Admission Announcement

We are committed to identifying and enrolling talented students from all backgrounds who will not only benefit from a Princeton education but who will use this educational experience to go on to impact and change the communities and world around them.

As part of our student-centered approach to the admission process, we have been carefully considering how and when the University publishes certain data about admitted students that may have an unintended impact on prospective students and families.

The Office of Admission considers each student holistically within the context of their setting to build a dynamic University community. Given this, data points such as overall admission rates and average SAT scores shouldn’t influence a prospective student’s decision about whether to apply to Princeton. We know this information raises the anxiety level of prospective students and their families and, unfortunately, may discourage some prospective students from applying.

For this reason, we have in recent years stopped reporting on the University website the annual admission rate, as well as the admission rate by SAT score range and average GPA. We have now made the decision not to release admission data during the early action, regular decision and transfer admission cycles. Instead, we will publish an announcement later in 2022 that focuses on the enrolled students who will join Princeton as the Class of 2026. The University will continue to report aggregate data about the admission cycle each year in the Common Data Set and to the state and federal government. The admission rate is — and will continue to be — available through sources like the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard. 

We believe this decision will help us keep students central to our work and tamp down the anxiety of applicants. 

Updated on April 8, 2022