How to Apply

For each class, we bring together a varied mix of high-achieving, intellectually gifted students from diverse backgrounds to create an exceptional learning community. 

Please see COVID-19 Update for complete changes to the 2020-21 and 2021-22 application cycles.

We care about what students have accomplished in and out of the classroom. The process is highly selective. In recent years, we've offered admission to less than 7 percent of applicants.

As you prepare your application, help us to appreciate your talents, academic accomplishments and personal achievements. We'll ask for your transcript and recommendations, and we will want to know more than just the statistics in your file. Tell us your story. Show us what’s special about you. Tell us how you would seize the academic and nonacademic opportunities at Princeton and contribute to the Princeton community. Above all, please write in a style that reflects your own voice.

Princeton accepts the Coalition Application and Common Application. Princeton treats them both equally. To apply, you will need to submit online either the Coalition Application or the Common Application, plus the Princeton Supplement.

Application Checklist

1. Submit

   • The Coalition Application or Common Application
   • Princeton Supplement
   • Graded Written Paper
2. Request

   • Transcript
   • School Report
   • School Counselor Letter
   • Two (2) Teacher Recommendations
3. Report  

   • 2021-22 application cycle. Due to the lack of access to testing sites, Princeton will not require submission of standardized testing (SAT or ACT). 
   • SAT or ACT. If you choose to submit testing applicants should take the SAT or the ACT by the December date. When registering for the SAT or ACT, use the following codes to ensure your scores are sent to Princeton: SAT: 2672 and ACT: 2588. Learn more about standardized testing  for admission and review our application dates and deadlines. 
   • SAT Subject Tests. Princeton does not require SAT Subject Tests. If you chose to sit for a Subject Test (prior to January 2021 when the College Board eliminated the test) and wish to submit the score, you may do so.
   • TOEFL, IELTS or PTE Academic scores. If English is not your native language and you are attending 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).You are not required to take the TOEFL, IELTS or PTE Academic if English is your native language or if you have spent at least three years at a secondary school where English is the primary language of instruction. Please have your scores sent directly to Princeton: TOEFL: 2672

Full Details

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When to Apply

The University will move to one application deadline of Jan. 1, 2021 for 2020-21 first-year admission cycle. You may apply to Princeton for first-year admission through regular decision. Before you begin preparing your application, we strongly encourage you to review our standardized testing policy . Please check back for information about the 2021-22 application cycle.

Regular Decision

Jan. 1

• Application Due

Feb. 1 

• Princeton Financial Aid Application Due

More Application Dates & Deadlines

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Who Can Apply

• First-year fall applicants
• Transfer students through the transfer admission process

If a student has submitted an application on three separate occasions, the Office of Admission generally will not review subsequent applications. In these instances, if an application fee was submitted, it will be returned.

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Fee Waiver

We want to make sure that Princeton is accessible to all candidates, regardless of their individual family’s financial situation. If you are from a low-income background, or if the application fee is a hardship for your family, and you are applying for financial aid, Princeton will waive your application fee. Additionally, we will waive the application fee for all candidates who are serving or have served in the U.S. military. You may submit a fee waiver one of two ways:

1. Select the fee waiver option on the Coalition Application or Common Application. Your college or school counselor must approve your fee waiver request online or submit your fee waiver form by mail or fax.
2. Select one of the following fee waiver options on the Princeton Supplement: Princeton-specific, ACT, College Board, NACAC or Realize Your College Potential. All low-income students are eligible for the Princeton-specific fee waiver. In addition, all applicants who are serving or have served in the U.S. military are eligible for the Princeton-specific fee waiver. If you use the Princeton-specific fee waiver, you do not need to get approval from your college counselor. Students named QuestBridge Finalists should select the QuestBridge fee waiver.

Upon submission of your Coalition Application or Common Application with the Princeton Supplement, the checklist in your Princeton Applicant Portal will reflect that your fee waiver has been granted. Please note that applying for a fee waiver will not disadvantage your application in any way.

Undocumented or DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) Students

Princeton’s admission and financial aid policies are the same for undocumented or DACA students as they are for all other students applying to the University for admission or financial aid.

The University’s generous need-based financial aid program applies equally to all applicants. If admitted, undocumented students can be confident that their full financial need, as determined by the financial aid office, will be met.

We encourage undocumented students to consult with the Office of Admission and the Office of Financial Aid if they have any questions about our process.

Veterans' Benefits

Princeton University especially welcomes applications from veterans and dependents who are eligible for education benefits offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, which include the Yellow Ribbon Program, and complies with the principles outlined in Executive Order 13607.

Princeton participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program without limitation on the number of students who are eligible. The executive order addresses key areas relating to federal military and veterans' educational benefits programs. Please visit our U.S. Military Applicants section to learn more. 

Disability Services

The Office of Disability Services offers a range of services to ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to Princeton's academic and extracurricular opportunities.

The Disability Services staff is available to meet with prospective students who are visiting the campus. Also, for more information you may visit the Office of Disability Services website.

The University's admission process involves a holistic review of each applicant's entire file. No particular factor is assigned a fixed weight; rather, the process involves a highly individualized assessment of the applicant's talents, achievements and his or her potential to contribute to learning at Princeton. Please see the Joint Statement on Common Ivy Group Admission Procedures for more information about admission policies.

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Equal Opportunity and Nondiscrimination at Princeton University: Princeton University believes that commitment to principles of fairness and respect for all is favorable to the free and open exchange of ideas, and the University seeks to reach out as widely as possible in order to attract the ablest individuals as students, faculty, and staff. In applying this policy, the University is committed to nondiscrimination on the basis of personal beliefs or characteristics such as political views, religion, national or ethnic origin, race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, marital or domestic partnership status, veteran status, disability, genetic information and/or other characteristics protected by applicable law in any phase of its education or employment programs or activities. See Princeton’s full Equal Opportunity Policy and Nondiscrimination Statement. In addition, pursuant to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and supporting regulations, Princeton does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the education programs or activities that it operates; this extends to admission and employment. Inquiries about the application of Title IX and its supporting regulations may be directed to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education or to the University’s Sexual Misconduct/Title IX Coordinator:

Michele Minter
University Sexual Misconduct/Title IX Coordinator 
Vice Provost for Institutional Equity and Diversity
205 Nassau Hall
Princeton, New Jersey 08544
mminter@princeton.edu
609-258-6110