Princeton University
Get to know Princeton University
School Profile
Suburban campus setting
5,598 undergraduate students
3,251 graduate students
1,366 first-year students
17% of students first-generation
Admissions
Academics
Introduction to Princeton University
Located about an hour’s drive from New York City and Philadelphia, Princeton University is the fourth-oldest college in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. At Princeton, you choose one major from 37 academic areas in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering. First-year students take Freshman Seminars as an introduction to academic writing and intellectual inquiry. Independent work is a hallmark of the Princeton undergraduate experience, and junior and senior independent academic research culminates in a senior thesis.
The majority of students live on campus, which is well-regarded for its architectural beauty. Students are welcomed into one of seven residential colleges offering a variety of academic and social programs, as well as academic advising. These colleges are designed to help you transition to campus and establish a strong sense of community. At Princeton, you are encouraged to expand your horizons, whether it is exploring the 500+ student organizations on campus, participating in service opportunities that focus on global concerns, or studying and interning abroad in one of 44 countries.
Established in 2021 through a gift from Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Emma Bloomberg Center for Access and Opportunity enhances and expands Princeton University’s fundamental commitment to the college success of talented First-Generation Low-income (FLI) students. The Emma Bloomberg Center’s programs are designed to provide all students, including those from first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented backgrounds, with the mentorship, academic enrichment, and community that they need to thrive at Princeton. They also empower students to successfully navigate the University’s many resources to achieve their professional, personal, and scholarly goals, and to become active leaders on campus and in the larger world.
The Novogratz Bridge Year Program is a nine-month, tuition-free program that allows newly admitted undergraduates the opportunity to begin their Princeton experience with a year of public service abroad at one of six international locations.
Princeton offers a strong network of academic support, including unique programs and opportunities for first-generation and low-income students. Princeton’s Scholars Institute Fellows Program (SIFP) provides a four-year leadership and mentoring experience that emphasizes peer-to-peer support, faculty engagement, and community building.