Requirements and Acceptance Rate of Princeton University
If you are going to send an application to Princeton University, you should be familiar with this elite educational institution. Princeton University is famous not only in the United States but in other countries too. Therefore, it’s not surprising that the acceptance rate there is extremely low. If you aim to be enrolled in such a prestigious Ivy League university, you have to be ready to compete. Every year a lot of young people try to get there, but only a few of them would be accepted. So, it’s not easy to become a Princeton student, but you have a chance if you try your best and meet all the demands. Let’s learn about the acceptance rate and requirements of Princeton to be prepared.
Acceptance Rate and Statistics
As you already now, Princeton University is very selective. Therefore, its acceptance rate is only 5.8%. It means that only 6 applicants out of 100 get admitted into a university. That is a real competition, even if your grades are very high.
It’s not a secret that a lot of people want to get into Princeton because of its prestigious status, high quality of education, and great perspectives for alumni. According to statistics of the 2018-19 academic year, almost 33 000 people applied for studying in Princeton. Only 5.8% of them became students. 71% of admitted students were enrolled. Princeton is the third hardest university to get into; only Stanford and Harvard happened to be more selective.
Even though chances of getting admitted are not so high, there are still around 1650 lucky applicants who make it every year. It’s time to see what requirements you will have to meet to become one of these students.
Rules of Application and Requirements of Princeton University
Required SAT scores
As a rule, every applicant has to submit ACT or SAT scores. It doesn’t make any difference, but statistics show that 68% of enrolled students applied with SAT scores. Let’s talk about it more detailed.
According to admissions data, the SAT scores of admitted students were close to maximum. 25% of students had above 770 points for evidence-based reading and writing. Another 25% had scores below 710, and half of the admitted students had scores between 710 and 770. What about the math part? Scores here are pretty impressive too. Half of the admitted students had scores between 750 and 800, a quarter of them scored below 750, and another quarter got the highest score – 800. With this data, we can conclude that competitive general SAT score starts with 1570. If your results higher than this, you definitely have a chance to be admitted, even though the acceptance rate of Princeton University is really low.
The writing section is not necessary to submit, but you have to provide a graded written paper; instead, this paper is a must for every applicant. Also, don’t forget to check specific recommendations for the application, because there can be some special requirements for your major.
Required ACT scores
ACT scores of admitted students are as high as SAT ones. Half of the applicants had composite ACT scores for English and math exams between 33 and 35. A quarter of students scored above 35, and another quarter had scored lower than 33. The writing section of the ACT is not required, but remember to submit a graded written paper, which has already been mentioned.
Competitive GPA
What is a competitive GPA for Princeton University? Let’s see the statistics. The GPA of first-year students of Princeton varies from 3.0 up to 4.0. The average GPA score of admitted students is above 3.75. So, if you are getting straight A’s in your school, you are more likely to be admitted to Princeton than your less successful classmates.
Personal qualities
Yes, this point is pretty important as well. Princeton is not only about good grades and excellent intellectual indicators. Your personal achievements and ambitions are noticeable too. Basically, you should be good in every field. Your intelligence, skills, and personal qualities have to be equally perfect.
Remember that there are a lot of clever applicants with the highest grades applying to Princeton, so the best way to get noticed is to stand out for your personal achievements, besides good grades. It is definitely important for the admission committee. You have to be not just a good student, but a good person to be admitted into the Princeton community.
What do you need to submit?
There is a strict list of what you have to submit while applying to Princeton University. Here are all the points on it, so you won’t forget anything.
- A report and transcript from your school
- Your SAT or ACT results
- Recommendation lists from your teachers
- A mid-year report made by the counselor of your school
- An application essay with answers on questions
These papers are necessary, be sure that you haven’t forgotten about any of them. To be safe, check the website to see if you can submit any additional materials. For example, you can send some arts supplement, if you think that it’s important and will help you enter the university.
Chances of Admission in Princeton University
As you can see, this prestigious university is quite selective, and its admission rate is very low. What else has an impact on your chances of getting admitted? Well, there are more factors than just SAT and GPA scores. For example, an impressive application essay can make the admission committee interested I your persona. It’s a good opportunity to express yourself and prove that you are worth being a Princeton student.
Also, pay attention to your recommendation letters. They can create a decent image among committee members, even though they haven’t met you yet. A good and laudatory letter of recommendation is a pretty valuable instrument for getting into Princeton because they care about reputation there.
What else? If you have some experience in important extracurricular activities, don’t forget to mention it. It presents you as an active and hard-working student. Remember, education is not only about the school program. Extracurricular activities can show you from another angle, so don’t neglect this point.
This may be surprising for you, but applicants with great achievements, recommendation letters, and strong application essay can be admitted into Princeton, even though their scores are lower than required.
How to Increase Your Chance to Get into Princeton
It’s okay if you feel a little bit frustrated after seeing Princeton university acceptance rate. But you don’t have to be scared by it, and if you try your best, you have all the opportunities to be admitted into your dream university. There are a few tips for you to feel more confident. Follow them to increase your chance of getting into Princeton.
Prepare beforehand
First of all, don’t delay important steps and decisions until the last moment. Start preparing early; take your time to get everything right. Work hard on your essay, collect perfect recommendation letters, prepare all the papers you need to submit.
Choose early action
Think about the early action program. It’s a very important thing that can increase your chance of entering Princeton University. If you are sure that this university is a preferable place to study for you, then go for an early action application. If you are wondering why it is so important, here are some statistics. The acceptance rate gets 100% higher for early action applicants in comparison with regular ones. Isn’t it impressive? When you apply early, you show that you are genuinely interested in the university. Therefore, the admission committee will consider you as a potentially successful and ambitious student of Princeton. This tip is the most important one because it brings real profit, measured by statistics.
Show off your strengths
Don’t be too humble while describing your qualities and achievements, and it’s not a good time for it. Instead, hype yourself up. It’s okay to highlight every strength you have, and it has nothing to do with boasting. Don’t worry, no one will judge you for that, the admission committee wants to see brilliant students in the university.
Keep calm and be yourself
Yes, it sounds pretty obvious, but it is worth mentioning. Show your real intentions, your real goals, and ambitions. Don’t pretend to be someone you are not. Remember that Princeton students are real people just like you. You don’t have to make up any facts about yourself to look better. Actually, it will make you fail. Committee will easily see your lies, and it will be a pretty bad first impression.
As you can see, Princeton University is not easy to get into. But extremely low acceptance rate allows Princeton to select the best applicants, which will become successful students of a prestigious educational institution. This level of competition shows that Princeton University has an impressive reputation and provides the highest level of education. Therefore, all your effort is worth the result you will get. Get the necessary scores, collect all the documents, write a perfect essay. Use the tips mentioned above; all of them are pretty useful for applicants. Keep in mind that the competition will be tough, but it’s not impossible to reach your goal and be enrolled in Princeton University.