FAQs

There is no minimum GPA requirement to remain on financial aid, but students must continue to maintain satisfactory academic progress.

No. There are no cutoffs. We consider all of these measures within the context of each applicant’s school and situation. Our most promising candidates tend to earn strong grades and have comparatively high scores on standardized tests. We also look at other parts of the application, including teacher references and essays, to learn more about what kind of student you are and how you approach learning. Please review our current testing policy. 

No. Our decisions are made by a committee of admission officers, and no single individual is responsible for shaping the outcome of an application. We ask that you update us through the applicant Pportal with significant changes since you initially applied, but it is unnecessary to reach out to a particular individual.

We try to offer each applicant the opportunity to have a conversation with an alumnus/a volunteer. This is a chance for you to learn more about the Princeton experience and for us to learn more about you. Interviews take place after the Admission Office has received your application. You may choose on the application to opt out of the interview and this choice will not put you at any disadvantage in the admission process. If you do not opt out, you may receive an email inviting you to interview with a member of our Princeton Schools Committee in your area (if available). The alumni interviewer will contact you to arrange a convenient meeting time. Alumni interviews may be in person or virtual depending on the availability of the alumni. The Admission Office has no preference between these two options. We include the interviewer’s comments in our review of your application. Interviews aren't required as part of the admission process, but we encourage candidates to accept the invitation. Do not be concerned if interviews are not available; we will give your application full consideration without an interview. Given the timeline, we will not be able to offer an interview to students who are participating in the QuestBridge National College Match as well as the Transfer Admission Program.

Yes. For each year of attendance at Princeton, students must submit a new financial aid application.

When awarding aid, we require parental financial information for all students, with very few exceptions.

No. If English is your first language or your language of instruction, you do not need to submit an English proficiency test.

Yes. All documents must be officially translated into English for us to review them.

If the person you ask to complete a teacher recommendation or School Report is not comfortable writing in English, he or she may complete the forms in another language. However, you will need to have the forms officially translated before they are submitted to the Admission Office.

We ask you to tell us on the application which degree program you may be most interested in following: bachelor of arts, bachelor of science in engineering or undecided. We look closely at the math and science preparation of students considering engineering studies. However, students apply to the first-year class of Princeton University, not to the engineering or liberal arts programs and are not locked into a degree program (or a specific department within that degree program) upon admission. Students in the engineering school choose a concentration (major) by the end of the first year; bachelor of arts students have two years to choose a concentration.