Princeton SAT Scores and GPA

What are Princeton's average SAT scores and GPA? In this guide, we'll discuss what scores are needed for you to get admitted into Princeton. You'll also get to calculate your own chances with our admissions calculator.

Location: Princeton, NJ

This school is also known as: Princeton University

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Princeton Admissions Statistics

There are three critical numbers when considering your admissions chances: SAT scores, GPA, and acceptance rate. All these combine to tell you what you scores are required to get into Princeton University.


Average SAT: 1518

The average SAT score composite at Princeton is a 1518.

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Princeton SAT Score Analysis

The 25th percentile New SAT score is 1510, and the 75th percentile SAT score is 1560.

In other words, a 1510 places you below average, while a 1560 will move you up to above average. There's no absolute SAT requirement at Princeton, but they really want to see at least a 1510 to have a chance at being considered.

Here's the breakdown of SAT scores by section:

SectionAverage25th Percentile75th Percentile
Math770760800
Reading + Writing747740780
Composite151815101560

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Average GPA: 3.94

The average GPA at Princeton is 3.94. This makes Princeton Extremely Competitive for GPAs.

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(Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA.

With a GPA of 3.94, Princeton requires you to be at the top of your class. You'll need nearly straight A's in all your classes to compete with other applicants. You should also have taken plenty of AP or IB classes to show your ability to excel in academic challenge.

If you're a junior or senior, your GPA is hard to change from this point on. If your GPA is at or below the school average of 3.94, you'll need a higher SAT score to compensate and show that you're prepared to take on college academics. This will help you compete effectively with other applicants.



Admissions Rate: 4.5%

The acceptance rate at Princeton is 4.5%. In other words, of 100 students who apply, only 5 are admitted.

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This means the school is very selective. Scores are vital to getting past their first round of filters. After that, you will need to impress them beyond just your academic scores.



Final Admissions Verdict

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Because this school is extremely selective, getting a high SAT score and GPA is vital to having a chance at getting in. If you don't pass their SAT and GPA requirements, they'll likely reject you without much consideration.

To be safe, you should aim for the 75th percentile, with a 1560 SAT and a 3.94 GPA or higher to be above average.

This is only part of the challenge - after this, you'll need to impress them beyond your academic scores, with your accomplishments and extracurriculars. But if you apply with a 1518 SAT or below, you unfortunately have a small chance of getting in.


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Admissions Calculator

What are your chances of admission at Princeton University?
Chances of admission with these scores:

Here's our custom admissions calculator. Plug in your numbers to see what your chances of getting in are.

Pick your test: SAT ACT

SAT Score
Your GPA

Note: Your admission decision relies not only on your GPA and SAT/ACT scores, but also on your coursework difficulty, extracurriculars, letters of recommendation, and personal statements. This tool provides only a simplistic estimate of your chances of admission. Instead of treating this tool as a crystal ball, we recommend you consider the big picture of what your chance means:
  • 80-100%: Safety school: Strong chance of getting in
  • 50-80%: More likely than not getting in
  • 20-50%: Lower but still good chance of getting in
  • 5-20%: Reach school: Unlikely to get in, but still have a shot
  • 0-5%: Hard reach school: Very difficult to get in
We recommend you apply to schools across a range of chances. Applying to some safety schools will guarantee you have a college to go to, while applying to some reach schools will give you a shot at getting into the school at the top of your range.
How would your chances improve with a better score?

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Other Schools For You

If you're interested in Princeton, you'll probably be interested in these schools as well. We've divided them into 3 categories depending on how hard they are to get into, relative to Princeton.


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Reach Schools: Harder to Get Into

These schools are have higher average SAT scores than Princeton. If you improve your SAT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
Columbia University New York, NY 1524 35
New York University New York, NY 1520 34
Cornell University Ithaca, NY 1520 34

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Same Level: Equally Hard to Get Into

If you're competitive for Princeton, these schools will offer you a similar chance of admission.

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
Tufts University Medford, MA 1500 34
Dartmouth College Hanover, NH 1500 34
Northeastern University Boston, MA 1500 34
University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 1470 33
Villanova University Villanova, PA 1440 33
Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, GA 1435 32
Binghamton University Binghamton, NY 1430 31

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Safety Schools: Easier to Get Into

If you're currently competitive for Princeton, you should have no problem getting into these schools. If Princeton is currently out of your reach, you might already be competitive for these schools.

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
Boston University Boston, MA 1418 32
University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA 1415 31
University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 1405 31

Data on this page is sourced from Peterson's Databases © 2024 (Peterson's LLC. All rights reserved.) as well as additional publicly available sources.


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