by our College Data Analytics TeamA lot of students will never be charged the complete price tag of a school. Rather, they are presented a financial aid deal that includes a mix of loans, grants, scholarships, and possibly work-study opportunities. The price tag of going to Princeton University can appear tremendous, but do not forget that almost all students obtain some kind of financial help.
Just what financing solutions does Princeton deliver, and just what are you going to be eligible for? Keep scrolling for answers. Keep reading to see just how much financial aid could be open to you.
Eligibility for aid and scholarships is driven mostly by your household’s income and need. The figures below will help you estimate the aid you might receive from Princeton University.
Financial aid, in the form of loans, grants, work-study, and scholarships, is one way colleges reduce the cost of attendance so most students can actually afford to attend. However, some types of aid are more desirable than others, and some students will receive more than others.
For incoming first-year students at Princeton University, 68% of first-year full-time students received aid of some kind around 923 first-years).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 67% | $68,727 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 66% | $66,054 |
| Federal Pell grants | 22% | $6,357 |
| State/local grants | 3% | $8,333 |
| Federal student loans | 2% | $4,938 |
Grants and scholarships are the most valuable form of aid because, unlike loans, they never have to be repaid. At Princeton, around 63% of undergraduates were awarded an average grant or scholarship of $71,529 (covering around 3594 recipients).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 63% | $71,529 |
| Federal Pell grants | 19% | $5,955 |
| Federal student loans | 2% | $6,140 |
For students living on campus and receiving title-IV aid, grants averaged $77,912.
Since aid is largely need-based, the real cost of attendance falls steeply for lower-income families.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $3,451 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $6,065 |
| Over $75,000 | $29,572 |
The numbers above are post-aid net prices, so they already account for grants and scholarships.
The net price represents the average annual cost a title-IV-receiving student pays after grant aid is subtracted from the full cost of attendance.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $6,128 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $10,555 |
To project your own net price, use Princeton’s net price calculator: admission.princeton.edu/cost-aid/financial-aid-estimator.
Graduating students at Princeton carry a median federal student debt of $10,000 in federal student debt.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $10,000 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $10,320 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $109.41/mo |
That monthly figure reflects the median graduate debt repaid on a standard 10-year federal schedule.
Percentiles reveal the spread — half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles. Use the percentiles below to see the debt range at Princeton.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,500 |
| 25th percentile | $3,045 |
| 75th percentile | $16,094 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $25,000 |
How much a student borrows depends heavily on family income, first-gen status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $5,500 |
| Middle income | $5,500 |
| High income | $12,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $11,834 |
These indicators are derived from the underlying debt data and summarize the overall picture at Princeton.
Stafford loans make up the bulk of federal direct lending to undergraduates. These figures summarize annual Stafford program activity at Princeton:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 1333 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $17,610,034 |
Veterans and active-duty service members may qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill or DoD Tuition Assistance.
Post-9/11 GI Bill recipients
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 14 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $366,121 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $26,152 |
DoD Tuition Assistance activity
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 0 |
| Total DoD amount | $0 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.