by our College Data Analytics TeamHere is what you can expect to pay at Princeton University, including attendance costs, projected four- and two-year degree costs, average net price, debt outcomes, and how aid is distributed across income levels.
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What it costs to attend Princeton University is about $80,440.00 for a single academic year.
Cost is shown below as the full sticker price, the average net price after aid, and the low-income net price.
| Tuition and fees | $62,688.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $17,752.00 |
| Total cost | $80,440.00 |
| That is 145% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $80,440.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$77,912.00 |
| Net price | $2,528.00 |
| That is 92% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $80,440.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$83,999.00 |
| Net price | $-3,559.00 |
| That is 111% below the national average net price. | |
| Go deeper on the components with tuition and fees and living costs. |
Published costs have climbed year over year at a recent average of 3.8% per year; the projections below compound that across a degree. Below, the cost is projected across a degree for three students at once — low-income with aid, average aid, and no aid. The loan rows amortise the projected total over a ten-year, 6.8% repayment.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 3.8% | 3.8% | 3.8% |
| Freshman year | $-3,695.00 | $2,625.00 | $83,522.00 |
| Senior year | $-4,137.00 | $2,938.00 | $93,494.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $-15,653.00 | $11,118.00 | $353,781.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $-5,963.00 | $4,236.00 | $134,778.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $-180.00 | $128.00 | $4,071.00 |
| Total amount paid | $-21,616.00 | $15,354.00 | $488,558.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 3.8% | 3.8% | 3.8% |
| Freshman year | $-3,695.00 | $2,625.00 | $83,522.00 |
| Senior year | $-3,837.00 | $2,725.00 | $86,722.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $-7,532.00 | $5,350.00 | $170,243.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $-2,870.00 | $2,038.00 | $64,857.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $-87.00 | $62.00 | $1,959.00 |
| Total amount paid | $-10,402.00 | $7,389.00 | $235,100.00 |
See the full net-price breakdown in the net price section below.
Net price strips out grant and scholarship aid to show what families really pay. It is usually a better planning number than the sticker cost above.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $6,128.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $10,555.00 |
Net price is not the same for every family — it falls as financial need rises and grant aid increases. Here is the average net price for each family-income range:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $2,518.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $4,682.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $7,652.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $13,849.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $39,943.00 |
Estimate your specific net price using the school’s Princeton University Net Price Calculator.
Curious how grants and scholarships are distributed? Explore the grants & scholarships detail.
Median graduate debt at Princeton University is $10,000.00, which federal data classifies as a Low ($10-20k) burden category.
The percentile breakdown reveals the full debt landscape:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $1,500.00 |
| 25th | $3,045.00 |
| Median (50th) | $10,000.00 |
| 75th | $16,094.00 |
| 90th | $25,000.00 |
The distance from the 10th to the 90th percentile shows how widely debt outcomes vary.
Dig deeper into debt on the student-loan-debt breakdown.
Debt outcomes vary substantially with family income. Below the data splits borrowers across three income groups:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $5,500.00 |
| Middle income | $5,500.00 |
| High income | $12,000.00 |
First-gen students typically face different financial-aid contexts than students whose parents attended college.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,500.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $11,834.00 |
Pell Grants are the federal government’s primary need-based undergraduate aid program. The Pell vs non-Pell debt gap reveals how borrowing differs by need.
The median debt difference between Pell-eligible and non-Pell graduates of Princeton University stands at $-6,500.00.
The federal default-rate classification for Princeton University is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 1.5% |
To put the rates in context, Stafford loans at Princeton University add up to $17,610,034.00 spread across 1,333 disbursements.
Veterans and active-duty service members may qualify for substantial federal education benefits including the Post-9/11 GI Bill and Department of Defense Tuition Assistance.
| GI Bill recipients | 14 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $26,152.00 |
Read more about military and veteran aid on the college veterans page.
Use the figures above as a launch point, then think through Princeton University, keep these questions in mind:
For a closer look at any of these topics, follow the links below:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.