Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey. It is an Ivy League University established in 1746 as the College of New Jersey in Elizabeth. It wasn’t until 1896 that it officially became a university and subsequently changed its name to Princeton University.

Princeton University is one of the oldest academic institutions in the country, as it is the fourth oldest higher education institution in the United States of America. Princeton is one of the nine O.G. colonial colleges that were chartered before the American Revolution.

The prestigious Princeton University has a suburban setting with a campus size spanning 600 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Princeton University ranked as the overall best school in the 2022-2023 edition of Best National Universities by U.S. News. Princeton is one of the biggest research universities in the country, and it’s home to various research centres, including the Bendheim Thomas Center for Research on Child Wellbeing. Princeton University has over 37 concentrations for undergraduate students, including engineering, humanities, and natural and social sciences.

Princeton University has relatively small class sizes, and faculty members are accessible and approachable. Princeton has 5,548 undergraduate students on campus, with an average class size of 15 students with a student-to-faculty ratio of 5:1.

Students are automatically admitted into any school or college affiliated with Princeton when they are admitted to the University. The 37+ majors at Princeton are dispersed between Forbes College, New College West, Butler College, Mathew College, Yeh College, Rockefeller College and Whitman College.

Princeton University Ranking

As a coveted institution of higher education, Princeton is by a long shot the best in the United States and the top 20 in the world. As an Ivy League, Princeton has been able to keep the bars high and rank top over the years.

In the most recent publication of the nation’s top universities rankings, newly released by U.S. News & World Report, Princeton again holds it down at the top. In the U.S. News Best Colleges 2023 edition, Princeton ranked No.1 as the best on the nation’s top National Universities list and No. 30 on the list of Most Innovative Schools.

In the world ranking, Princeton is ranked #16 by the Q.S. Global World Rankings 2023. Other ranking indices are:

• Princeton University ranked #4 in the 2022-2023 edition of Best Colleges for Veterans

• Princeton University ranked #2 in the 2022-2023 edition of Best Value Schools 

• Princeton University ranked #4 in the 2022-2023 edition of Best Undergraduate Teaching Schools 

• Princeton University ranked #186 in the 2022-2023 edition of Top Performers on Social Mobility

• Princeton University ranked #4 in the 2022-2023 edition of Best Undergraduate Engineering Program

Princeton University Acceptance Rate

Getting admitted into Princeton University is typically a very competitive race, considering the pedigree of her alumni network and the general prestige. Meeting their GPA and SAT/ACT requirements is also very crucial to getting past their first filters and proving your academic preparation.

As of 2023, Princeton University’s acceptance rate is 4.4%. Thus, it is clear that you need to dot your I’s and cross your T’s in order to have a chance at studying at the coveted Princeton University of New Jersey because the school is extremely selective.

To increase your chances of admission, you should aim for the top 75th percentile, with a 1540 SAT or a 34 ACT. You should also have at least a 3.7 GPA or higher. Princeton admits a large percentage of their freshman class via early decision, and prospective students who apply through this process have a better advantage. The school offers a single choice early action with a November 1 deadline and the second decision around the second week of January.

Princeton University Admission Requirement

The admission process at Princeton University would really test your intellectual and mental capacity. Apart from having a 4.4% acceptance rate, it also ranks in # the top 3 in the country for the lowest rate of acceptance. Princeton University has, in place, extremely high requirements for admission, generally admitting students who can prove academic and social strengths. Typically, Princeton accepts and attracts the best of the best in the country and beyond, with the majority of incoming freshmen graduating at the top of their high school class.

ACT Scores Requirements

Available admission data indicates that Princeton only accepts students with ACT of 33 and above. Successful applicants typically send ACT scores in the top 5 per cent of the country. Candidates submitting an ACT composite above 33 would be considered for admission, successfully passing the first-round filter.

SAT Scores Requirements

Princeton University has set a standard acceptance score for SAT between 1470 and 1560, below which admission should be considered a reach. This is not a guarantee for admission but rather gets you past the first round and opens you up for further tests and considerations. 

Princeton University Location

The University’s main campus consists of over 200 buildings on 600 acres of land located in Princeton, New Jersey. Princeton has another location called James Forrestal Campus. It is designed mainly as a research and instruction complex and splits between nearby Plainsboro and South Brunswick. These campuses are situated about one hour from New York City and also Philadelphia if you use the train. The University owns more than 520 acres of property near West Windsor Township, where Princeton is planning to construct a graduate student housing complex and name “Lake Campus North”. 

The University’s first building was the Nassau Hall. The campus was then steadily expanded around Nassau Hall during the early and middle 19th centuries. During the McCosh presidency between 1868 and 1888, several buildings were constructed in the High Victorian Gothic and Romanesque Revival styles. Much of the architecture was designed by the Cope and Stewardson firm; they were led by the renowned architects who designed most of Washington University in St. Louis and part of the University of Pennsylvania, resulting in the Collegiate Gothic style, which is today known as the Princeton signature.

Princeton University Notable Alumni

The prestigious Princeton University is classified as a “R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity” and has produced a convincing number of great minds that have impacted the world through excellence in science, tech, politics and many more. Below are some notable alumni from Princeton University of New Jersey;

•  James Madison: former U. S President
• Woodrow Wilson: former U.S. President 
•  George M. Dallas: former Vice President of the U.S
• John Breckinridge: former Vice President
• Aaron Burr: former Vice President of the U.S 
• Michelle Obama: former First Lady of the United States
• Oliver Ellsworth: Former Chief Justice of the United States 
• Samuel Alito: U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice
• Samuel Alito: U.S. Supreme Court Associate
• Jerome Powell: appointed Chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board in 2018
• Selden Edwards: Writer
• Barton Gellman: Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist 

Princeton University Undergraduate Tuition and Fee

Below is a breakdown of the 2022-2023 cost of attendance for undergraduate students enrolled full-time at Princeton University.

• Freshman Resident

Tuition & Fees- $59,710

Room- $11,400

Board- $7,980

Books- $2,120

Transportation- Variable

Miscellaneous- $1,930

TOTAL- $83,140

• Continuing Resident

Tuition & Fees- $59,710

Room- $13,500

Board- $7,980

Books- $2,120

Transportation-Variable

Miscellaneous- $1,930

TOTAL- $85,240

Princeton University Scholarship 

Princeton University is a dedicated institution that provides quality education for citizens of the United States and beyond. While doing that, the University provides students with financial aid to support applicants. Financial aid is awarded only based on need, which means the University doesn’t offer merit scholarships. Rather the talents and achievements of applicants are considered only concerning admission. At Princeton, academic and athletic merits are not considered when awarding aid.

In order to determine applicants qualified for scholarships, a thorough and careful review of each family’s financial circumstances and capability is analyzed. Each submitted application is attended to personally to take note of special circumstances and apply professional judgments in awarding aids and grants. Since the University only grants need-based scholarships, students who qualify for financial aid are awarded a grant rather than a loan that has to be repaid. Therefore there is equal financial freedom for all students.