More selective than 100% of New Jersey colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $84,040. College Scorecard.
Higher than 100% of New Jersey colleges we cover and 99% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 100% of New Jersey colleges we cover and 99% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Princeton University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 39,644 applicants, Princeton University admitted 1,782 and 1,366 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1510–1580 on the SAT or 34–35 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Princeton University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Princeton University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Princeton University took 4.2 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in New Jersey. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $41 | $172 | under 1 year |
| $30–48k | $352 | $1,478 | under 1 year |
| $48–75k | $1,217 | $5,111 | under 1 year |
| $75–110k | $4,478 | $18,808 | under 1 year |
| $110k+ | $36,094 | $151,595 | 2.1 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (80% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($110,066) minus $36,661 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NJ (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $73,405 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Princeton University majors, earnings & careers
Princeton University offers 37 bachelor's majors across 7 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 12
- Engineering · 8
- Science & Math · 8
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 5
- Arts & Design · 2
- Business & Finance · 1
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at Princeton University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $217,973 | — |
| Computer Engineering | $214,274 | — |
| Economics | $160,763 | $11,250 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $115,927 | — |
| Public Policy Analysis | $107,792 | $10,527 |
| Political Science | $88,576 | — |
| History | $80,347 | — |
| Psychology (Research) | $63,216 | — |
Quick list of all 37 majors
- Anthropology—
- Architecture—
- Area Studies—
- Astronomy and Astrophysics—
- Biochemistry—
- Chemical Engineering—
- Chemistry—
- Civil Engineering—
- Classics—
- Computer Engineering$214,274
- Computer Science$217,973
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology$62,344
- Economics$160,763
- Electrical Engineering—
- Engineering—
- English$61,323
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- German—
- History$80,347
- Linguistics—
- Mathematics—
- Mechanical Engineering$115,927
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music—
- Neuroscience—
- Operations Research—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science$88,576
- Psychology (Research)$63,216
- Public Policy Analysis$107,792
- Religious Studies—
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Studio Art—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Computer Science → Software developer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Computer Engineering → Computer hardware engineer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 9.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Trenton
Overall prices in the Trenton-Princeton, NJ area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $2,242. Housing costs 35% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 49 inches of rain a year, 24 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: hurricane (relatively high); river flooding (relatively high); winter weather (very high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Mercer County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Mercer County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Princeton University with similar schools
Similar private colleges in New Jersey by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton University | 5% | $6,128 | 98% | $110,066 | This school |
| Stevens Institute of Technology | 48% | $41,346 | 87% | $108,772 | |
| Yeshiva Gedola Tiferes Yerachmiel | 51% | $10,016 | 91% | — | |
| Yeshiva Gedolah Shaarei Shmuel | 54% | $15,086 | 89% | — | |
| Seton Hall University | 73% | $31,446 | 69% | $70,196 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Princeton University would cost you $35,218 less per year than Stevens Institute of Technology, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Princeton University, mostly from a higher estimate for personal & travel costs (+$2,850).
- Princeton University gives aided families $39,468 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, New Jersey resident | Princeton University | Stevens Institute of Technology | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $62,688 | $63,462 | −$774 |
| Books & supplies | $1,050 | $1,200 | −$150 |
| Housing & meals | $19,380 | $18,650 | +$730 |
| Personal & travel | $3,900 | $1,050 | +$2,850 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$2,978 | −$4,572 | +$1,594 |
| Sticker price | $84,040 | $79,790 | +$4,250 |
| Average grants | −$77,912 | −$38,444 | −$39,468 |
| You pay | $6,128 | $41,346 | −$35,218 |
“+” means Princeton University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Princeton University
What is the Princeton University acceptance rate?
Princeton University accepts 5% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 1,782 of 39,644 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1510–1580 on the SAT or 34–35 on the ACT.
How much does Princeton University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $84,040 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $6,128 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $41 and families earning $110k+ pay $36,094.
How much do Princeton University graduates earn?
Former Princeton University students earn a median $110,066 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Princeton University graduation rate?
98% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 98% return for their second year.
How long does a Princeton University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Princeton University costs about $5,111 after grants ($1,217 a year for 4.2 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $110,066 ten years after starting, $73,405 more than high school graduates in New Jersey ($36,661), so the cost is repaid in under 1 year of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Princeton University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/princeton-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).