Princeton University
Princeton, New Jersey · Private · 5,709 undergraduates · princeton.edu
Test policy (fall 2027)
Test optional
Sending scores is your choice
Admit rate
4.4%
of 42,303 applicants
SAT (middle 50%)
1490 to 1560
of enrolled freshmen
Annual cost (2027-28)
$99,450Est.Estimate
before aid
Your chances and merit aid at Princeton University
See where you stand for admission, how much merit aid you could get, and what you'd pay after it.
We started you at a typical enrolled freshman here. Move the sliders to match you.
Your admission chances
4.4% of applicants admitted
Reach
It admits only 4.4% of applicants, so it's a reach for everyone.
Estimated merit aid
a year
Your cost after merit aid
$99,450
a year in 2027-28, from a $99,450 sticker price
What to do with your 1530
Send your score
About 24% of freshmen here didn't send a score. We estimate their typical SAT at about 1460, and yours is above it.
Reach, target and likely are a rough guide from your test score and how selective the college is. Admissions also weigh your courses, grades, essays and activities. Merit aid figures are estimates, before any need-based aid.
Admissions
Test policy for fall 2027
Test optional
You choose whether to send an SAT or ACT score. If you send one, it's considered.
- Send official score reports when you apply.
Changing for fall 2028 (2027-28 admission cycle): test required.
Source: Standardized Testing | Princeton Admission · Checked October 16, 2026
Application deadlines
- Nov1Restrictive Early Action · November 1, 2026Not binding, but limits other early applications.
- Jan1Regular Decision · January 1, 2027The standard deadline.
Who gets in
4.4%
of applicants were admitted: 1,868 of 42,303 for fall 2025.
Restrictive Early Action
Not binding. Apply by 11/1, hear by Mid-December.
Wait list
1,370 students were offered a spot; 36 were later admitted.
Test scores of enrolled freshmen (fall 2025)
The shaded part shows the middle half of enrolled freshmen who sent scores: a quarter scored below it and a quarter above. 60% of them sent SAT scores and 20% sent ACT scores.
SAT total 1490 to 1560
Reading and Writing 740 to 780
Math 760 to 800
ACT composite 34 to 35
How enrolled freshmen scored on the SAT
- 1400 to 160096%
- 1200 to 13994%
- 1000 to 11990%
- 800 to 9990%
- 600 to 7990%
- 400 to 5990%
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
High school GPA of enrolled freshmen
Average GPA: 3.96
- 4.072%
- 3.75 to 3.9924%
- 3.50 to 3.743%
- 3.25 to 3.491%
- 3.00 to 3.240%
- 2.50 to 2.990%
- Below 2.500%
Cost and financial aid
The sticker price is what a year costs before any aid. Most students pay less after grants and scholarships.
Sticker price for 2027-28Estimate
$99,450
a year
- Tuition$70,870
- Fees$330
- Food and housing$23,000
- Books and supplies$1,090
- Transportation and other$4,160
Princeton University published $95,624 for 2026-27. Its 2027-28 prices aren't out yet.
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
What families actually pay
What a year cost on average after grants and scholarships, for freshmen who got federal aid in 2023-24, by family income.
- $0 to $30,000Not reported
- $30,001 to $48,000$795
- $48,001 to $75,000$1,346
- $75,001 to $110,000$4,761
- Over $110,000$38,927
Financial aid
100%
of a student's financial need is covered, on average
$79,320
average need-based grant to freshmen, money you don't repay
- FAFSA
- Required for need-based aid. It's the free federal aid form.
- CSS Profile
- Not required. Only the FAFSA is needed.
- Aid priority date: 2/1
- Send your aid forms by this date to be first in line for the college's grant money.
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
AP credit
AP exams that earn credit can replace college courses, so you pay for fewer of them and may graduate sooner.
AP credit
Not given
AP scores may still place you into higher courses.
Placement for each AP exam
| Exam | Score needed | Places you into |
|---|---|---|
| Biology | 5 | EEB/MOL 211 for non-EEB majors only |
| Calculus BC | 5 | Math 103 |
| Chemistry | 5 | Fulfills one semester of General Chemistry. Students seeking to fulfill the General Chemistry two-semester sequence (201/7 and 202) should enroll in CHM215 or CHM202. CHM215 may not be taken if CHM201/207 or 202 is taken. Forfeit 1 unit of AP if CHM201/207 is taken. |
| European History | 4 | |
| German Language and Culture | 5 | German 101, 102, 105, 107 |
| Latin | 5 | Latin 101, 102, 105, 107 |
| Macroeconomics | 5 | Economics 101 |
| Microeconomics | 5 | Economics 100 |
| Music Theory | 5 | Music 105 |
| Physics 1 | 5 | Physics 101-102 |
| Physics 2 | 5 | Physics 101-102 |
| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 5 | Physics 101-102 Physics 103-104 |
| Physics C: Mechanics | 4 | Physics 101-102 |
| Physics C: Mechanics | 5 | Physics 103-104 |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 5 | Spanish 101, 102, 107 |
| Statistics | 5 | Economics 202 |
| United States History | 4 | |
| World History: Modern | 4 |
Source: AP credit policy
After college
Graduate within 6 years
97%
Come back for a second year
98%
Typical earnings
$133,523
a year, 10 years after starting here
- Princeton University$106,001
- All colleges$80,787
Median yearly earnings of graduates five years after finishing a bachelor's in this major. 6 majors here have earnings data.
Keep exploring
Figures marked Estimate are our estimates, not numbers the college published. Check each college's own site before you apply. SAT is a trademark of College Board, and ACT is a trademark of ACT, Inc. Sharp is not affiliated with either, or with Princeton University. The Princeton University logo is a trademark of the college.