Private nonprofit · University
Princeton University
Princeton, New Jersey · Small city
- 4.6%
- Admit rate
- $6,128
- Avg net price
- 98%
- Graduation rate
- $110,066
- Median earnings
Princeton University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Princeton, New Jersey (small city setting), enrolling 5,709 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Princeton University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 4.6%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1510–1580
- Avg GPA
- 3.95
Enter a test score to see where you land against Princeton University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Princeton University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Princeton, New Jersey
The Municipality of Princeton is a borough in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Europeans settled into the area in the late part of the 17th century, arriving from Delaware to settle West Jersey, and from New York to settle East Jersey, with the site destined to become Princeton being amid the wilderness between these two boroughs. Albert Einstein House, located at 112 Mercer Street, was the home of Albert Einstein from 1936 until his death in 1955. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 38 miles to Philadelphia, PA
- To the ocean
- 22 miles
- Nearest airport
- 10 miles to Trenton Mercer (TTN)
How Princeton University compares
More selective than 99% · #1 most selective of 43 in New Jersey
Higher than 99%
Higher than 99% · #1 of 47 in New Jersey
Higher than 96%
Higher than 99% · #1 of 38 in New Jersey
Cheaper than 97% · #2 cheapest of 46 in New Jersey
Lower than 97%
Lower than 96%
Larger than 80%
Percentiles compare Princeton University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in New Jersey.
Princeton University campus
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate5,70963%
- Graduate3,32437%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women2,93251%
- Men2,77749%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White34%
- Black8.7%
- Hispanic10%
- Asian23%
- Other or multiracial24%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 5,709
- Graduate enrollment
- 3,324
- Student–faculty ratio
- 5 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 19%
- First-generation students
- 28%
- Students over 25
- 1%
- Median family income
- $37,036
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $228,186
- Endowment
- $33,401,865,000
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 1,364 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From New Jersey16%
- Other U.S. states71%
- International13%
A national draw — only 16% of first-years come from New Jersey; 71% arrive from other states.
13% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 4.6%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1510–1580
- SAT average
- 1553
- SAT reading
- 740–780
- SAT math
- 770–800
- ACT composite
- 34–35
- Average GPA
- 3.95
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $62,688
- Room & board
- $20,250
- Books & supplies
- $1,050
- Total cost of attendance
- $84,040
- Average net price
- $6,128
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 98%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 75%
- First-year retention
- 98%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $87,815
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $110,066
- Median debt at graduation
- $10,320
- Students with federal loans
- 2%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 83%
About 22% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 5,526
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 97%
- Housing charge (year)
- $11,400
- Meal plan (year)
- $7,980
- Application fee
- $70
- Athletics
- NCAA Division I-FCS
- Football conference
- Ivy Group
- Varsity athletes
- 1,189 (686 men · 503 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (19)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- D
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 6.6 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 29
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 153
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (9,137 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$1,217/year × about 4.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Princeton University discounts heavily: 60% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $57,898. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,497 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $110,066
- Typical debt at graduation
- $10,320
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 9%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 81%
Typical debt would take roughly under a year to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $40,213 (43%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 87°F
- Winter low
- 21°F
- Annual rain
- 47.5″
- Annual snow
- 23.7″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Hightstown 2 W, NJ US station (7.6 mi from campus).
What Princeton University graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Princeton University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Princeton University side by side →
Stanford University
Stanford, California · Large suburb · 17 mi to San Jose
- Students
- 7,554
- Admission
- 4%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1553
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $124k
Rice University
Houston, Texas · Large city · 4 mi to Houston
- Students
- 4,776
- Admission
- 8%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 1553
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $90k
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois · Large city · 6 mi to Chicago
- Students
- 7,569
- Admission
- 4%
- Net price
- $15k
- SAT
- 1554
- GPA
- 5.0
- Earnings
- $92k
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee · Large city · 2 mi to Nashville
- Students
- 7,208
- Admission
- 6%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1549
- GPA
- 3.9
- Earnings
- $92k
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts · Midsize city · 3 mi to Boston
- Students
- 7,601
- Admission
- 4%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1553
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $102k
Bowdoin College
Brunswick, Maine · Fringe town · 23 mi to Portland
- Students
- 1,873
- Admission
- 7%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1520
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $83k
Colleges near Princeton University
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton, NJ · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Rider University
Lawrenceville, NJ · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 3,106 students
Mercer County Community College
West Windsor, NJ · Public · Associate · 5,404 students
Fortis Institute-Lawrenceville
Lawrenceville, NJ · Private for-profit · Certificate · 373 students
The College of New Jersey
Ewing, NJ · Public · Bachelor's · 7,105 students
Innovate Salon Academy
Ewing, NJ · Private for-profit · Certificate · 174 students
Capital Health School of Radiologic Technology
Trenton, NJ · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 16 students
Capital Health School of Nursing
Trenton, NJ · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 66 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.











