Princeton University has offered admission to 1,894 students, or 6.46 percent of the 29,303 applicants for the Class of 2020, in what is the University's most selective admission process to date. Last year, the University's admission rate was 6.99 percent. The class size is expected to be 1,308 students for the Class of 2020.
The University's undergraduate admission office has mailed letters to students in the regular-decision applicant pool, and applicants will be able to see their decisions via secure online access starting today at 5 p.m. Of the 1,894 students selected for admission, 785 applied through single-choice early action and were offered admission in December.
The University's pioneering financial aid program provides the assistance necessary to make sure that the education it offers is genuinely affordable for every student, including international students, whom it admits. The financial aid program comes in the form of grants, which do not need to be repaid. Over 60 percent of all undergraduate students receive aid, and the average grant is more than $44,000 per year. No student is required to take out loans, and can therefore graduate debt free.
"The admitted students are outstanding in every way," Dean of Admission Janet Lavin Rapelye said. "They have superb talents in the arts, athletics, academic research, leadership roles and service to their communities. The personal qualities, backgrounds, beliefs and abilities these students will bring to campus will contribute to all Princeton offers."
This year's applicant pool is the largest in the University's history. During the past 13 years, Princeton’s applicant pool has more than doubled.
"The task of evaluating the applicants is always challenging. The candidates in the pool had excellent academic credentials and compelling personal stories. We read each application with care, and we could have filled five to six classes with these well-prepared, resilient and inspiring students from around the country and the world,” Rapelye said.
Of the applicants, 12,297 had a 4.0 grade point average, and 12,327 had scores of 2,100 or higher on the three sections of the SAT. The pool included students from more than 9,876 high schools from 151 countries.
Students receiving offers of admission to the Class of 2020 come from 49 states, plus Washington, D.C., Guam and Puerto Rico, with the largest representation from New Jersey, followed in order by California, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts and Texas. International students represent 11.7 percent of the admitted students and are citizens of 66 countries, including Armenia, Bhutan, Bolivia, Canada, China, Egypt, Finland, Greece, Honduras, India, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Mexico, Russian Federation, Uganda and the United Kingdom.
Of the students offered admission, 49.5 percent are women and 50.5 percent are men; 50.6 percent have self-identified as people of color, including biracial and multiracial students. Sixty-three percent of the admitted students come from public schools, and 17.5 percent will be the first in their families to attend college. Sons or daughters of Princeton alumni account for 11.2 percent of the admitted students. Of those offered admission, 21.2 percent indicated they want to study engineering, and 43.9 percent of those students are women.
In addition to the 1,894 students offered admission, 1,237 candidates were offered positions on the wait list. Any students on the wait list who may be offered admission in May or June will receive the same financial aid they would have received had they been offered admission this week.
This is the fifth year that the University has offered an early application round for prospective students whose first college choice is Princeton. Early action applicants may apply early only to Princeton, and if admitted, they can wait to decide whether to accept Princeton's offer until the end of the regular admission process in the spring.
Up to 35 members of the new class are expected to defer their enrollment for a year to participate in Princeton's Bridge Year Program. The University-sponsored program allows incoming freshmen to spend a tuition-free year engaging in international service work abroad in China, India, Bolivia, Senegal or Brazil. Applications for the Bridge Year Program will be due in May from students who accept the University's offer of admission.
Admitted candidates have until May 1 to accept Princeton's offer of admission.
