What is the Princeton acceptance rate for the Class of 2030?
4.1%, by our calculation. Princeton admitted 1,892 of 46,618 first-year applicants for the class that entered in fall 2026 (the Class of 2030), according to the admission table on its official profile, which is dated as of August 18, 2026 (Princeton profile, admission and costs). Of the 1,892 admitted students, 1,414 enrolled, a yield of 74.7%.
| Measure | Class of 2030 (entered fall 2026) | Class of 2029 (entered fall 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| First-year applicants | 46,618 | 42,303 |
| Admitted | 1,892 | 1,868 |
| Acceptance rate (by our calculation) | 4.1% | 4.4% |
| Enrolled first-year students | 1,414 | 1,408 |
| Yield (by our calculation) | 74.7% | 75.4% |
Applications rose by 4,315, or 10.2%, while the number of admitted students rose by 24. With admissions nearly flat and the pool larger, the rate fell from 4.4% to 4.1%. Our guide to Ivy League acceptance rates sets these figures beside the other seven Ivies.
What is the Princeton acceptance rate for international students?
For the Class of 2030, the profile counts 11,679 international applicants, 25.1% of the pool, and 221 international admits, 11.7% of the admitted class. By our calculation, that is an admission rate of 1.9% for international applicants and 4.8% for all other applicants (1,671 of 34,939). The profile reports the gap but not its causes, so the two rates should not be read as a measure of how Princeton weighs citizenship. The same profile says Princeton provides the aid needed so that all admitted students with demonstrated financial need, “including international students,” can attend (Princeton profile).
Why does Princeton not announce admission numbers on decision day?
Because of a policy Princeton set out in 2022. Princeton said it had “made the decision not to release admission data during the early action, regular decision and transfer admission cycles,” and added: “The University will continue to report aggregate data about the admission cycle each year in the Common Data Set and to the state and federal government” (Princeton admission announcement, updated April 8, 2022). The same page says Princeton had already stopped reporting its annual admission rate on the University website, so the rates in this guide are our calculations from the counts Princeton publishes. Those counts appear months after decisions go out: the Class of 2030 table on the profile is dated as of August 18, 2026.
Does Princeton publish an early action acceptance rate?
No. Princeton offers single-choice early action, a nonbinding early plan. Its Common Data Set 2025-26 lists the plan and its dates in item C22, which does not ask for early applicant or admit counts, and we found no such counts on Princeton websites. Any early action rate for a recent Princeton class that does not come from Princeton itself is an estimate. Our guide to the Princeton early action acceptance rate covers the history of the plan.
The rules matter more than the missing rate. Admitted early applicants have until May 1 to decide, and an early applicant can be admitted, denied or deferred to regular decision. A student who applies early to Princeton “may not apply to an early program at any other private college or university,” but may apply early, on a nonbinding basis, to any public institution or service academy, to any international institution and to any college with a nonbinding rolling admission process (Princeton application dates and deadlines). Princeton also asks every applicant for a graded written paper, due with the application. In our view, applying early makes sense when Princeton is a clear first choice and the application, including that paper, is ready by the deadline. What a deferral means at Princeton and what to do next are in our guide to being deferred from Princeton.
What are the Princeton application deadlines for fall 2027?
| Step | Single-choice early action | Regular decision |
|---|---|---|
| Application due | November 1, 2026 (passed) | January 1, 2027 |
| Optional arts supplement | November 6, 2026 | January 8, 2027 |
| Princeton Financial Aid Application | November 9, 2026 | February 1, 2027 |
| Decision | Mid-December 2026 | Late March 2027 |
| Reply date | May 1, 2027 | May 1, 2027 |
Early applicants for fall 2027 should hear in mid-December 2026. A student who did not apply early can still apply in regular decision by January 1, 2027.
For the class that entered in fall 2025, Princeton offered 1,370 applicants a place on the waiting list; 1,086 accepted a place and 36 were admitted, according to item C2 of its Common Data Set 2025-2026. What a waitlist offer means there and what a waitlisted student can do are in our guide to the Princeton waitlist.
What is the Princeton transfer acceptance rate?
1.8% for fall 2025. Princeton admitted 42 of 2,274 transfer applicants, and 32 enrolled, according to item D2 of its Common Data Set 2025-26. For 2026-27, the Princeton profile says the University is enrolling 35 transfer students, “with 32 students transferring from community colleges and 20 having actively served in the U.S. military.” Princeton says students from lower-income backgrounds, community college students and U.S. military veterans are particularly encouraged to apply (Princeton profile). Transfer applications are due March 1.
Is Princeton test optional for fall 2027?
Yes, for one more cycle. Princeton says: “For first-year and transfer applicants seeking to enroll in fall 2027, Princeton remains test optional.” It will return to requiring tests with the 2027-28 cycle: “First-year and transfer applicants seeking to enroll in fall 2028 will need to submit either SAT or ACT scores.” Princeton also says, “There are no minimum test score requirements for admission” (Princeton standardized testing).
| Test (class that entered in fall 2025) | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT total | 1490 | 1530 | 1560 |
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing | 740 | 760 | 780 |
| SAT Math | 760 | 790 | 800 |
| ACT composite | 34 | 35 | 35 |
Our guide to Princeton GPA requirements shows the grade profile of the same class: 72% of enrolled first-years who reported a GPA had a 4.0.
How does the Princeton acceptance rate compare with peer colleges?
| College | Class of 2030 admitted of applicants | Class of 2030 (fall 2026) rate | Class of 2029 (fall 2025) rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard | 2,037 of 55,104 | 3.7% | 4.2% |
| Princeton | 1,892 of 46,618 | 4.1% | 4.4% |
| Columbia | 2,585 of 61,031 | 4.2% | 4.9% |
| Yale | Rate stated by Yale (54,956 applicants) | 4.4% | 4.7% |
| Brown | 2,687 of 47,944 | 5.6% | 6.3% |
| Dartmouth | 1,687 of 28,863 | 5.8% | 6.0% |
| Cornell | 6,040 of 65,514 | 9.2% | 8.4% |
| Penn | Admit count not posted by Penn | About 5.8% (reported admits) | 4.9% |
| MIT | Not yet posted | Not yet posted | 4.6% |
| Stanford | Not published | Not published | 3.8% |
Among the colleges in this table that have posted Class of 2030 figures, only Harvard admitted a smaller share of applicants than Princeton. Columbia was close behind at 4.2%, and Yale at 4.4% (4.2% on decision day). These rates differ by tenths of a point, so the ordering can change from one year to the next. Our guide to admission statistics for the top 25 colleges covers a wider group.
What does Princeton cost, and how does its financial aid work?
The Princeton profile lists a total cost of $94,624: tuition of $68,140, housing of $13,010, food of $9,110, fees of $314 and $4,050 in miscellaneous expenses (Princeton profile). Tuition, fees, housing and food come to $90,574, the figure Princeton’s cost and aid page gives for the 2026-27 academic year. That page gives an estimated average grant of $83,000 for aid students and an average net cost of $7,574 for tuition, the college fee, housing and food for aid recipients. Princeton says that since 2001, grants have replaced student loans in its aid packages (Princeton cost and aid).
| Family income | Average total family contribution |
|---|---|
| $150,000 | $0 |
| $200,000 | $12,500 |
| $250,000 | $25,000 |
| $300,000 | $37,500 |
| $350,000 | $50,000 |
How should families read the Princeton acceptance rate?
The view of Oriel Admissions is that 4.1% describes the whole applicant pool, not the odds of any one student. The figure mixes international and domestic applicants, early and regular applicants, and students with very different records, and Princeton does not split it by any of these except international status. In our experience, the most useful questions for a family are whether the student fits what Princeton asks for (a demanding course load, a graded written paper and, from fall 2028, test scores) and whether Princeton is a clear first choice. In our view, every applicant should treat Princeton as a reach school and build a balanced list around it. Our guide to how to get into Princeton covers the application in detail, and our guide to the easiest Ivy League school to get into compares the eight Ivies.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Princeton Acceptance Rate
Princeton admitted 1,892 of 46,618 applicants to the Class of 2030, which entered in fall 2026. That is 4.1%, by our calculation from the Princeton profile, down from 4.4% for the Class of 2029.
By acceptance rate, slightly less so. Harvard admitted 3.7% of applicants to the Class of 2030 and Princeton 4.1%, by our calculation. In the view of Oriel Admissions, the gap is too small to guide a choice between them, and both should be treated as reach schools.
No. Princeton said in 2022 that it would not release admission data during the early action, regular decision and transfer cycles, and it publishes no early applicant or admit counts. Early rates reported for recent classes are estimates.
Single-choice early action applications were due November 1, 2026, with decisions in mid-December. Regular decision applications are due January 1, 2027, with decisions in late March 2027.
Yes. Princeton is test optional for students seeking to enroll in fall 2027 and will require the SAT or ACT for fall 2028 entry. It sets no minimum test score.
For the class that entered in fall 2025, 36 of the 1,086 students who accepted a place on the waitlist were admitted, or 3.3%, by our calculation from the Princeton Common Data Set 2025-26. Our guide to the Princeton waitlist covers what a waitlisted student can do.
For the Class of 2030, Princeton admitted 221 of 11,679 international applicants, or 1.9%, by our calculation, against 4.8% for all other applicants.
For fall 2025, Princeton admitted 42 of 2,274 transfer applicants, or 1.8%, by our calculation from its Common Data Set 2025-26. Transfer applications are due March 1.
Sources: Princeton profile, admission and costs, Princeton Common Data Set 2025-2026, Princeton application dates and deadlines, Princeton standardized testing, Princeton admission announcement, April 8, 2022, Princeton cost and aid, Harvard admissions statistics, Harvard Common Data Set 2025-2026, Columbia Class of 2030 Profile, Columbia College and Columbia Engineering CDS 2025-2026, Yale News, March 26, 2026, Yale College Class Profile, Fall 2026, Yale Common Data Set 2025-2026, Brown admission numbers, Brown Common Data Set 2025-2026, Dartmouth News, March 30, 2026, Dartmouth Common Data Set 2025-2026, Cornell University Factbook, Penn incoming class profile, Penn Common Data Set 2025-2026, MIT admissions statistics, MIT Common Data Set 2025-2026, Stanford Common Data Set 2025-2026. Princeton pages, and the Princeton Common Data Set; other colleges.
About Oriel Admissions
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