The Graduate School

The Graduate School was established in 1900, and by history and design, it is relatively small and emphasizes Ph.D. programs in the arts, social and natural sciences, and engineering. In 2006–07, Princeton awarded 332 Ph.D.’s and 149 final master’s degrees. Princeton University has no business, law, or medical schools.

Graduate Admission and Enrollment

Graduate Admission 2007-08

Of the 8,774 applicants to the Graduate School for 2007–08, 1,124 were admitted and 590 accepted the offer of admission.

While graduate candidates submit applications to the Graduate School, faculty members in the individual departments that will award the degrees review the applications and make recommendations for admission.
Division Applications Admits %
Humanities 1,449 142 10%
Natural sciences 1,907 291 15%
School of Architecture 407 41 10%
School of Engineering and Applied Science 1,794 294 16%
Social sciences 2,155 219 10%
Woodrow Wilson School of
  Public and International Affairs		 1,062 137 13%
Total 8,774 1,124 13%

Graduate Admission 2007–08: All Master’s and Doctoral Candidates
All percentages rounded Applicants Admitted Accepted
No. % of Total No. % of Applicants No. % of Admits % of Class
Total 8,774 — 1,124 13 590 53 —
  Men 5,482 62 694 13 359 52 61
  Women 3,292 38 430 13 231 54 39
International students 3,806 43 397 10 237 60 40
American minorities
  (including Asian Americans)		 1,072 12 168 16 87 52 15
Women in science and engineering 1,047 12 196 19 91 46 15

GRE scores

The average standardized Graduate Record Examinations scores vary by discipline.
Applicants Admits Enrollees
Verbal (average)
  Architecture 496 540 553
  Engineering 504 587 577
  Humanities 600 655 639
  Natural sciences 518 603 562
  Social sciences 541 640 617
  Woodrow Wilson School 543 632 637
Quantitative (average)
  Architecture 645 667 668
  Engineering 734 783 777
  Humanities 614 655 642
  Natural sciences 698 760 745
  Social sciences 641 734 710
  Woodrow Wilson School 640 697 693

Enrollment

The Graduate School enrolled 2,290 degree candidates in 40 departments and programs in academic year 2006–07. Forty percent of the Graduate School’s students are female, 39 percent are citizens of other countries, and 12 percent are members of U.S. minority groups. The enrollment of graduate degree candidates by academic division for 2006–07 is given below.
Division Number %
Humanities 449 19.6
Natural sciences 636 27.8
School of Architecture 79 3.5
School of Engineering and Applied Science 495 21.6
Social sciences 427 18.6
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs 204 8.9
Total 2,290 100

Graduate Costs and Financial Support

Most degree candidates in the Graduate School receive financial support for the duration of their degree program through some combination of University fellowships, assistantships in research or teaching, and non-University awards.

The Graduate School participates in all major national fellowship programs. Graduate students win many of the following awards: Department of Defense Fellowships, Ford Predoctoral Fellowships for Minorities, Hertz Fellowships in the Applied Sciences, Mellon Fellowships in Humanistic Studies, National Science Foundation Fellowships, and U.S. Department of Education Fellowships (FLAS, GAANN, Javits).

The median time from matriculation to receiving a Ph.D. at Princeton, including all departments, is 5.5 years (for 2006–07).

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