Princeton carries weight. Anyone who hears it mentioned over dinner knows that. But the weight of a name does not pay tuition or predict whether your child will do well there. What can help you is what the United States government, through its IPEDS system, reports about this institution year after year: who gets in, how much it costs, how many stay, how many graduate. We are going to walk through those numbers together, without embellishing them or playing them down.
What Kind of School Princeton Is, in a Few Words
Princeton is a private, nonprofit, four-year university classified by the Carnegie system among the country's institutions with the highest level of research activity at the doctoral level. That does not describe an undergraduate student's experience; it describes the type of institution it is.
It is also classified as highly residential: at least half of its undergraduate students live in housing owned or controlled by the school, and at least 80 out of every 100 attend full time. Living on campus is not optional here, as we will see later when we discuss costs: it is a structural part of how this university operates, and that changes your budget from the first day.
It is in the city of Princeton, New Jersey, in Mercer County, within the Trenton-Princeton metropolitan area. If your child were thinking about living at home and commuting every day, I recommend something simple: drive the route yourself on a weekday at the time he would have class. The actual travel time is almost never what the map says.
It is an institution whose highest reported award level is the doctorate and that IPEDS classifies as primarily bachelor's degree or above. That does not tell you whether the specific major your child is interested in is available there or how it connects with graduate study — that must be asked program by program.
And one clarification worth making at the outset: Princeton is not listed as a historically Black college or university (HBCU), a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. That says nothing about which communities it serves today or how your child would feel on that campus. Those three labels describe institutional history, not the current environment. You learn about that by talking with students there, not by reading a database.
The Actual Size of the Student Community
In the most recent official fall count, Princeton had 8,922 enrolled students. It is neither a small school nor a huge one: it falls within the band of 5,000 to 9,999 students, and among its selective private peers, it is one of the largest — at most one in ten universities in that group has more students.
But that large number is a little misleading. It is divided between 5,671 undergraduate students and 3,251 graduate students. If your child is entering a bachelor's degree program, the number that matters to him is 5,671, not the total. A large part of “Princeton” consists of people who have already completed a degree and are pursuing something else.
As for who makes up that undergraduate community: 10 out of every 100 students are Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority, although Princeton ranks above the midpoint of its selective private peers in that proportion. There are almost no adult students — only 1 out of every 100 is between 25 and 64 years old — and the campus is nearly evenly divided between men and women, with 51 out of every 100 being women.
One fact worth keeping in mind: fewer than 25 out of every 100 first-time students reported permanent residence in New Jersey. The vast majority come from other states or countries. If your child applies here, he would probably be entering a community where almost everyone, like him, comes from far away. That does not measure distance or travel costs, but if your situation involves flights or moving, that expense belongs in the budget conversation, not in this figure.
If Latinos are few on this campus, that does not automatically take the school off the list. But it does give you something specific to ask during a visit: which student organization, which cultural center, and who in the admissions office can speak Spanish with your family.
Academics: Calendar, Degrees, and Attention
Princeton's academic year is organized into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The university accepts credit from AP exams, but it did not report accepting credit for life experience. Here is a practical recommendation: saying that it accepts AP does not mean it grants credit for every exam or that the credit will count toward your child's major. Ask for a written transfer-credit evaluation before enrolling. Do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
As for what students study there: in a recent year, Princeton awarded 1,284 bachelor's degrees, distributed broadly across 16 families of academic fields. No field accounts for a large share — even social sciences, the largest, did not reach 20 out of every 100 degrees awarded that year. Compared with its selective private peers, it is in the quarter that awards the most degrees each year. This counts credentials awarded, not student experiences: it does not tell you what your child will encounter within his own program.
The student-to-instructional-staff ratio is 5 to 1 — among the lowest reported and among the lowest for its peers. But I want to be honest with you here: that ratio does not measure class size or actual individual attention. It is an institution-wide average. If the size of first-year classes matters to you or your child, you need to ask the school that specific question directly.
Princeton also reports structured academic opportunities: study abroad and several pathways related to teacher certification, including state approval of the program for initial teacher certification.
Getting Into Princeton: What It Requires and What Actually Happens
This is where many families pause first, and for good reason. Let us take it one piece at a time.
What the university requires. Princeton does not have open admissions. Of the materials it reviews, it identifies four as required: the high school record, the personal essay, letters of recommendation, and an English proficiency exam for applicants to whom it applies. That means something concrete for your child: gathering documents is not enough here. He has to write, and that essay counts as a requirement, not an extra.
Other materials are not required but are considered if submitted: grade point average, class rank, completion of the college-preparatory program the university requires, a portfolio or work sample, work experience, and whether a family member studied there. On that last point, if it does not apply to you, do not spend energy worrying about it. Spend it on what is within your child's control.
The undergraduate application fee is $70.
What actually happens when students apply. In the most recent cycle reported, Princeton received 39,644 first-time applications and offered admission to 1,782 applicants. That is 4 out of every 100. Among its selective private peers, it is one of the schools that admits the smallest share — nine out of ten institutions in that group admit a larger proportion of their applicants.
I want to tell you this as clearly as I can: this number says how many offers of admission were made. It says nothing about your child's worth. A low percentage does not make a school better, and a high one does not make it worse — it measures supply against demand. Make sure your child's list includes schools with different levels of selectivity, not only this one.
What happens after the acceptance. Out of every 100 applicants admitted in the most recent cycle, 77 ultimately enrolled — one of the highest proportions among its peers. But do not read this as praise for the school: the figure does not say why those families decided to enroll. And if your child receives that letter, ask that same day when the deposit is due and whether the deadline can be extended while you wait for other decisions. The fact that most enrolled quickly does not mean your child should sign in a hurry.
About the tests. The SAT and ACT are not required at Princeton — it has a test-optional policy. Even so, 57 out of every 100 enrolled students submitted SAT scores, one of the highest proportions among universities of its type. Among those who submitted them, the middle half scored between 740 and 780 in reading and writing and between 760 and 800 in mathematics. But be careful: those ranges describe students who had already enrolled and chose to submit their scores, not all applicants. That 740 is not a minimum, and that 780 does not guarantee anything either.
About transfers. In the most recent fall, 33 undergraduate students arrived at Princeton after studying at another institution. That is a relatively low number compared with its peers. The university does not report a transfer-out rate, so that figure is not publicly available — do not confuse that with no one transferring.
The Sticker Price, and Why It Is Not the Actual Price
At Princeton University, among 103 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $2,518. Among 68 students in the same population with EFC-recorded family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $7,652; among 47 students with EFC-recorded family income above $110,000, it was $39,943. For dependent students, the band combines their parents' income with their own.
There is a difference of $37,425 between the average for the lowest-income band (103 students) and the average for the highest-income band (47 students). These are group averages, not a prediction of your family's price. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship, the average was $19,811.
Among the 937 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same time coverage, Princeton falls within the least expensive quarter for the lowest-income families after grants and scholarships are subtracted. That does not mean it will be inexpensive for your family. It is a figure that carries weight when you build the list of schools to which your child will apply.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, correctly identifying yours is the first step. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; public institutions use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average after grants and scholarships, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The financial aid letter you receive is what ultimately matters.
How It Is Paid For: Grants, Loans, and What That Means
At Princeton, 61 out of every 100 degree-seeking students receive aid that does not have to be repaid — more than half, though not everyone. Among those who receive it, the annual average is $62,593. That is real money, but it is not a price: what determines how much you pay is what remains after aid, and that must be asked school by school.
The federal Pell Grant — for students with demonstrated financial need — reaches only 19 out of every 100 students here. That means at least 42 out of every 100 receive aid that comes from somewhere else, not from Pell.
And now the part that will probably interest you most as a father: loans. In the most recent academic year, only 3 out of every 100 Princeton undergraduate students had a federal student loan. That is very few — fewer than one in ten. Among those who did borrow, the average was $5,879 that year.
This does not mean everyone else could “afford it” easily. The figure does not capture whether they had grants or scholarships, employment, family savings, or another type of debt that this report does not record. Nor is it the total debt with which someone graduates — that would require adding several years together, and that figure is not included in this report. But it is a clear signal: at Princeton, relying on a federal loan to make attendance possible is the exception, not the norm.
Princeton also offers a tuition installment payment plan as an additional way to manage the expense.
Living There: Housing, Athletics, the Library, and Support
If your child enters full time in his first year, living on campus is not optional — it is required. Institution-controlled housing has capacity for 5,526 students. This means that when you compare Princeton's cost with another university's, you have to include room and board from the first day: here, that expense cannot be eliminated.
Princeton reported ROTC opportunities in all three branches — Army, Navy, and Air Force, with the Marine Corps option within Navy — something only 135 of the 3,012 universities in this directory offer. But the fact that it is listed does not confirm that the program is offered on this specific campus, how many places are available, or whether there is a scholarship. Ask about it by name before building a plan around it.
It competes in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NCAA. This does not tell you the division in which each sport competes or whether athletic scholarships are available — ask the coach of the sport that interests your child directly, and it is wise to request the answer in writing.
It does not offer distance education — not a single undergraduate or graduate course. If your child needs scheduling flexibility because of work or responsibilities at home, everything would have to fit into an in-person schedule.
The library has employed staff, physical and digital collections, and interlibrary lending. Support services reported by the institution include combined academic and career counseling, employment services, on-campus child care, specific support for veterans and military service members, and a published address for services for people with disabilities. The existence of these services in the report does not say how good they are or how accessible they prove to be in practice — you learn that by asking questions and visiting.
How Many Stay and How Many Graduate
Here Princeton shows figures that are rarely seen anywhere else.
Of the cohort of first-time, full-time, bachelor's-degree-seeking students, 97 out of every 100 met the official retention criterion the following year — they were still enrolled or had already graduated. That is one of the highest proportions among comparable universities.
And for graduation, the figure is even more striking:
| Time frame | Proportion who graduated |
|---|---|
| 4 years | 80 out of every 100 |
| 6 years | 97 out of every 100 |
Almost everyone who entered that full-time cohort left with a degree within six years. That does not mean exactly the same thing will happen to your child. It does say that, for those students at that school, the time was enough.
The difference between the four-year and six-year marks is 17 points — and four years is usually the time frame most families include in their budget. Before signing, ask in writing how long the specific program that interests your child usually takes, how its required courses are scheduled, and how the total cost would change if a fifth year became necessary.
At eight years, looking at a different cohort, 98 out of every 100 students had earned a degree or certificate from this school. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure was 97 out of every 100 — practically the same as for everyone else. The fact that the figures are so close does not mean the path was equally easy for everyone.
A high figure like this is not a promise for your child in particular. It is what happened to a specific group of students in specific years. It is worth asking about the current support available in the program that interests him and about the outcomes of more recent cohorts.
What You Already Know, and What Is Still Yours to Decide
That is one piece of the map — the piece that belongs to the university.
There are two other pieces this article cannot give you because they are not Princeton's to provide: what your child wants to study and what he has built so far, and what your family can and is willing to pay. No figure in this article decides that for you.
What I can tell you is this: it is your child's job to write that essay, assemble his application, and decide which major to pursue. It is your job to complete the FAFSA, request the financial aid letter in writing, compare the actual amount your family would be left paying, and not let a teenager carry alone a system he is only beginning to understand. That is not doing it for him. It is doing it with him.
Put this piece together with the other two. A plan emerges from that combination, and not before.
Note on sources: The information in this article comes from data reported by Princeton University to the United States Department of Education's IPEDS system, corresponding primarily to the 2023 cycle and the 2023-24 academic year, except where a different period is indicated. Best College Aid does not represent Princeton University or any government agency; this article organizes and explains public data for informational purposes.