Admissions

Admissions to the Department of Chemistry at Princeton University are processed centrally by the Princeton University Graduate School Admission Office. All applications will be done on-line and documents are to be submitted electronically. Paper applications are no longer accepted. For full application information and the application form, please see Admission Office web site http://gso.princeton.edu/admission/.

THE DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY APPLICATION DEADLINE
FOR ALL STUDENTS IS DECEMBER 15, 2009

How many graduate students do you admit each year?
How many apply?
Admission to our Ph.D. program is highly competitive – last year we received 375 applications from all over the world and of those, 17% were offered admission. The number of international students admitted varies every year. Last year, about 6% of our admitted students were international.

Which documents are required for admission?
Please refer to the Graduate Admissions Office website, http://gradschool.princeton.edu/admission/,
for complete information and instructions. As noted above, the entire application will be electronic this year and paper documents will not be required.

Do you require a writing sample?
We do not require a writing sample but we do require a personal statement.

Do you require the GRE subject test?
The subject GRE test is not required, but is strongly recommended; this means that we will consider applicants who have not taken the test, but it is a useful diagnostic tool for our admissions committee and they do look for it in an application. While most of our applicants take the Chemistry subject GRE, we will accept a Physics or Biochemistry score if an applicant’s strengths lie more in those areas.

What are the minimum admission requirements?
There is no minimum score for the General GRE test, although most candidates who are offered admission to our program tend to score above 700 on the quantitative section of the test, above 600 on the verbal section and 4.5 on the writing section.

Neither is there a minimum GPA, but most of our admitted students have a GPA of 3.5 or better on a 4.0 scale. .

Please note: the Chemistry department admissions committee looks at every application individually. While grades, test scores and research experience certainly carry weight, our committee does not focus on just one portion of the application. Rather, they look for candidates who are strong overall, paying particular attention to the personal statement and letters of recommendation.

How do I apply for financial aid?
Princeton University and the Department of Chemistry provide full financial support, i.e. tuition, health insurance and stipend, to all students with for the entire length of their degree candidacy, usually 5 years.  Support is given regardless of citizenship or financial need, and there is no need to file a separate application. This is a grant, not a loan, and does not have to be paid back to the University.

What are the admissions requirements for foreign applicants?
International students must complete the same admission requirements as U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents.

Further, ALL students from countries where English is not the official language, must take the iBT TOEFL or the IELTS as an alternative. Even if you attended an undergraduate institution overseas where English was the medium of instruction, you still MUST take the iBT TOEFL or the IELTS. The only exceptions are students who received their undergraduate education in a U.S. college or university
.
All applicants are individually reviewed and considered for admission to our program. However, over the last two admission seasons the average iBT TOEFL combined score for admitted students was 108, with the following average sub-scores: Listening 28, Reading 29, Speaking 24, and Writing 27. Furthermore, data from the University's English Language Program indicates that of newly enrolling international students, those who score below 20 on the Speaking subsection of iBT TOEFL are virtually certain to have to take an English language course during their first year of graduate study to bring their spoken proficiency up to a minimum standard.

We do not require the TSE for admission.

We do require the GRE Exam for admission. If you are a citizen of China, Hong Kong, Korea or Taiwan, please be aware that Princeton will only accept the paper-based test. For more information on the test procedure to be followed, go to http://gradschool.princeton.edu/admission/applicants/applying/gre/.

Do you offer a Masters degree program?
We do not offer a Masters-only degree program except to employees of companies which are affiliated with the Chemistry Department Industiral Associates Program. This is a course-based Masters degree and does not involve research. Students in our doctoral program do earn an incidental Master of Arts degree along the path to the Ph.D.

What if I can’t pay the application fee?
U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents may apply for a fee waiver; the application must be filed by December 15 and can be found on-line at http://gradschool.princeton.edu/admission/applicants/applying/fee/.
Fee waivers are not given to international students.

Are interviews required?
No, we do not conduct interviews.

How can I visit Princeton Chemistry?
In late winter, we will hold three visiting weekends for accepted students. In 2010 the visits will be February 26 & 27, March 6 & 7, and March 26 & 27. You are also welcome to visit at other times and we can arrange a program to fit your interests.

Other questions?
Please contact:

Mrs.Sallie Dunner
Graduate Administrator
Department of Chemistry
sdunner@princeton.edu
Ph: 609-258-4116
Fax: 609-258-6746