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Statement · Princeton, NJ

Princeton University

Private nonprofit4-year · Bachelor's degreesCompare with other schools →

  1. Families earning under $30k paid $41 a year after grants and aid, against a published cost of $84,040.

  2. Students who received federal aid earned a median $110,066 ten years after entering, the 99th percentile among private nonprofit 4-years.

  3. 98% of students finish within 150% of normal time.

Founded
1746
Enrollment, 2023
8,946
Website
princeton.edu
Motto
“Dei Sub Numine Viget”
Campus of Princeton University

Magneticcarpet · CC BY-SA 3.0

AboutPrivate university in Princeton, New Jersey, US. Wikipedia ↗

Read the Wikipedia extract

Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. The institution moved to Newark in 1747 and then to its Mercer County campus in Princeton nine years later. It officially became a university in 1896 and was subsequently renamed Princeton University.

From the Wikipedia article “Princeton University”, revision 1364252051, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.

What it costs

The published sticker cost is $84,040 a year; after grants, families who received aid paid between $41 and $36,094 a year depending on income at Princeton University.

Statement of cost · Princeton University

Family income (per year)
Sticker costPublished yearly cost of attendance, all students
$84,040
What families earning under $30k paidYearly net price after grants, for students receiving federal aid
$41
Average net price, all incomesAided students, all family incomes
$6,128
In-state tuition & feesLatest reported, 2024
$62,688

Each figure is reported separately; none is computed from another.

Net price by family income

Pick an income bracket above; the marked point follows. Dollars are what aided families paid each year after grants.

Yearly net price by family income, in dollars

under $30k: $41; $30–48k: $352; $48–75k: $1,217; $75–110k: $4,478; over $110k: $36,094. Shaded band: middle half of private nonprofit 4-years, from $17,360 to $28,210; dotted line at the median, $22,313.
  • Shaded: the middle half of private nonprofit 4-years (all incomes), $17,360 to $28,210. Dotted line: the median, $22,313.
Table of the same numbers
Average yearly net price by family income bracket
Family incomePaid per year
Under $30k$41
$30k–$48k$352
$48k–$75k$1,217
$75k–$110k$4,478
Over $110k$36,094

College Scorecard, 2023–24 aid cohort (students who received federal aid)

What graduates earn and owe

Ten years after entry, the median federally aided student here earns $110,066; the median graduate who borrowed owes $10,320.

Statement, continued

Earnings, 6 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
$87,815
Earnings, 8 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
$112,152
Median earnings 10 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
99th percentile among private nonprofit 4-years
$110,066
Median debt, graduatesStudents who finished and borrowed federal loans.
3rd percentile among private nonprofit 4-years
$10,320
Median debt, all who borrowedEveryone who borrowed, whether or not they finished.
$10,000

Earnings and debt come from federal aid records, so students who never received federal aid are not counted.

Earnings after entry

The shaded band is the middle half of private nonprofit 4-years at 10 years: $43,845 to $62,830.

6 yrs after entry: $87,815; 8 yrs after entry: $112,152; 10 yrs after entry: $110,066. Median graduate debt: $10,320. Shaded band: middle half of private nonprofit 4-years at 10 years, from $43,845 to $62,830; dotted line at the median, $52,889.
  • Shaded: middle half of private nonprofit 4-years, 10 years out ($43,845 to $62,830); dotted line is the median.
  • Dashed: median graduate debt, $10,320.

Earnings cover federally aided (Title IV) students only. Hollow marks are rungs with no reported value, not zero.

Table of the same numbers
Earnings after entry and graduate debt
MeasureDollars
Median earnings, 6 yrs after entry$87,815
Median earnings, 8 yrs after entry$112,152
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry$110,066
Median graduate debt$10,320

College Scorecard, federal tax and aid records

What programs pay

Median earnings five years after completing, by field of study. Small programs are privacy-suppressed and shown as not reported, never zero.

What programs pay at Princeton University
ProgramCredentialGraduatesEarnings, 5 yrsMedian debt
Computer ScienceBachelor's Degree201not reportednot reported
EconomicsBachelor's Degree132not reported$11,250
Public Policy AnalysisBachelor's Degree114$98,995$10,527
Public Policy AnalysisMaster's Degree100$112,516not reported
Operations ResearchBachelor's Degree77not reportednot reported
HistoryBachelor's Degree72not reportednot reported
Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's Degree57$94,020not reported
Computer ScienceMaster's Degree54not reportednot reported
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular BiologyBachelor's Degree52not reportednot reported
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications EngineeringMaster's Degree50not reportednot reported
Research and Experimental PsychologyBachelor's Degree50not reportednot reported
Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's Degree45not reportednot reported
Show all 22 programs
Remaining programs
ProgramCredentialGraduatesEarnings, 5 yrsMedian debt
Mechanical EngineeringMaster's Degree40not reportednot reported
MathematicsBachelor's Degree38not reportednot reported
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population BiologyBachelor's Degree37not reportednot reported
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications EngineeringBachelor's Degree36not reportednot reported
ChemistryDoctoral Degree35not reportednot reported
PhysicsBachelor's Degree34not reportednot reported
SociologyBachelor's Degree34not reportednot reported
Applied MathematicsMaster's Degree32not reportednot reported
Computer EngineeringBachelor's Degreenot reported$243,825not reported
HistoryDoctoral Degree26not reportednot reported

Source: College Scorecard field-of-study data.

Who goes here

Princeton University: 5,709 undergraduates; 19% of students receive Pell grants; 5% of applicants are admitted.

Admission rate

5%

1st percentile among private nonprofit 4-years

Undergraduates

5,709

94th percentile among private nonprofit 4-years

Pell share

19%

of undergraduates receive Pell grants

19th percentile among private nonprofit 4-years

Completion

98%

finish within 150% of normal time

98th percentile among private nonprofit 4-years

First-generation

28%

parents did not attend college

Median family income

$37,036

38th percentile among private nonprofit 4-years

Students by family income

Share of students in each family-income bracket, for students who received federal aid.

not reported

Show as a table
Students by family income
Family incomeShare of students
Under $30knot reported
$30k–$48knot reported
$48k–$75knot reported
$75k–$110knot reported
Over $110knot reported

Who Wikipedia remembers

Wikidata records 11,262 people who studied at Princeton University, most often in science & academia (50%). That is the archive's memory, not a census.

What the recorded alumni are remembered for

Share of recorded people by field, in a fixed order so schools compare.

Fields of the people the archive recorded for this school, in a fixed order: science & academia 50% (5,757 people); medicine 1.5% (172 people); law 6.7% (764 people); politics & gov 8.1% (930 people); business 4.1% (470 people); engineering & tech 4.0% (463 people); writing & journalism 9.0% (1,033 people); film & stage 2.0% (232 people); music 1.7% (190 people); visual arts 1.8% (202 people); sports 8.5% (971 people); religion 1.2% (133 people); military 1.5% (173 people). These are shares of people recorded in Wikidata, the archive's memory, not a census of alumni.
Table of the same numbers
Fields of the people the archive recorded for this school (the archive's memory, not a census)
FieldPeople recordedShare
science & academia5,75750.1%
medicine1721.5%
law7646.7%
politics & gov9308.1%
business4704.1%
engineering & tech4634.0%
writing & journalism1,0339.0%
film & stage2322.0%
music1901.7%
visual arts2021.8%
sports9718.5%
religion1331.2%
military1731.5%

Source: Wikidata, via the archive's memory (not a census).

most recorded occupationsresearcher (1,971) · university teacher (1,904) · politician (730) · mathematician (716) · lawyer (688) · writer (555) · basketball player (533) · physicist (419)

Women among recorded alumni, by birth decade

Counts reflect who the archive records, not a census.

Share of women among recorded alumni, from 1% for the 1870s to 42% for the 2000s. Decades with fewer than 5 recorded people are not drawn, and 18 decades are marked not reported for women. The line breaks at every decade not drawn.

Counts only people the archive records with a gender. Hollow marks are decades with no women reported or fewer than 5 recorded, not zero.

Table of the same numbers
Recorded alumni by birth decade
BornWomenMenShare women
1710snot reported2not reported
1720snot reported3not reported
1730snot reported20not reported
1740snot reported46not reported
1750snot reported40not reported
1760snot reported36not reported
1770snot reported46not reported
1780snot reported57not reported
1790snot reported59not reported
1800snot reported41not reported
1810snot reported46not reported
1820snot reported47not reported
1830snot reported36not reported
1840snot reported34not reported
1850snot reported81not reported
1860snot reported118not reported
1870s21421%
1880s11611%
1890snot reported209not reported
1900s93003%
1910snot reported372not reported
1920s34811%
1930s66821%
1940s557447%
1950s19362624%
1960s20450729%
1970s17033933%
1980s8817933%
1990s608741%
2000s456142%

Source: Wikidata, via the archive's memory (not a census).

Wikipedia attention, by month

Wikipedia attention

monthly views

Monthly Wikipedia article views from 2015-07 to 2026-06; peak 127,350 in 2023-03.
Table of the same numbers
Wikipedia article views by month
MonthViews
2026-0648,359
2026-0557,075
2026-0457,495
2026-0357,469
2026-0249,441
2026-0157,464
2025-1260,394
2025-1160,056
2025-1069,968
2025-0964,054
2025-0863,887
2025-0758,095
2025-0663,585
2025-0570,074
2025-0476,415
2025-0376,966
2025-0264,457
2025-0183,227
2024-1277,050
2024-1187,698
2024-1085,927
2024-0984,785
2024-0871,061
2024-0763,732
2024-0661,604
2024-0578,543
2024-0489,509
2024-0384,049
2024-0278,777
2024-0197,881
2023-1288,660
2023-1184,896
2023-1088,179
2023-0983,369
2023-0893,235
2023-0795,416
2023-06107,999
2023-0578,930
2023-0485,591
2023-03127,350
2023-0272,633
2023-0180,494
2022-1272,865
2022-1176,855
2022-1084,846
2022-0983,891
2022-08100,266
2022-07106,577
2022-0672,610
2022-0578,212
2022-0481,303
2022-0376,449
2022-0273,507
2022-0182,362
2021-1279,116
2021-1173,768
2021-1085,116
2021-0978,879
2021-0879,165
2021-0786,848
2021-0663,929
2021-0569,472
2021-0481,738
2021-0377,811
2021-0274,349
2021-0192,333
2020-1291,788
2020-1191,390
2020-1085,458
2020-0974,533
2020-0878,502
2020-0788,825
2020-0688,662
2020-05108,566
2020-04101,229
2020-0383,433
2020-0278,985
2020-0186,733
2019-1287,607
2019-1189,683
2019-1091,844
2019-0981,577
2019-0880,530
2019-0776,418
2019-0670,406
2019-0575,590
2019-0480,130
2019-0388,819
2019-0277,292
2019-0195,276
2018-1288,097
2018-1188,447
2018-1089,120
2018-0988,268
2018-0885,683
2018-0778,363
2018-0669,847
2018-0577,180
2018-0482,915
2018-0386,752
2018-0271,248
2018-0184,000
2017-1270,553
2017-1175,468
2017-1077,760
2017-0970,497
2017-0871,243
2017-0774,511
2017-0670,734
2017-0586,985
2017-0484,566
2017-0391,586
2017-0282,115
2017-0196,618
2016-1284,417
2016-1193,820
2016-1095,131
2016-0988,538
2016-0878,758
2016-0777,103
2016-0673,974
2016-0586,597
2016-0492,299
2016-0393,541
2016-0286,282
2016-0186,059
2015-1276,735
2015-1180,738
2015-1086,497
2015-0977,925
2015-08100,423
2015-0770,587

Source: Wikimedia pageviews.

Nobel laureates who studied here

  • Woodrow Wilson Peace 1919
  • Arthur Holly Compton Physics 1927
  • Eugene O'Neill Literature 1936
  • Clinton Davisson Physics 1937
  • Edwin McMillan Chemistry 1951
  • John Bardeen Physics 1956
Show all 28
  • Willard Libby Chemistry 1960
  • Robert Hofstadter Physics 1961
  • name not resolved Physics 1965
  • John Bardeen Physics 1972
  • Steven Weinberg Physics 1979
  • Gary S. Becker Economics 1992
  • John Forbes Nash Economics 1994
  • Richard Smalley Chemistry 1996
  • James Heckman Economics 2000
  • Michael Spence Economics 2001
  • Frank Wilczek Physics 2004
  • Edward C. Prescott Economics 2004
  • Yoichiro Nambu Physics 2008
  • Lloyd Shapley Economics 2012
  • Oliver Hart Economics 2016
  • Kip S. Thorne Physics 2017
  • Frances Arnold Chemistry 2018
  • Jim Peebles Physics 2019
  • David Card Economics 2021
  • Joshua Angrist Economics 2021
  • Maria Ressa Peace 2021
  • Mary E. Brunkow Medicine 2025

The portrait wall

Ordered by Wikipedia footprint (language editions).

Show all 15 portraits

Similar schools

These are the nearest neighbors in the same sector. The list is not an ordering.

Sources & caveats

Figures come from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Built 2026-07-17.

not reported
Not reported: suppressed for privacy or never collected. It is not zero, and nothing has been filled in.
Percentiles
A percentile compares this school with others in its own sector (for example, public 4-year schools). It describes position, not quality.
Earnings
Earnings cover students who received federal (Title IV) aid, measured from the year they entered. Students who never received federal aid are not included.
Provenance notes
  • U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard, 2026-06 release. Earnings cover federally aided (Title IV) students only. Suppressed values are null, never imputed.
  • Annual Scorecard files 1996-2026. A null in early years usually means the measure was not yet collected, not zero.
  • Coordinates and locale describe the campus address, not where students live.
  • Wikidata is not an alumni census: a person appears only when volunteer editors record them. Counts measure the archive's memory - access x achievement x documentation - never placement rates or institutional quality.
  • Images are from Wikimedia Commons under free licenses. Render the credit line (artist + license) with every image.

Lead text from Wikipedia (revision 1364252051), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.