FAQs

A graded written paper refers to a paper written in the last three years of secondary school that was graded by a teacher.  For transfer applicants, a graded written paper may come from a course taken within the last two years of schooling.

We ask for a paper written in English because all Princeton courses (with the exception of foreign language courses) are taught in English. If you are unable to provide a graded written paper, we will still review your application, but we will have less information with which to review your file.

The graded written paper should come from a course of instruction that is listed on your academic transcript.  

They may be separate, but please upload them as one document. If using a grading rubric, please include this information along with your paper.

Option 1: Upload the graded written paper alongside your application materials when submitting the Common Application.  We will accept scanned documents.

Option 2: Mail, e-mail, or upload the graded written paper to your applicant portal. We will accept scanned documents.

We encourage you to reach out to your teachers or school counselors to obtain a graded written paper from your last three years of secondary school. If you are unable to provide a graded written paper, we will still review your application, but we will have less information with which to review your file.

We encourage you to reach out to your teachers or school counselors to obtain a graded written paper from your last three years of secondary school. If the grade or comments are on a separate piece of paper, please attach this to your submission.  If there is no grade written on the paper, please speak to your teacher to ask them to attach, or attest to, the original grade.

No.

The graded written paper must have been written in English, not translated from another language into English. More information is available on our international students page. 

Though we prefer the paper come from an English, social studies or history course, we understand that course offerings can vary greatly from school to school.  Applicants should submit a graded written paper that demonstrates their writing skills.

We encourage you to reach out to your teachers or school counselors to obtain official comments on your paper. If there is a grading rubric that explains how the written work is evaluated, please include it with your submission.

If you have not recent courses, the next best option is to consider anything written from a similar academic program, such as the Warrior-Scholar Project, even if this was not a for-credit course and/or no grade was provided. If you have no similar recent academic program, you may consider either requesting an assignment from an instructor, or writing an expository essay on a topic of your choice. It is also helpful if you can explain your circumstances and available options in the application.