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Note: Like Harvard’s, Yale’s, and MIT’s, this isn’t a separate named scholarship with its own application — it’s Princeton’s own need-based financial aid, built into the regular undergraduate admission process. There’s no separate “Princeton scholarship” to apply for.
Princeton is need-blind for every applicant, and applies the exact same financial aid policy to international students as to domestic ones — one of only a handful of US universities that does. If admitted, Princeton commits to meeting 100% of demonstrated financial need with grants, not loans.
What the aid actually covers
- No-loan policy since 2001 — grants replace student loans entirely in every aid package; no Princeton student is required to borrow as part of a basic aid offer.
- 89% of recent seniors graduated debt-free.
- 71% of the Class of 2030 qualified for financial aid.
- For the 2026–27 academic year, total cost of attendance (tuition, fees, housing, and food) is $90,574; the estimated average grant for an aid recipient is $83,000, leaving an average net cost of roughly $7,574 for families receiving aid.
- 2026–27 tuition alone is $68,140 — the average aid grant covers 100% of tuition for recipients.
Princeton calculates a family’s ability to pay using its own simplified formula rather than a generic federal one, and awards aid solely based on need — there are no merit scholarships at Princeton.
The real bottleneck is admission, not the aid
Princeton’s aid policy is genuinely generous and need-blind, but that doesn’t change how selective admission itself is — Princeton admits a small single-digit percentage of applicants each cycle. Build your application around your actual academic and personal strengths first; the aid takes care of itself once you’re admitted, since need-blind means your financial situation isn’t part of the admission decision at all.
How to apply: step by step
- Apply for undergraduate admission and create your Princeton Applicant Portal account. There’s no separate financial aid application to Princeton as a named scholarship.
- Submit the Princeton Financial Aid Application (PFAA) — free and designed for both U.S. and international applicants alike.
- Indicate your interest in aid as part of your application; this has no bearing on the admission decision itself (need-blind).
- Submit supporting tax documents as requested — requirements vary by country since not every country issues a US-style tax return.
- Receive your aid offer alongside your admission decision. Awards are grants, not loans, and are recalculated each year based on updated financial information.
Free tools for this
- Budget Breakdown by Destination — separate what a US university actually locks in from what you’re estimating
- Scholarship Eligibility Checker — other fully funded options if you want a backup plan
- How to Verify a Scholarship Is Real — the red flags that separate real funders from scams
Frequently asked questions
Does Princeton really apply the same policy to international students?
Yes — Princeton is explicit on its own admissions site that it’s “one of a handful of universities that applies the same financial aid policy to international students” as to domestic ones, and need-blind admission covers all applicants.
Does applying for aid hurt my chances of admission?
No. Princeton is need-blind, meaning admission officers evaluate your application without your financial aid request affecting the decision.
Are there merit scholarships at Princeton?
No. Princeton financial aid is awarded solely on demonstrated need; there is no merit-based scholarship track separate from need-based aid.
Do I need to take out loans?
No. Princeton eliminated loans from its financial aid packages in 2001, replacing them entirely with grants that don’t need to be repaid.
Verify details on the official site: Princeton Admission — Cost & Aid and Princeton Financial Aid FAQs. Tuition figures and aid policy can change; always confirm the current numbers before applying.
Explore more options on our Scholarships hub, including Harvard’s, Yale’s, MIT’s, Amherst’s, Bowdoin’s, and Dartmouth’s matching need-blind policies, and Duke’s, Georgetown’s, Northwestern’s, Wellesley’s, Williams’s, Vanderbilt’s, UChicago’s, and Rice’s need-aware international aid programs.
