Princeton University was founded in 1746 as the College of New Jersey and divided its first decade between Elizabeth and Newark. The College settled in Princeton in 1756 upon the completion of Nassau Hall, which housed the entire College for nearly half a century and which still stands. In 1896, as part of the sesquicentennial celebration, the name was changed to Princeton University.

Princeton's long scientific tradition began in the 18th century when, in 1795, it established the first professorship of chemistry in an American college. The holder of this professorship was John Maclean, and his experiments, probably the first conducted on an American college campus, were known as "the wonder of Nassau Hall."

Graduate study has been encouraged at Princeton from its inception, with serious graduate scholarship commencing in 1869 when the first three graduate fellowships were established. From that time forward, four chief principles have governed the evolution of the Graduate School: careful selection of candidates, latitude for the students, accessibility of the faculty, and willingness to experiment.

By 1901 the Graduate School was formally organized as a division of the University, and by 1913 it was ready to dedicate the first residential graduate college in America, the fruit of the University's efforts to create an institution with outstanding facilities for graduate work. The Graduate College today houses many single graduate students and is within easy walking distance of other University buildings.

The Community

Princeton is a small (population 30,000) and pleasant suburban town. Within this historic and pastoral locale various institutions and individuals (including many writers and artists) create an intellectual and cultural community of exceptional quality. In addition to the University, there is the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton Theological Seminary, Westminster Choir College of Rider University, and the Educational Testing Service. A number of major corporations maintain their central research laboratories in the Princeton area. Among these are SRI, Mobil, FMC, Ingersoll-Rand, Wyeth-Ayerst Research, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gallup, Opinion Research, and American Cyanamid (Agricultural Division). The community supports ballet, chamber music, a resident repertory theater, and several orchestras and choral groups. Cultural activities approach the number and variety ordinarily found only in large cities. Recreational opportunities are equally diverse: hiking along the hundred-year-old Delaware-Raritan canal, in the Veblen Arboretum, Institute for Advanced Study woods, Battlefield Park, or in the many other parks and woods; boating, sailing, and ice skating on Lake Carnegie; or skiing in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains. Although the community is small, many spouses of graduate students find employment in the area's institutions and businesses.

The University and Princeton communities create an intimate and concentrated scientific and cultural environment, and the picturesque surrounding countryside provides many opportunities for the pursuit of leisure activities. Further options for both work and play are available in New York City and Philadelphia, each about an hour away and accessible by excellent public transportation.