Admission
Departments recommend admission by comparing the academic merits of all applicants applying in the same field. Academic records are examined to determine whether the applicant has established a firm basis for graduate work in the proposed field of study. Letters of recommendation and the personal statement are given very serious consideration, and some departments require submission of prior work. The results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) provide additional evidence of the applicant’s aptitude and knowledge. Consideration is given to scholarly promise as well as achievement.Admission to the Graduate School is highly competitive. Historically, one in seven applicants has been offered admission. The Graduate School will not admit applicants who seek to earn a second Ph.D. in the same or a closely related field. Applicants may apply to only one academic department or program in any given admission year. The Graduate School does not require or conduct interviews, although some departments may welcome them.
Nondegree Students
Policy on Deferred Admission
Policy on Reactivation
Policy on English Language Program
International Students
Nondegree Students
A small number of special students not enrolled as regular degree candidates apply and are admitted in the following categories:- Visiting student. A visiting student, normally an advanced degree candidate at another institution, comes to Princeton for a term or a year to meet a particular scholarly need to consult with a faculty member, to enroll in specific courses, or to use library or laboratory facilities. A visiting student holds this status for one year only, is charged full tuition and the mandatory student health plan fee, and is normally not eligible for University financial support.
- Qualifying student. Qualifying students may not have had an undergraduate program of study that qualifies them specifically for full-degree candidacy in the field they wish to study, or they may have interrupted their formal education for a significant period of time. In every other respect, they qualify for graduate admission. Qualifying students hold their status for a year, and take undergraduate courses or a combination of undergraduate and graduate courses to prepare for degree candidacy in a chosen field. Following this preparatory period, they must reapply for admission as regular degree candidates. Qualifying students are charged full tuition and the mandatory student health plan fee, and are normally not eligible for University financial support.
- Visiting student research collaborator. A visiting student research collaborator is an advanced degree candidate at another institution who applies to come to Princeton as a short-term, non-degree student to work with a specific Princeton faculty member on a research project that grows out of a specific collaboration or mutual research interest. Such students may visit for as little as one month or as long as (but no longer than) 12 months. The visitor, or the faculty member whose laboratory the student is visiting, is charged reduced, prorated tuition and fees.
Policy on Deferred Admission
An offer of admission is made only for the upcoming academic year. Acceptance of the offer is generally not deferred; however, the Graduate School does permit academic departments to recommend deferrals on a case-by-case basis. Unless the department literature and/or Web site specifically cites allowable deferrals, applicants must assume that they are not accepted. In order to be considered for a deferral the applicant must seek approval from the department who will then forward the defer request to the Graduate School for final approval. If the request for a deferral is denied, the student who has been offered admission, but cannot accept, must decline the offer.Policy on Reactivation
Applicants who applied the previous year may reapply the following year for admission. Reactivated applicants should complete the admission application. In addition, they must submit official transcripts of any academic work accomplished since the date of the last application, at least two new letters of recommendation, and a revised personal statement. All materials, including writing samples and the application fee, are due by the application deadline.Policy on English Language Program
In order to take full advantage of the graduate and professional education that Princeton University offers, graduate students must demonstrate a level of oral proficiency in the English language sufficient to enable successful participation in the various activities that comprise graduate education, including formal class work, research, teaching, and informal academic interactions with fellow students, faculty, and staff. The English Language Program determines students’ English language needs, and provides instruction and support to non-native English speakers.Accordingly, the Graduate School requires that all non-native speakers of English who have not earned their undergraduate degree in a U.S. college or university, have their oral English proficiency evaluated by the English Language Program staff. The diagnostic instrument used for incoming students is the SPEAK (Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit) test. At the recommendation of a University committee, the Graduate School has established that passing either the SPEAK test at a level of 50 or above or the Princeton Oral Proficiency Test (POPT) attests to the student’s proficiency in spoken English and, for example qualifies a graduate student to be appointed as an assistant in instruction (AI).