How to get into Princeton
What 273 admitted applicants actually had: their grades, test scores, activities, awards and intended majors, counted from 1,612 Princeton results that students posted for the 2016 to 2026 cycles. Every number below is counted, not estimated.
Applying to Princeton? Book a free call with a Specialist to see how your student’s file compares.
Princeton admits by the numbers
Median unweighted GPA
4.00
Middle half 3.97 to 4.00
Median SAT
1,550
Middle half 1,520 to 1,580
Median ACT
35
Middle half 34 to 36
Median weighted GPA
4.60
Middle half 4.43 to 4.73
Results posted: 273 admitted, 1,184 rejected, 155 waitlisted. People who post results are a self-selected group, so this is not the Princeton acceptance rate; the official rate is in Princeton’s Common Data Set.
Admitted vs. rejected: grades are not the difference
| Median | Admitted | Rejected |
|---|---|---|
| Unweighted GPA | 4.00 | 3.98 |
| SAT | 1,550 | 1,550 |
| ACT | 35 | 35 |
When the rejected applicants’ numbers sit this close to the admitted ones, the decision was made somewhere else in the file: the activities, the essays and the letters. That is where the rest of this page looks.
What Princeton admits did outside class
Share of admitted applicants listing at least one activity of each type.
- Nonprofit/Service66%
- Research49%
- Athletics44%
- STEM club/competition43%
- Tutoring/Teaching41%
- Work/Job36%
- Music34%
- Summer program33%
Held a leadership role
88%
Founded something
47%
National or intl. award
82%
Did research
49%
Early vs. regular decision at Princeton
- Early (147 results)31%
- Regular (654 results)17%
Share of posters in each round who were admitted. Early applicants are a different group (often stronger and more certain), so read this as a description of these posts, not as odds.
Intended majors of Princeton admits
- Engineering18%
- Computer Science14%
- Economics8%
- Political Science8%
- Physics7%
- Math6%
Who got in
Of the admitted posters, 20% first-generation, 22% low income, 25% underrepresented minority, 11% legacy, 2% recruited athlete and 10% international. Of those who said where they enrolled, 46% chose Princeton.
Three recent Princeton admits
2026 cycle · Physics
Research-driven computational physics builder who founded a test-prep site and a statewide nonprofit.
GPA 3.91 UW · SAT 1560 · ACT 36 · Original post
2026 cycle · Engineering
Founder of a student-run computer club that became a nonprofit, plus science olympiad and global volunteer coding work.
GPA 3.88 UW · SAT 1520 · Original post
2026 cycle · Physics
Physics student and visual-novel studio leader who publishes astrophysics research and exhibits digital art.
GPA 4.00 UW · SAT 1530 · Original post
Essays that worked for Princeton
Princeton Service Essay: Clean Water
“The rusty spigot spewed a stream of Malibu High’s signature yellow water into my bottle. I raised it to see the visible particles floating around.”
Published by CollegeEssayGuy
How the Princeton admissions office reads a file
- How Princeton's first readers rate applications · members
- Does where you live affect Princeton admissions? · members
- Do you need research to get into Princeton? · members
- How does Princeton build its incoming class? · members
- Should you call yourself shy in a college essay? · members
- How does the Princeton waitlist work? · members
Where else Princeton admits got in
Princeton admissions questions
- What GPA do you need to get into Princeton?
- Among 273 applicants who posted a Princeton admission on r/collegeresults, the median unweighted GPA was 4.00 and the middle half reported 3.97 to 4.00 (214 reported a GPA). Princeton sets no minimum GPA; these are what admitted posters reported.
- What SAT score do you need for Princeton?
- Among 273 applicants who posted a Princeton admission on r/collegeresults, the median SAT was 1,550 and the middle half scored 1,520 to 1,580 (203 reported an SAT). The median ACT was 35.
- Does applying early help at Princeton?
- In these posts, 31% of early applicants who reported a result were admitted (45 of 147), against 17% in regular decision (111 of 654). Early pools differ in who applies, so this is a description, not a promise.
- What extracurriculars do Princeton admits have?
- The most common activity types among admitted posters were nonprofit/service (66%), research (49%), athletics (44%), stem club/competition (43%). 88% held at least one leadership role and 82% listed a national or international award.
- What is the Princeton acceptance rate?
- The official rate is published by Princeton in its Common Data Set. These pages do not compute one: people who post results are a self-selected group, so the share of admits among them is far higher than the real rate.
Applying to Princeton?
A Specialist who got into a school like Princeton can read your student’s file against these numbers and say where it stands out and where it doesn’t.
Source: self-reported results posts on r/collegeresults, each linked from our Database, counted across the 2016 to 2026 cycles with transfer applicants excluded. Aristo Scholars is not affiliated with Princeton. All colleges