Princeton University Makes College Free For Qualifying Students

Princeton University, USA in the fall. The college has made tuition free for some students

Ivy Leauge school, Princeton University, will waive tuition, student service fees, and room and board beginning in Fall 2023 for students whose families make under $100,000 a year. Students can also apply for a yearly personal and book allowance of up to $4,050 per school year.

Princeton University had already offered financial aid which covered 100 percent of tuition and room and board for students. However, the previous annual income level had a cap of $65,000 a year for families. Families that make over $100,000 a year will still qualify for some type of aid.

Affordable For All Students

The new scholarship program is meant to encourage student diversity and to make the university more affordable and accessible. Princeton wants to attract talented students from all backgrounds. With this groundbreaking financial aid program, more than 25% of the undergraduates may receive aid that will cover full tuition, and room and board. Also, there is an additional $4,050 for books and other expenses.

“Princeton’s generous financial aid program has transformed the socioeconomic diversity of our undergraduate student population, allowing more students from across backgrounds to learn from one another’s life experiences.” —Dean of the College, Jill Dolan.

Princeton University states that applying for financial aid to help cover tuition is in no way a disadvantage in the admission process. They believe that it ensures equality of opportunity for all students.

A chart of the Princeton university tuition

Student Loans

In 2001, Princeton was the first university in the country to eliminate loans from its financial aid packages. Since then, more than 10,000 undergraduates have benefited from Princeton’s aid program, which meets students’ full financial needs with grants that do not need to be repaid. This has successfully eliminated student debt among their students.

Princeton University Admissions

We have already established, that for qualifying students, Princeton can be affordable to attend. However, the average applicant may not be able to get in to utilize their generous financial aid program. Princeton’s admissions are very selective. Their acceptance rate is about 6%. Typically, most of the applicants who are admitted have an SAT score between 1450 and 1570 or an ACT score of 32 and 35. It costs $70 to apply to the university and the deadline is the first of January.

The average unweighted high school GPA for admitted students is 3.92. Since this is an average, some applicants have GPAs lower than this and some have GPAs higher. With an acceptance rate of about 6%, applicants are going to need to prove that they meet Princeton’s high standards. If your GPA is below the average, you will need strong test scores or other requirements to help you become a more competitive applicant.

Statistics for Enrolled Class of 2025

Princeton only wants the best of the best. They look for students who have achieved academic excellence. They also look for students with strong personal and extracurricular accomplishments. You have to be on top of your game to attend this Ivy League university.

Applicant Overview

  • Total applicants: 37,601
  • Total admits: 1,647
  • Total enrolled: 1,345

Class Overview

  • 51% of the students in the class are female and 49% are male.
  • 18% of students in the class are the first in their families to go to college.
  • 22% of students in the class are eligible for need-based Federal Pell Grants.
  • Middle 50% SAT Scores
  • Math 740-800
  • Evidenced-based Reading and Writing: 710-770
  • Middle 50% ACT Scores
  • Composite score: 32-35

My Thoughts

If you have an interest in attending Princeton, I encourage you to apply. Especially if you can take advantage of their generous financial aid program. However, I caution you to not be discouraged or disappointed if you do not get accepted. Unfortunately, with such a low acceptance rate, thousands of intelligent applicants get turned down each year. There are many other affordable and excellent colleges out there for those students who don’t get accepted to Princeton. Be aware of your options and prepare for the possibility that you may not get in.

Read, How To Choose A College Or University, and you will learn the two most important factors when choosing a school.

—Sensei