College · Private nonprofit · Princeton, NJ · City
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
Admit rate5%
6-yr median pay$88k
Net price / yr$6k
Undergrad size5,709
§ I · The real read
What it's actually like.
The bet
Net price of $6k/yr for a shot at a $88k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.
Getting in
Admit rate of 5% means this is a reach for most people, even strong applicants. Admitted students average SAT 1553 · ACT 34.
If you get in
5,709 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.
Where you live
City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.
§ II · Cost & aid
Sticker vs. real.
Sticker cost of attendance is $84k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $6k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.
Sticker · 4 yrs$336k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$25k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$312k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback0.3x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.
Where the money goes · annual sticker.
- Tuition · in-state
- $62.7k
- Room & board
- $20.3k
- Books & supplies
- $1,050
How students pay for it.
Pell grants19%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans2%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$10k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $7k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes
Do people finish? Do they land?
1-yr retention98%
Very high — students stay.
Graduation · 6 yr98%
Most finish on time.
6-yr median pay$88k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$110k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity
Setting, size, and who this school is.
- Setting
- City
- Control
- Private nonprofit
- Undergrad size
- 5,709
- Location
- Princeton, NJ
- Region
- Mid East (DE, DC, MD, NJ, NY, PA)
- Carnegie class
- Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity (R1)
- Size & setting
- Four-year · medium · highly residential
- Undergrad program
- Four-year · full-time, more selective, lower transfer-in
- Accreditor
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education
§ · Who studies here
The student body at a glance.
- White34%
- Asian23%
- International13%
- Hispanic10%
- Black9%
- Two or more races7%
- Unknown4%
First-gen students28%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time0%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$37k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 37
What you can study.