Princeton University Accepts 2,095 Students to Class of 2016

Princeton University has offered admission to 2,095 students, or 7.86 percent of the 26,664 applications for the Class of 2016, in what is expected to be the most selective admission process in the University's history. 

This year's applicant pool is the second-largest in Princeton's history. 

"We have selected students who are extraordinary in every way," University Dean of Admission Janet Lavin Rapelye said. "They are enormously gifted intellectually and also very well rounded in their interests. Many have made their mark in the arts, in athletics and in their communities as engaged citizens. Their early accomplishments suggest that these students will help fulfill Princeton’s mission to educate the next generation of leaders in the service of all nations."

Beyond the students offered admission, 1,472 candidates were offered positions on the wait list.

Applicants were from 8,738 high schools and 151 countries. Of the applicants, 10,225 had a 4.0 grade point average, and 13,945 candidates had scores of 700 or higher on each of the three sections of the SAT. 

Students admitted to the Class of 2016 come from all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., Guam, the Northern Marianas Islands and Puerto Rico. International students represent 12.2 percent of the admitted students and come from 73 countries, including Australia, China, Greece, Madagascar, Jamaica, Singapore, Israel, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

Of the students offered admission, 50.6 percent are men and 49.4 percent are women; 47 percent have self-identified as people of color, including biracial or multiracial students. Fifty-eight percent of the admitted students come from public schools, and 12.5 percent will be the first in their families to attend college. Sons or daughters of Princeton alumni account for 9.5 percent of the admitted students. Of those offered admission, 22.6 percent indicated they want to study engineering, and 44.4 percent of those students are women.

All students on financial aid are offered grants that do not have to be repaid — giving students an opportunity to graduate debt-free. Sixty percent of the current student body receives financial aid. The average grant is $35,352, and for the coming year it is expected to be in excess of $37,000. 

This was the first year since 2006 that the University offered an early application round for prospective students whose first college choice was Princeton. The University's early action program requires applicants to apply early only to Princeton, and allows them until May 1 to decide whether to accept Princeton's offer.