Princeton University
PA-7: Affordability and Access

Princeton's need-based aid program is one of the best in the nation. In 2001, Princeton became the first university to offer every aid recipient a financial aid package that replaces loans with grant aid (scholarships) that students do not pay back. Since then, Princeton has been able to enroll growing numbers of students from low- and middle-income backgrounds with the grant aid they need to make our costs affordable. Approximately 25% of the students admitted since 2012 have come from low-income backgrounds.

Princeton sponsors multiple programs designed specifically for lower-income students including Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA), a program that brings talented, low-income high school seniors to Princeton for summer courses and college counseling and supports them throughout their college experience, Princeton's Freshman Scholars Institute (FSI), and the Princeton University Preparatory Program (PUPP), which successfully prepares disadvantaged New Jersey students for admission to selective colleges. Princeton enrolls a higher number of LEDA alumni than any other institution and is hoping to grow the number of students who benefit from the summer program by at least 50 percent. Princeton also provides many Academic Resources for students, including a center on campus with free tutors for a variety of subjects. There is also the Princeton University Mentoring Program (PUMP) whose mission is to enrich and support the lives of students from historically underrepresented backgrounds through leadership, mentoring, and community building activities. Their goal is to assist first year students in their transition into campus life and provide a network to encourage academic and social exploration. PUMP matches each first year participant with a mentor from the sophomore, junior or senior class based on similar academic and social interests. The combination of one-on-one and cluster mentoring is designed to support students and encourage them to contribute to the Princeton University community. Finally, Princeton has launched the Scholars Institute Fellows Program (SIFP), an extension of FSI for sophomores, juniors and seniors, to provide summer academic support as well as term-time involvement.

Applicants receive aid based on their families’ financial need. For example, those with a family income of under $65,000 qualify for a scholarship in the form of “need based grants”, which cover full tuition and room and board. Princeton does not use income cutoffs when determining whether to award aid. Any student whose family feels unable to afford the full cost of attendance is encouraged to apply for aid.

Princeton University hosted a first-generation and low-income Admission Live “Hangout” via Google Hangouts. Interested students were emailed and informed about the live chat and also about the archived chat. The chat was archived and is available on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd-8tIy1IBU#t=43m32s). One example of a trip targeting low-income students was to the Central Valley of California, with stops in some of the poorest counties in the state. During the trip, three evening events with families were held. In the small, farming town of Parlier, where 31% of its residents live below the poverty level and only 5% of the population over age 25 have a bachelor’s degree, Princeton presented to over 70 people about selective colleges and its remarkable financial aid. In addition, Princeton hosts events in Washington, D.C., and Chicago every year that reach out to under-represented populations, which includes students from low-income homes.

Princeton has a need-blind admission policy, ensuring equality of opportunity for students who cannot afford the full cost of attendance. Princeton accepts students regardless of their ability to pay the cost of attendance and meets their full demonstrated need with a "no loan" aid package. There is no disadvantage of any kind in the admission process for financial aid applicants. Most students will be offered a term-time job as part of their financial aid award. Princeton has developed an extensive campus employment program to encourage students to work and help pay for some of their college expenses. Part of the funding comes from the Federal Work-Study Program. Students are expected to use their earnings, paid directly to them every two weeks, to meet their book and personal expenses. During their freshman year, students can meet their job earnings expectation if they work an average of 9 hours a week for 30 weeks. Campus jobs are available in the library, dining halls, computing center, sustainability office, and various other departments. Freshmen are usually assigned jobs in the library or dining halls. Princeton encourages students to work in community service areas such as social services, transportation, public safety, crime prevention, recreation, youth service and other activities specified in the Community Service Act under the Federal Work-Study Program. More information about these job opportunities is available from the Princeton Student Employment Program. The University assigns grant funds from a variety of sources: endowment, general revenues, yearly gifts from alumni and friends, and federal programs. Princeton grants are awarded on the basis of financial need. Some have additional conditions placed on the selection of recipients. Since the Financial Aid Office is responsible for matching students with specific Princeton funds, it is not necessary to file a separate application for University grants. Students from New Jersey, or those who graduate from New Jersey high schools, who are eligible for need-based grant aid from Princeton receive their awards from the William H. Cane Fund. Cane recipients are not required to work (including both term-time and summer employment) and therefore receive a larger portion of grant aid in their award. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOGs) are government funds administered by Princeton and are assigned to students along with University grant funds. Preference in awarding SEOGs is given to students with the lowest expected family contributions. Princeton offers several online resources for parents that provide information on several topics: from the application process to the ins and outs of the Princeton college experience. The admissions website has a helpful Princeton Financial Aid Estimator which determines a family's ability to pay using Princeton's own need formula, with fair and generous individual results. The admissions office also offers live chats on Google Hangout with current students that are archived for access at any time. Additionally, Princeton offers an English and Spanish financial aid brochure that explains Princeton’s financial aid program, which is also available on the web. Princeton has been active in reaching out to community-based organizations, and often presents at parent and family evening programs. For example, Princeton hosted a few fall trips which paired an admission officer and a financial aid officer on the road. A trip to the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas included shared presentations with Stanford and Dartmouth. Among other events, Princeton hosted evening programs for students and their families, and also hosted a special breakfast for parents, which had 200 in attendance. Princeton Admissions also presents at several QuestBridge summer conferences on their parent panels as well as a parent panel for the IIT Boeing Scholars and UChicago Collegiate Scholars college night.

There are not part-time undergraduate students at Princeton.

There are two University-affiliated childcare centers. Both are accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), which is generally acknowledged to be the most rigorous of the national accrediting agencies for childcare centers. The University-NOW Day Nursery is a not-for-profit childcare facility located at 171 Broadmead on the Princeton campus. U-NOW provides a full-day program for children ages 12 weeks until kindergarten. The children of University faculty, staff, and students have priority for admission. The University League Nursery School is a not-for-profit childcare facility located at 171 Broadmead on the Princeton campus. ULNS provides half-day and full-day programs for children ages 2.5 years until kindergarten. The children of University faculty, staff, and students have priority for admission. There are also a number of local childcare centers that offer discounts for University faculty, staff and students.