field of study affect my chance for admission?
On the application we ask you to indicate the degree program (A.B., B.S.E., or undecided) and the departments where you have the most interest. These choices don’t affect your chances for admission, nor do they commit you to a particular course of study. More than 70 percent of our undergraduates are concentrating (majoring) in fields different from those they indicated when they applied.

Does Princeton require particular high school courses?
We don’t prescribe a particular high school curriculum, but we do have suggestions for a course of study that will provide solid preparation for a challenging undergraduate program. Please see our website at www.princeton.edu/admission for these suggestions. Students who intend to pursue the B.S.E. should complete a year of calculus and physics prior to enrolling at Princeton.

Is there an advantage to taking honors, advanced, Advanced Placement, or International Baccalaureate courses—even if it might be tougher to earn high grades?
Yes. 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.

How does Princeton regard Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and other such coursework? Is course credit given on the basis of test results?
We encourage students to stretch themselves with advanced courses, and we don’t favor one program over another. We use the results on these tests as guides for placement in Princeton courses and advanced standing (that is, accelerating progress toward degree completion).

How does Princeton regard college courses taken during high school? Do college credits transfer to Princeton?
Taking college courses while you are a high school student indicates to us that you seek out academic challenges, but we do not expect students to have any college courses before they apply. Applicants who have taken college courses are most often at high schools not offering many advanced courses such as Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate.

Princeton does not offer credit toward degree requirements for college or university courses taken before you enroll. However, you can take SAT Subject Tests, AP exams, or placement exams offered by some academic departments at Princeton to demonstrate your knowledge in a subject, which may permit you to skip the introductory-level course in that area.

Are the courses I take in my last year of high school important in the admission process?
Yes. You should maintain a full academic course load for your senior year of high school. You will need to ask your school to send us your grades for the first semester or trimester of your senior year, along with the Mid-Year Report form. If you are admitted, we will ask for your final grades at the end of the school year.

Does it make a difference to Princeton whether I attend a public school or private school?
No. We consider how well you have used the resources available to you, regardless of where you attend school. In recent years about 57 percent of our entering classes have come from public schools, 32 percent from independent schools, and 10 percent from schools with religious affiliations. A few students in each incoming class have been home-schooled.

What tests do I need to take?
A complete application includes official scores of the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT. In addition, all applicants must submit the results of three different SAT Subject Tests. We ask students who are considering the study of engineering to include a math subject test — Mathematics I or Mathematics II — and a subject test in either physics or chemistry in their three SAT Subject Tests. Students interested in areas outside of engineering may submit any three SAT Subject Tests, preferably in three different subjects. Please note that the College Board English Language Proficiency Test does not count as a subject area test or as a substitute for the SAT Reasoning Test.

How do admission officers use standardized test results?
We use the scores along with your grades and teacher references to make an informed assessment of your academic strengths. No one is admitted or refused admission on the basis of scores alone. For the SAT Reasoning Test, we look at your highest score on each of the three sections (critical reading, mathematics, and writing), even if you earned them on three different test dates. For the ACT, we look at your highest composite score. For the SAT Subject Tests, we look at your three highest subjects. If you’ve taken the same subject test more than once, we look at your highest score.

Do I need to have an interview as part of the admission process?
We try to offer all applicants the opportunity to have a conversation with an alumni volunteer. This is a chance for you to learn more about the Princeton experience, and for us to learn more about you. After you submit your application, a member of the Princeton Alumni Schools Committee in your area will contact you to arrange a convenient meeting time and place. We include the interviewer’s comments in our review of your application. Interviews aren’t required as part of the admission process, but we encourage candidates to accept the invitation. Don’t be concerned if no interviews are available in your area; we will give your application full consideration without an interview.

Are on-campus interviews offered?
No. We offer interviews off-campus by the Princeton Alumni Schools Committee. You will be assigned an interviewer after you submit your application.

What letters of recommendation are required?
We ask for a letter from the guidance counselor, college adviser, or another school official to accompany the Secondary School Report, and letters from two teachers who have taught the applicant in academic subjects. You may also submit an optional reference from someone who knows you well (for example, an employer, a coach, a religious leader, a friend, or a family member).

Does it help to have extra letters of recommendation?
We believe that the required teacher and guidance counselor references (plus the optional reference, if you choose to include one) give us much of the information we need to make thoughtful, well-informed decisions. Additional letters are only helpful if the recommender knows the candidate well and provides new information.

Are applications from non-U.S. citizens treated differently in the admission process?
No. We consider all applications in the same way, regardless of citizenship or high school location. The admission process is also need-blind for all applicants, including citizens of countries other than the United States.

Are there special admission requirements for students applying from abroad?
If English is not the primary language spoken in your home and you attend a school where English is not the language of instruction, you must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) in addition to the SAT Reasoning Test or ACT, and three SAT Subject Tests. We also recommend that students attending schools outside the United States use the International Secondary School Report form, which is tailored to foreign educational systems. Otherwise, there are no additional admission requirements for international students or U.S. citizens attending high schools abroad.

Is the Admission Office familiar with the educational systems of other countries?
We are familiar with the educational systems and academic credentials of most countries around the world. You’re welcome to provide additional information about the educational system in your country.

Are international students eligible for financial aid?
Yes. The admission process is need-blind for both U.S. citizens and noncitizens. Our policy of meeting financial need in full for admitted students applies to all admitted students, regardless of citizenship.

May students who are admitted defer enrollment to another year?
Yes. Students who wish to take a year off from their studies may request to defer their enrollment for one year (and sometimes for an additional year). If you pursue this option, you may not enroll full time in a degree program at another institution during the deferral period. In recent years the activities of students taking a year off have included work, community service, travel, military service, arts training, and religious studies. We recommend that students request a deferral after they are admitted and before May 10.

May I appeal my admission decision or ask to have the decision explained?
We cannot reconsider applications or offer individual explanations for our decisions. Most of our applicants are well qualified for Princeton. Since the admission staff must select a freshman class that’s diverse in many ways from an abundance of highly able and accomplished candidates — and since all applicants are compared to the entire applicant pool — it is extremely difficult to explain why any one student is refused.

What is the Wait List?
Since we don’t know until after May 1 how many students will accept our offer of admission, we invite a number of our applicants to stay on a Wait List in case we find there are remaining spaces in the freshman class. The list is unranked; if spaces become available, we will review the entire group of candidates on the Wait List.