FAQs

Students who match with Princeton and students admitted in Regular Decision receive the same consideration for financial aid. Princeton has a remarkable financial aid program. We are committed to need-based financial aid and meeting 100 percent of a student's demonstrated need.

The greater Princeton area has a wide variety of hotel, motel, inn, and bed and breakfast accommodations. A small number of inns are within walking distance of the University, with most a short drive away. The Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau offers an accommodations page on its website. As a service to the community, the Purchasing Department has negotiated special rates for University employees and campus visitors who stay at preferred hotels. Please visit the University Travel and Expense website to learn more. 

If English is not the primary language spoken in your home and you attend a school where English is not the language of instruction, you must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System Academic (IELTS Academic) or the Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic).

Please see COVID-19 Update for complete changes to the 2022-23 cycle.

For the 2022-23 application cycle, Princeton will not require submission of standardized testing (SAT or ACT). Those who still wish to sit for standardized testing should do so by the October test date for Single-Choice Early Action and December date for Regular Decision., if possible. In our experience, scores from the October or December test date for test takers outside the United States will reach us in time. 

If your school does not have an adviser for students applying to university, please ask a school official — such as a principal, vice principal or dean — to complete your School Report available on the Common Application.

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.

Since Princeton meets students’ full need with grant aid, outside scholarships from private sources reduce Princeton grant dollar-for-dollar to make room for the outside scholarship in the award. Students can then use the amount of reduced scholarship toward the one-time purchase of a personal computer up to a preset amount by the Financial Aid Office. 

You should submit all documentation confirming income. Common documents include year-end wage statements and a letter from each employer stating annual income.

File size limits vary by format (video, audio, PDFs). Please be sure to check your arts supplement type for file size guidelines. You may also include external media from YouTube, Vimeo and SoundCloud.

If your parents are unemployed and filed taxes, they should submit their most recent tax return. If your parents did not file a return, you should submit all documentation of that year’s income, along with a parent non-filer statement, which can be found on the Income Documentation page.