It shouldn’t be surprising that Princeton is hard to get into. Located in Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton has been a college longer than America has been a country. Princeton has so many great programs. If you are into International Affairs, Eating Clubs, or need-blind schools, you probably already have Princeton near the top of your list.
What to Do if You’ve Been Waitlisted by Princeton 2024
Princeton is an Ivy League university in Princeton, New Jersey, and is known globally for advances in science and mathematics. Albert Einstein worked on the Princeton campus, and that isn’t even the most impressive aspect of the university’s legacy. Professors (and students) continue to make groundbreaking discoveries and advances that shape our world. The school brings great minds together in a tight-knit and collaborative community, and is extremely selective.
Demonstrated Interest at Princeton
If you landed here, the odds are you’re scouring the internet for anything to give you an edge on your Princeton application. Unsurprisingly, the question of demonstrated interest comes up a lot, because most schools don’t strictly define what their idea of demonstrated interest is or how much it factors into their decisions. Luckily, that’s started to change, and Princeton has made its policy clear.
Applying to Princeton as an International Student
If you’re considering going to college in the United States but are currently living or attending school outside the country, you may be feeling a little confused or overwhelmed. The US college application system is less of a system than it is a confusing web of different systems and requirements and protocols that requires some untangling. Luckily for you, we’re here to help. In this post, we’ll break down what it takes to apply to Princeton as an international student. And, if you still have questions after reading or would like more hands-on help, send us a note. We’re pros at this.
Deferred by Princeton (2023-24)
If you received a notice of deferral from Princeton, you’re probably pretty bummed out — and rightly so! A yes or no is simple. You’re either in or you’re not, but a deferral offers a nebulous possibility of a potential future yes without any of the confidence of a yes nor the finality of a no. You’re fully in your right to take a few moments to wallow in frustration, perhaps aided by ice cream, but it’s important to not stay stuck in that headspace for too long. There’s work to be done, and we’re here to help!
What to do if You're Waitlisted by Princeton 2023
Princeton is a member of the Ivy League and one of the most selective schools in the United States with an acceptance rate under 6%. If you applied to Princeton and were notified that you are being offered a space on the waitlist, you should know that this is not a ‘soft rejection.’ They aren’t waitlisting you because they don’t want to reject you. The Princeton Admissions Office isn’t mean, but they also aren’t trying to protect your feelings or soften the blow. To put it simply, it isn’t personal. It’s an offer to be on the waitlist, and now the ball is in your court. The question is: what will you do with it?
Princeton Legacy Strategy
"Well, I went to Princeton, so of course…" This is a sentence we hate to hear from parents because it usually ends with something to the effect of "my child will get in." We work with a lot of legacies. And many legacy parents believe that their kid getting into a top school like Princeton is a shoo-in. But that simply isn't the case. Legacy admissions are a lot more complicated and a lot more competitive. So let's break it down.
Transferring to Princeton 2023
In 2022, Princeton announced the expansion of their transfer program after years of declining transfer acceptance rates. This is an especially big deal because Princeton paused all transfer programs from 1990 through 2018. Yes. You read that right. For nearly 30 years, Princeton didn’t accept any transfer students — you couldn’t even apply if you wanted to try for the impossible. Now, instead of accepting only a handful of transfer students, they’d accept up to 35.
Princeton Deferral Rate
Princeton didn’t release their admissions statistics in 2021, but based on the 2020 overall acceptance rate (4.38%), it’s safe to say that if you were deferred from Princeton this year you are far from alone. The reasoning for not releasing the stats, by the way, was that they feel having the numbers freak students — and their parents — out and may discourage them from applying.
Most Unique Programs at Princeton
As an elite school, Princeton requires not only excellent grades and scores, but a stellar resume and a clear mission. You can perfect-score exams all you want, but without distinct and straightforward goals, you won’t be able to successfully pitch yourself to Princeton. One of the ways you can communicate your goals is by diving deep into what Princeton has to offer and see which programs, majors, certificates, etc. fit into what you want to do.
Princeton University Legacy Guide
“I went to Princeton so I’m pretty sure my kid will get in.” This is something we tend to hear from time to time and it always makes us nervous. Mostly because it’s not necessarily true. Legacy admissions can be a lot trickier than 80s teen movies seem to always suggest. We are constantly looking at admissions numbers and class breakdowns so trust us when we say, not all legacies get into a school like Princeton. Because of this, we wanted to break down legacy admissions to ensure that parents and students know what to expect when applying as a legacy to Princeton.
Princeton University Interview Tips
Almost all the Ivy Leagues have alumni interviews. If you have read any of our blogs on Ivy League interviews, Princeton isn't much different from the rest of the Ivies. Princeton doesn’t provide much in the way of tips for hopeful students, so we thought we would share our top tips and tricks to help ace your Princeton interview.