The year of entry changes the rules here: testing is optional for autumn 2027 and required for autumn 2028.
This page brings together Princeton’s officially published requirements for international applicants: the testing policy transition, the Graded Written Paper requirement, proof of English, how financial aid works and the calendar of both rounds.
Four questions that shape the preparation plan.
It depends on the year of entry. For students entering in autumn 2027 — the 2026-27 cycle — Princeton remains test-optional, and applying without scores does not put an applicant at a disadvantage. For entry in autumn 2028 — the 2027-28 cycle — the SAT or ACT is required again. This is the only one of the three universities on this site currently in transition.
A required part of the application: a piece of school work with a teacher’s mark on it, preferably in English or history. The paper must have been written in English in the first place — a translation from another language is not accepted, nor are translated teacher comments. This requirement sets Princeton apart from Harvard and Yale.
No. Princeton applies the same financial aid policy to all students regardless of citizenship and regardless of ability to pay. Admission is need-blind, and demonstrated need is met with a grant rather than a loan. The university awards no academic or athletic merit scholarships at all.
Yes, but not indefinitely. Princeton states that where a student has submitted an application on three separate occasions, the Office of Admission generally will not review subsequent applications. That is worth weighing when planning: an application made speculatively uses up a limited allowance.
The direct answer: the rule depends on the year in which the applicant starts, not on the year in which they read this page.
| Who it applies to | Cycle | Rule | How it is stated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry in autumn 2027 | The 2026-27 cycle | Test-optional | Applicants who apply without an SAT or ACT score are not at a disadvantage. Scores may be submitted voluntarily, in which case they come directly from the testing agency. |
| Entry in autumn 2028 | The 2027-28 cycle | SAT or ACT required | The requirement returns for first-year and transfer applicants. The university attributes the decision to a review of five years of test-optional data: academic performance at Princeton was stronger among students who submitted scores. |
| Minimum score | There is none | The application is read in context | Princeton states plainly that there are no minimum test score requirements and that testing is just one element of a comprehensive review. All information in an application is considered in the student’s individual context. |
| Testing deadlines | October and December | Guidance for the two rounds | Applicants who choose to submit scores are advised to take the SAT or ACT by the October test date for single-choice early action and by the December date for regular decision. Those testing in December or later have scores sent directly to Princeton. |
| ACT format | Both versions accepted | No preference | Princeton accepts both the original ACT with four sections and the redesigned version with three: the science section of the redesigned ACT is optional. There is no preference between them. Exams taken before April 2025 are reported with all four sections. Superscoring between the paper and digital SAT is not applied. |
The direct answer: a piece of school work with a teacher’s mark, written in English in the first place. A translation is not accepted.
A piece of writing by the applicant, produced at school and marked by a teacher, preferably in English or history. It may come from O-level or A-level coursework. Princeton states the purpose plainly: to assess the student’s written expression in an academic setting.
Princeton requires the paper to be submitted in English and to have been written in English rather than translated from another language. The same applies to the teacher’s comments and to any rubric the applicant includes. For an applicant from a school that does not set written work in English, this means finding or creating that opportunity in advance.
A year before applying, not in October of the final year. The paper has to be genuine school work with a genuine mark: it cannot be written for the application in the final week. This requirement is one reason why planning a Princeton application starts earlier than one for Harvard or Yale.
Princeton itself frames the requirements as three actions, and it is a useful frame: some items the applicant submits, some are requested from the school, and some are sent by the testing agencies.
The Common Application with the Princeton-specific Questions, the fee or a waiver, and the Graded Written Paper. A waiver can be requested through the Common Application or under one of Princeton’s own options: using the Princeton-specific waiver requires no approval from a school counsellor. All low-income applicants are eligible.
The official transcript, the School Report and, separately, the Counselor Recommendation — Princeton emphasises that these are two distinct items and that the counsellor must be invited to complete both. Plus two teacher recommendations from teachers of higher-level courses in different academic areas: English, a language, the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences or mathematics. The Midyear School Report follows later.
The SAT or ACT where the applicant chooses to submit: results come directly from the testing agency, with SAT code 2672 and ACT code 2588. The English test for those who need it. AP and IB scores are recommended to be self-reported in the application where they exist.
Where a teacher is not comfortable writing in English, Princeton permits the form to be completed in another language, but it must be officially translated before submission. The translation may be done by a school official or a third party; a paid translator is not required. Confirmation of receipt arrives within 24 to 48 hours, and from mid-October the completeness of the file can be tracked in the applicant portal.
The direct answer: the application, the Arts Supplement and the financial documents fall on different dates within the same round. These are three separate lines in the calendar, not one.
| What | Early round | Regular round | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-August | The application opens | The application opens | The Common Application with the Princeton-specific Questions. Princeton’s CEEB code is 2672. |
| Application deadline | 1 November | 1 January | The application with the Princeton-specific Questions, the Graded Written Paper, the School Report with counsellor letter and transcript, two teacher evaluations, and the English test where applicable. |
| Arts Supplement | 6 November | 8 January | An optional supplement for applicants with serious preparation in architecture, creative writing, dance, music, music theatre, theatre or the visual arts. Submitted through the applicant portal after the application itself. |
| Financial aid application | 9 November | 1 February | The Princeton Financial Aid Application, parents’ tax returns, the FAFSA, and the noncustodial parent form or a waiver request. A financial aid application can only be made after applying for admission. |
| Decision | Mid-December | Late March | Early round: admission, denial, or deferral to the regular round. Regular round: admission, denial or a place on the wait list. The financial offer arrives with the decision. |
| Reply date | 1 May | 1 May | One date for both rounds: the early programme is non-binding, so an applicant admitted in December replies on the same schedule as one admitted in March. |
Princeton’s early programme is non-binding: an applicant admitted in December replies by 1 May. The restriction is that you may not apply to an early programme at any other private US college or university. Permitted: public institutions and service academies under non-binding programmes, institutions outside the United States, and any non-binding rolling admission process.
The direct answer: one policy for everyone regardless of citizenship, grants instead of loans, and no merit scholarships at all.
| Item | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | 68 140 USD | Tuition for the 2026-27 academic year. |
| Tuition, fees, housing and food | 90 574 USD | The combined cost for 2026-27 before aid is taken into account. |
| Income of USD 150,000 | Average contribution: zero | From the published table for families with assets below USD 175,000, residing in the United States, with one child enrolled in college. |
| Income of USD 250,000 | Around USD 25,000 | The same table. For an international family this is a reference point rather than a calculation: circumstances are assessed individually. |
| The aid application | Princeton Financial Aid Application | Free to submit, by US and international applicants alike. It can only be made after applying for admission. |
| Merit scholarships | None exist | Princeton does not award academic or athletic merit scholarships. All aid is based on financial need alone. |
Princeton has two requirements that cannot be met at the last moment. That is where the conversation starts.
It determines whether the test-optional policy or the testing requirement applies, and the whole preparation plan follows from the answer.
Whether a marked piece of school work in English already exists, or has yet to be produced.
What exactly evidences the academic record: internal grades, external exams, or both.
The level of writing decides more here than elsewhere in the Ivy League: the paper is read separately.
The university’s calculator is not available to an international family, so the reference point comes from the published table.
After three applications Princeton generally will not review subsequent ones: an application should not be made casually.
Give us the year of entry: it determines whether the test-optional policy or the testing requirement applies.
The Princeton admission pages against which this page was checked.
The year of entry determines the testing policy, and the testing policy determines the whole preparation plan. The second thing settled in advance is the marked piece of written work in English. Both are set a year before applying, not in the final year.
YEAR → TESTING → WRITTEN PAPER → PROFILE → FUNDING