U.S. Military Applicants

Military Mondays Campus Experience

This fall, we are excited to continue hosting “Transfer Tuesdays” — a campus visit program designed for students interested in learning more about transferring to Princeton University, and to introduce "Military Mondays," a new visit program to provide information to military-connected students. The programs are open to all students, but will be of particular interest to students from low-income and/or military backgrounds, and community colleges. 

Transfer Tuesdays will be held Sept. 10, Oct. 1, Nov. 5 and Dec. 3 from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.; Military Mondays will precede two Transfer Tuesday programs on Monday, Sept. 30, and Monday, Dec. 2 from 12:30 - 2:30 p.m. Military-connected students are welcome to join us for the following day's Transfer Tuesday session as well. 

Learn more and Register for Transfer Tuesdays

Learn more and Register for Military Mondays

About the Application Process

U.S. military-affiliated students apply through the same process as other prospective undergraduates and determine eligibility for the transfer program or the admissions process for first-year students based on the parameters described in the Transfer Eligibility section.

To assist with the process, Princeton will waive the application fee of any candidate who is serving or has served in the U.S. military. On your application form, please select either the "US military veterans and servicemembers fee waiver" or the “Princeton-specific fee waiver” option, and we will automatically waive your fee.

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.

Princeton is fully committed to the Principles of Excellence outlined in Executive Order 13607. Our staff members will not provide any bonus, commission, or other incentive payment directly or indirectly on securing enrollments or federal financial aid (including TA funds) to any persons or entities engaged in any student recruiting, admission activities or decisions. Furthermore, staff will not engage in high-pressure recruitment tactics for the purpose of securing the enrollment of servicemembers. 

Administrators from the Transfer, Veteran, and Non-Traditional Student Programs are prepared to advise prospective and current undergraduate students on the following:

• Connecting students with appropriate University and academic department resources including academic counseling, financial aid counseling, job search support, or other student support services as outlined on their website.
• Assisting prospective and current students in the application, registration and enrollment process for admission and progression toward degree completion.

Eligible servicemembers are directed to speak with their Educational Services Officer (ESO) or counselor within their military service prior to enrolling at Princeton. Service specific contact information can be found here.

If you have specific questions about the application process for U.S. military applicants, please contact Alex Bustin, senior associate dean and director of military/veteran admission, at abustin@princeton.edu.

Financial Aid

Veteran students typically receive a combination of benefits through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, including Yellow Ribbon and the Post-9/11 GI Bill®. Princeton’s need-based financial aid program can supplement or even replace the use of veterans benefits toward the total cost of attendance. As a result of our generous need-based grant aid, students generally do NOT use their benefits for undergraduate study at Princeton.

Regardless of year of entry, background, all students are eligible for Princeton’s generous need-based financial aid program.

• Admission is need-blind, meaning there is no disadvantage to any financial aid applicant. 
• We will meet 100% of demonstrated need for all admitted students for all years of study.
• We offer aid in the form of grants, not loans, which you do not pay back. Many of our students graduate free of debt from Princeton.

To learn more about how to use your education benefits while a student at Princeton, please reach out to Silvia Rodriguez in the Undergraduate Financial Aid Office at silvial@princeton.edu.

Additional Affiliations

Princeton is a proud partner with Service to School (S2S), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides higher education counseling through professional advisers and peer networks at no cost to veteran applicants. We are part of a small group of institutions involved in their Service to School (S2S) VetLink initiative, launched in 2015 to connect these counselors with our admission representatives.

Princeton is also proud to be a host campus to the Warrior-Scholar Project, a national nonprofit that provides intensive academic workshops to assist the transition between the military and higher education.

Princeton is also a close partner of the Leadership Scholar Program, which works to assist Marines in pursuing their education at highly selective institutions after their transition out of the Marine Corps.

For more information about support for military-affiliated students at Princeton, please contact Dr. Keith Shaw, director of transfer, veteran, and nontraditional student programs at kmshaw@princeton.edu.

Watch a Presentation

The following video is presented in collaboration with our partners at the Leadership Scholar Program, Service to School (S2S) and Warrior-Scholar Project. We are joined by admission representatives from Amherst College, Pomona College, Williams College and Yale University to share information about applying as a military-connected student.