Princeton University

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"Princeton" redirects here. For the municipality in New Jersey, see Princeton, New Jersey. For other
uses, see Princeton (disambiguation).
Princeton University

Princeton University shield

College of New Jersey
Former names
(1746–1896)
Dei Sub Numine Viget (Latin)[1]
Motto
On seal: Vet[us] Nov[um] Testamentum (Latin)
Under God's Power She Flourishes[1]
Motto in English
On seal: Old Testament and New Testament
Type Private research university
Established October 22, 1746; 275 years ago
Accreditation MSCHE
 AAU
 URA
Academic affiliations  NAICU
 Space-grant

Endowment $37.7 billion (2021)[2]

President Christopher L. Eisgruber
Provost Deborah Prentice
Academic staff 1,289[3]
Total staff 7,300[4]
Students 8,419 (Fall 2019)[5]
Undergraduates 5,422 (Fall 2019)[5]
Postgraduates 2,997 (Fall 2019)[5]
Doctoral students 2,631 (Fall 2019)[6]
Location Princeton, New Jersey
,
United States
 40°20′43″N 74°39′22″WCoordinates: 40°20′43″N 74°39′22″W[7]
Suburban/College town, 600 acres (2.4 km2)
Campus
(Main Campus)[4]
Newspaper The Daily Princetonian
Orange & Black[8]
Colors
   
Nickname Tigers
NCAA Division I FCS - Ivy League
ECAC Hockey
Sporting affiliations EARC
EIVA
MAISA
Mascot The Tiger
Website princeton.edu

Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded
in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of
higher education in the United States and one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the
American Revolution.[9][10][a] The institution moved to Newark in 1747, and then to the current site
nine years later. It officially became a university in 1896 and was subsequently renamed Princeton
University.

The university is governed by the Trustees of Princeton University and has an endowment of $37.7
billion, the largest endowment per student in the United States. Princeton provides undergraduate
and graduate instruction in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering to
approximately 8,500 students on its 600 acres (2.4 km2) main campus. It offers postgraduate degrees
through the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, the School of Engineering and
Applied Science, the School of Architecture and the Bendheim Center for Finance. The university
also manages the Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and is home to the
NOAA's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities
– Very high research activity" and has one of the largest university libraries in the world.[15]

Princeton uses a residential college system and is known for its upperclassmen eating clubs. The
university has over 500 student organizations. Princeton students embrace a wide variety of
traditions from both the past and present. The university is a NCAA Division I school and competes
in the Ivy League. The school's athletic team, the Princeton Tigers, has won the most titles in its
conference and has sent many students and alumni to the Olympics.

As of October 2021, 75 Nobel laureates, 16 Fields Medalists and 16 Turing Award laureates have
been affiliated with Princeton University as alumni, faculty members, or researchers. In addition,
Princeton has been associated with 21 National Medal of Science awardees, 5 Abel Prize awardees,
11 National Humanities Medal recipients, 215 Rhodes Scholars and 137 Marshall Scholars. Two
U.S. Presidents, twelve U.S. Supreme Court Justices (three of whom currently serve on the court)
and numerous living industry and media tycoons and foreign heads of state are all counted among
Princeton's alumni body. Princeton has graduated many members of the U.S. Congress and the U.S.
Cabinet, including eight Secretaries of State, three Secretaries of Defense and two Chairmen of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Contents
 1 History
o 1.1 Founding
o 1.2 Colonial and early years
o 1.3 19th Century
o 1.4 20th Century
o 1.5 Post-war to present
 1.5.1 Coeducation
 2 Campus
o 2.1 Buildings
 2.1.1 Nassau Hall
 2.1.2 Art Museum
 2.1.3 University Chapel
o 2.2 Sustainability
 3 Organization and administration
o 3.1 Governance and structure
o 3.2 Finances
 4 Academics
o 4.1 Undergraduate
 4.1.1 Grade deflation policy
o 4.2 Graduate
o 4.3 Rankings
o 4.4 Research
 4.4.1 Library system
 4.4.2 National laboratories
 5 Admissions and financial aid
o 5.1 Admissions
o 5.2 Costs and financial aid
 6 Student life and culture
o 6.1 Residential colleges
o 6.2 Eating clubs and dining
o 6.3 Campus organizations
o 6.4 Traditions
o 6.5 Alma mater
o 6.6 Transportation
 7 Student body
 8 Athletics
o 8.1 Varsity
o 8.2 Club and intramural
 9 Notable people
 o 9.1 Alumni
o 9.2 Faculty
 10 See also
 11 Notes
 12 References
o 12.1 Works Cited
 13 Further reading
 14 External links

History
Main article: History of Princeton University

Founding

The Log College, an influential aspect of Princeton's development

Princeton University, founded as the College of New Jersey, was shaped much in its formative years
by the "Log College", a seminary founded by the Reverend William Tennent at Neshaminy,
Pennsylvania in about 1726. While no legal connection ever existed, many of the pupils and
adherents from the Log College would go on to financially support and become substantially
involved in the early years of the university.[13] While early writers considered it as the predecessor
of the university,[16] the idea has been rebuked by Princeton historians.[17][13]

The founding of the university itself originated from a split in the Presbyterian church following the
Great Awakening.[18] In 1741, New Light Presbyterians were expelled from the Synod of
Philadelphia in defense of how the Log College ordained ministers.[19] The four founders of
Princeton, who were New Lights, were either expelled or withdrew from the Synod and devised a
plan to establish a new college, for they were disappointed with Harvard and Yale's opposition to the
Great Awakening and dissatisfied with the limited instruction at the Log College.[19][18] They
convinced three other Presbyterians to join them and decided on New Jersey for where to found the
school, as at the time, there was no institution between Yale in New Haven, Connecticut and the
College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia; it was also where some of the founders
preached.[20] Although their initial request was rejected by the Anglican governor, Lewis Morrison,
the acting governor after Morrison's death, John Hamilton, granted a charter for the College of New
Jersey on October 22, 1746.[21][20] In 1747, approximately five months after acquiring the charter, the
trustees elected Jonathan Dickinson as president and opened in Elizabeth, New Jersey,[21] where
classes were held in Dickinson's residence.[22] With its founding, it became the fourth-oldest
institution of higher education in the United States, and one of nine colonial colleges charted before
the American Revolution.[9][10] Although initially founded with the goal to train ministers, the
founders instead aimed to create a college of liberal arts and sciences.[23][21] Though the school was
open to those of any religious denomination,[24] with many of the founders being of Presbyterian
faith, the college became the educational and religious capital of Scotch-Irish Presbyterian America.
[25]

Colonial and early years

From 1760, the first picture of Nassau Hall

In 1747, following the death of then President Jonathan Dickinson, the college moved from
Elizabeth to Newark, New Jersey, as that was where presidential successor Aaron Burr Sr.'s
parsonage was located.[21] That same year, Princeton's first charter came under dispute by Anglicans,
but on September 14, 1748, the recently appointed governor Jonathan Belcher granted a second
charter.[26][27] Belcher, a Congregationalist, had become alienated with his alma mater, Harvard, and
decided to "adopt [the infant college]."[26][24] Belcher would go on to raise funds for the college and
donate his 474-volume library, making it one of the largest libraries in the colonies.[26][28]

In 1756, the college moved again to its present campus in Princeton, New Jersey because it was too
close to New York.[29][30] Princeton was chosen for its central location in New Jersey and by strong
recommendation by Belcher.[26][31] Its home in Princeton was Nassau Hall, named for the royal
William III of England, a member of the House of Orange-Nassau.[32] The trustees of the College of
New Jersey initially suggested that Nassau Hall be named in recognition of Belcher because of his
interest in the institution; though, the governor vetoed the request.[26]

John Witherspoon, President of the college (1768–94) and signer of the Declaration of
Independence
Burr, who would die in 1757, devised a curriculum for the school and increased the student body.[33]
Following the untimely death of Burr and the college's next three presidents,[34] John Witherspoon
became president in 1768 and remained in that post until his death in 1794.[35] With his presidency,
Witherspoon focused the college on preparing a new generation of both educated clergy and secular
leadership in the new American nation.[36][37] To this end, he tightened academic standards,
broadened the curriculum, solicited investment for the college, and grew its size.[38][37]

A signer of the Declaration of Independence, Witherspoon and his leadership led the college to
becoming influential to the American Revolution.[39][40][41] In 1777, the college became the site for the
Battle of Princeton.[39] During the battle, British soldiers briefly occupied Nassau Hall before
eventually surrendering to American forces led by General George Washington.[42] During the
summer and fall of 1783, the Continental Congress and Washington met in Nassau Hall, making
Princeton the country's capital for four months; in Nassau Hall is where Congress learned of the
peace treaty between the colonies and the British.[43][44] The college did suffer from the revolution,
with a depreciated endowment and hefty repair bills for Nassau Hall.[45]

19th Century

In 1795, President Samuel Stanhope Smith took office, the first alumnus to become president.[46]
Nassau Hall suffered a large fire that destroyed its interior in 1802, in which Smith blamed on
rebellious students.[47] The college raised enough funds for reconstruction, as well as the construction
of two new buildings.[48] In 1807, a large student riot occurred at Nassau Hall, spurred by underlying
distrust of educational reforms by Smith away from the Church.[46][49] Following Smith's mishandling
of the situation, falling enrollment, and faculty resignations, the trustees of the university offered
resignation to Smith, which he accepted.[48] In 1812, Ashbel Green was unanimously elected by the
trustees of the college to become the eighth president.[50] After the liberal tenure of Smith, Green
represented the conservative "Old Side," in which he introduced rigorous disciplinary rules and
heavily embraced religion.[51][52] Even so, believing the College wasn't religious enough, he took a
prominent role in establishing the Princeton Theological Seminary next door.[51][50] While student
riots were a frequent occurrence during Green's tenure, enrollment did increase under his
administration.[53]

In 1823, James Carnahan became president, arriving as an unprepared and timid leader.[54][55] With
the College undertaken by conflicting views between students, faculty, and trustees, and enrollment
hitting its lowest in years, Carnahan considered closing the university.[54] Carnahan's successor, John
Maclean Jr., who was only a professor at the time, recommended saving the university with the help
of alumni; as a result, Princeton's alumni association, led by James Madison, was created and began
raising funds.[54][56] With Carnahan and Maclean, now vice-president, working as partners,
enrollment and faculty increased, tensions decreased, and the College campus expanded.[56] Maclean
took over the presidency in 1854 and led the university through the American Civil War.[57] When
Nassau Hall burned down again in 1855,[58] Maclean raised funds and used the money to rebuild
Nassau Hall and run the university on an austerity budget during the war years.[57] With a third of
students from the College being from the South, enrollment fell.[59] Once many of the Southerners
left, the campus became a sharp proponent for the Union,[60] even bestowing an honorary degree to
President Lincoln.[61]
James McCosh, President of the college (1868–88)

James McCosh became the college's president in 1868 and lifted the institution out of a low period
that had been brought about by the war.[62] During his two decades of service, he overhauled the
curriculum, oversaw an expansion of inquiry into the sciences, recruited distinguished faculty, and
supervised the addition of a number of buildings in the High Victorian Gothic style to the campus.[62]
[63]
McCosh's tenure also saw the creation and rise of many extracurricular activities, like the
Princeton Glee Club, the Triangle Club, the first intercollegiate football team, and the first
permanent eating club,[64] as well as the elimination of Greek life.[65] In 1879, Princeton conferred its
first doctorates to James F. Williamson and William Libby, both members of the Class of 1877.[66]

Francis Patton took the presidency in 1888, and although his election was not met by unanimous
enthusiasm, he was well-received by undergraduates.[67] Patton's administration was marked with
great change, for Princeton's enrollment and faculty had doubled. At the same time, the college
underwent large expansion and social life was changing in reflection of the rise in eating clubs and
burgeoning interest in athletics.[68] In 1893, the honor system was established, allowing for
unproctored exams.[69][70] In 1896, the college officially became university,[71] and as a result, it
officially changed its name to Princeton University.[72] In 1900, the Graduate School was formally
established.[71] Even with such accomplishments, Patton's administration remained lackluster with its
administrative structure[73] and towards its educational standards.[69] Due to profile changes in the
board of trustees and dissatisfaction with his administration, he was forced to resign in 1902.[73]

20th Century
Woodrow Wilson, President of Princeton University (1902–10) and 28th president of the United
States

Following Patton's resignation, Woodrow Wilson, an alumnus and popular professor, was elected
the 13th president of the university.[74][75] Noticing falling academic standards, Wilson orchestrated
significant changes to the curriculum, where freshman and sophomores followed a unified
curriculum while juniors and seniors concentrated study in one discipline.[76] Ambitious seniors were
allowed to undertake independent work, which would eventually shape Princeton's emphasis on the
practice for the future.[77] Wilson further reformed the educational system by introducing the
preceptorial system in 1905,[76] a then-unique concept in the United States that augmented the
standard lecture method of teaching with a more personal form in which small groups of students, or
precepts, could interact with a single instructor, or preceptor, in their field of interest.[78] The changes
brought about many new faculty and cemented Princeton's academics for the first half of the 20th
century.[79] Due to the tightening of academic standards, enrollment declined severely until 1907.[76]
In 1906, the reservoir Lake Carnegie was created by Andrew Carnegie,[80] and the university
officially became nonsectarian.[81] Before leaving office, Wilson strengthened the science program to
focus on "pure" research and broke the Presbyterian lock on the board of trustees.[74][82] However, he
did fail in winning support for the permanent location of the Graduate School and the elimination of
the eating clubs, which he proposed replacing with quadrangles, a precursor to the residential
college system.[83] Wilson also continued to keep Princeton closed off from accepting Black
students.[84] When an aspiring Black student wrote a letter to Wilson, he got his secretary to reply
telling him to attend a university where he would be more welcome.[85]

John Grier Hibben became president in 1912 and would remain in the post for two decades.[86] On
October 2, 1913, the Princeton University Graduate College was dedicated.[80] When the United
States entered World War I in 1917, Hibben allocated all available University resources to the
government. As a result, military training schools opened on campus and laboratories and other
facilities were used for research and operational programs. Overall, more than 6,000 students served
in the armed forces, with 151 dying during the war.[87] After the war, enrollment spiked and the
trustees established the system of selective admission in 1922.[88] From the 1920s to the 1930s, the
student body featured many students from preparatory schools, zero Black students, and dwindling
Jewish enrollment because of quotas.[89] Aside from managing Princeton during WWI, Hibben
introduced the senior thesis in 1923 as a part of The New Plan of Study.[90][91] He also brought about
great expansion to the university, with the creation of the School of Architecture in 1919, the School
of Engineering in 1921, and the School of Public and International Affairs in 1930.[92] By the end of
his presidency, the endowment had increased by 374 percent, the total area of the campus doubled,
the faculty experienced impressive growth, and the enrollment doubled.[93][91]

Hibben's successor, Harold Willis Dodds would lead the university through the Great Depression,
World War II, and the Korean Conflict.[94] With the Great Depression, many students were forced to
withdraw due to financial reasons.[95] At the same time, Princeton's reputation in physics and
mathematics surged as many European scientists left for the United States due to uneasy tension
caused by Nazi Germany.[96] In 1930, the Institute for Advanced Study was founded to provide a
space for the influx of scientists, such as Albert Einstein.[97] Many Princeton scientists would work
on the Manhattan Project during the war, [98] including the entire physics department.[99] During
World War II, Princeton offered an accelerated program for students to graduate early before
entering the armed forces.[100] Student enrollment fluctuated from month to month, and many faculty
were forced to teach unfamiliar subjects. Still, Dodds maintained academic standards and would
establish a program for servicemen, so they could resume their education once discharged.[101]

Post-war to present

Post-war years saw scholars renewing broken bonds through numerous conventions, expansion of
the campus, and the introduction of distribution requirements.[102][103] The period saw the
desegregation of Princeton, which was stimulated by changes to the New Jersey constitution.[104]
Princeton began undertaking a sharper focus towards research in the years after the war, with the
construction of Firestone Library in 1948 and the establishment of the Forrestal Research Center in
the 1950s.[105] Government sponsored research increased sharply, particularly in the physics and
engineering departments,[106] with much of it occurring at the new Forrestal campus.[107] Though, as
the years progressed, scientific research at the Forrestal campus declined, and in 1973, some of the
land was converted to commercial and residential spaces.[108]

Robert Goheen would succeed Dodds by unanimous vote and serve as president until 1972.[109]
Goheen's presidency was characterized as being more liberal than previous presidents, and his
presidency would see a rise in Black applicants,[110] as well as the eventual coeducation of the
university in 1969.[111] During this period of rising diversity, the Third World Center (now known as
the Carl A. Fields Center) was dedicated in 1971.[112] Goheen also oversaw great expansion for the
university, with square footage increasing by 80 percentage.[113]

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Princeton experienced unprecedented activism, with most of it
centered on the Vietnam War.[114][115] While Princeton activism initially remained relatively timid
compared to other institutions,[114] protests began to grow with the founding of a local chapter of
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) in 1965, which organized many of the later Princeton
protests.[114] In 1966, the SDS gained prominence on campus following picketing against a speech by
President Lyndon B. Johnson, which gained frontpage coverage by the New York Times.[116][117] A
notable point of contention on campus was the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) and would
feature multiple protests,[114] some of which required police action.[118] As the years went on, the
protests' agenda broadened to investments in South Africa, environmental issues, and women's
rights.[114][119] In response to these broadening protests, the Council of the Princeton University
Community (CPUC) was founded to serve as a method for greater student voice in governance.[120]
Activism culminated in 1970 with a student, faculty, and staff member strike, so the university could
become an "institution against expansion of the war."[121][b] Princeton's protests would taper off later
that year, with The Daily Princetonian saying that, "Princeton 1970–71 was an emotionally burned
out university."

In 1982, the residential college system was officially established under Goheen's successor William
G. Bowen, who would serve until 1988.[122][123] During his presidency, Princeton's endowment
increased from $625 million to $2 billion, and a major fundraising drive known as "A Campaign for
Princeton" was conducted.[123] President Harold T. Shapiro would succeed Bowen and remain
president until 2001. Shapiro would continue to increase the endowment, expand academic
programs, raise student diversity, and oversaw the most renovations in Princeton's history.[124] In
2001, Princeton shifted the financial aid policy to a system that replaced all loans with grants.[125]
That same year, Princeton elected its first female president, Shirley M. Tilghman.[126] Before retiring
in 2012, Tilghman expanded financial aid offerings and conducted several major construction
projects.[127]

Princeton's 20th and current president Christopher Eisgruber was elected in 2013.[128] In 2017,
Princeton University unveiled a large-scale public history and digital humanities investigation into
its historical involvement with slavery called the Princeton & Slavery Project. The project saw the
publication of hundreds of primary sources, 80 scholarly essays, a scholarly conference, a series of
short plays, and an art project.[129] In April 2018, university trustees announced that they would name
two public spaces for James Collins Johnson and Betsey Stockton, enslaved people who lived and
worked on Princeton's campus and whose stories were publicized by the project.[130] In 2019, large-
scale student activism again entered the mainstream concerning the school's implementation of
federal Title IX policy relating to Campus sexual assault.[131][132] The activism consisted of sit-ins in
response to a student's disciplinary sentence.[133]

Coeducation

History of coeducation at the university dates back to the 19th century. Founded in 1887, the Evelyn
College for Women in Princeton provided education to largely the daughters of professors and
sisters of Princeton undergraduates. While no legal connection ever existed, many Princeton
professors taught there and several Princeton administrations, like Francis Patton, were part of its
board of trustees. It closed in 1897 following the death of its founder, Joshua McIlvaine.[134]

Pyne Hall, where the first female students lived on campus.

Coeducation at Princeton wouldn't resume until the 20th century. In 1947, three female members of
the library staff enrolled in beginner Russian courses to deal with an increase in Russian literature in
the library.[111] In 1961, Princeton admitted its first female graduate student, Sabra Follett Meservey,
[135]
who would go on to be the first woman to earn a master's degree.[111] Eight more women would
enroll next year at the Graduate School,[135] and in 1964, T'sai-ying Cheng became the first woman at
Princeton to receive a Ph.D. The first undergraduate female students came in 1963 when five
women came to Princeton to study "critical languages." They were considered regular students for
their year on campus, but were not candidates for a Princeton degree.[111] Following abortive
discussions with Sarah Lawrence College to relocate the women's college to Princeton and merge it
with the university in 1967,[136] the administration commissioned a report on admitting women. The
final report was issued in January 1969, supporting the idea.[111] That same month, the trustees voted
24–8 in favor of coeducation and began preparing the institution for the transition.[137] The university
finished these plans in April 1969 and announced there would be coeducation in September.[138]
Ultimately, 101 female freshman and 70 female transfer students enrolled at Princeton on September
1969.[139][138][c] Those admitted were housed in Pyne Hall, a fairly isolated dormitory; a security
system were added, although the women deliberately broke it within a day.[141]

In 1971, Mary St. John Douglas and Susan Savage Speers became the first female trustees,[111] and in
1974 quotas for men and women were eliminated.[142] Following a 1979 lawsuit, the eating clubs
were required to go coeducational in 1991 after an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was denied.[143]
In 2001, Princeton elected its first female president.[126]

Campus

The eastern side of the Washington Road Elm Allée, one of the entrances to the campus

The main campus consists of more than 200 buildings on 600 acres (2.4 km2) in Princeton, New
Jersey.[4] The James Forrestal Campus, a smaller location designed mainly as a research and
instruction complex, is split between nearby Plainsboro and South Brunswick. The campuses are
situated about one hour from both New York City and Philadelphia on the train.[144] The university
also owns more than 520 acres (2.1 km2) of property in West Windsor Township,[4] and is where
Princeton is planning to construct a graduate student housing complex, which will be known as
"Lake Campus North".[145]
The first building on campus was Nassau Hall, completed in 1756 and situated on the northern edge
of the campus facing Nassau Street.[146] The campus expanded steadily around Nassau Hall during
the early and middle 19th century.[147][148] The McCosh presidency (1868–88) saw the construction of
a number of buildings in the High Victorian Gothic and Romanesque Revival styles, although many
of them are now gone, leaving the remaining few to appear out of place.[149] At the end of the 19th
century, much of Princeton's architecture was designed by the Cope and Stewardson firm (the same
architects who designed a large part of Washington University in St. Louis and University of
Pennsylvania) resulting in the Collegiate Gothic style for which the university is known for today.
[150]
Implemented initially by William Appleton Potter,[150] and later enforced by the university's
supervising architect, Ralph Adams Cram,[151] the Collegiate Gothic style remained the standard for
all new building on the Princeton campus until 1960.[152][153] A flurry of construction projects in the
1960s produced a number of new buildings on the south side of the main campus, many of which
have been poorly received.[154] Several prominent architects have contributed some more recent
additions, including Frank Gehry (Lewis Library),[155] I. M. Pei (Spelman Halls),[156] Demetri
Porphyrios (Whitman College, a Collegiate Gothic project),[157] Robert Venturi and Denise Scott
Brown (Frist Campus Center, among several others),[158] and Rafael Viñoly (Carl Icahn Laboratory).
[159]

A group of 20th-century sculptures scattered throughout the campus forms the Putnam Collection of
Sculpture. It includes works by Alexander Calder (Five Disks: One Empty), Jacob Epstein (Albert
Einstein), Henry Moore (Oval with Points), Isamu Noguchi (White Sun), and Pablo Picasso (Head
of a Woman).[160] Richard Serra's The Hedgehog and The Fox is located between Peyton and Fine
halls next to Princeton Stadium and the Lewis Library.[161]

At the southern edge of the campus is Lake Carnegie, an artificial lake named for Andrew Carnegie.
Carnegie financed the lake's construction in 1906 at the behest of a friend and his brother who were
both Princeton alumni.[162] Carnegie hoped the opportunity to take up rowing would inspire
Princeton students to forsake football, which he considered "not gentlemanly."[163] The Shea Rowing
Center on the lake's shore continues to serve as the headquarters for Princeton rowing.[164]

Princeton's grounds were designed by Beatrix Farrand between 1912 and 1943. Her contributions
were most recently recognized with the naming of a courtyard for her.[165] Subsequent changes to the
landscape were introduced by Quennell Rothschild & Partners in 2000. In 2005, Michael Van
Valkenburgh was hired as the new consulting landscape architect for Princeton's 2016 Campus Plan.
[166]
Lynden B. Miller was invited to work with him as Princeton's consulting gardening architect,
focusing on the 17 gardens that are distributed throughout the campus.[167]

Buildings

Nassau Hall
Nassau Hall, the university's oldest building and former capitol of the United States. Pictured in
front is Cannon Green.

Nassau Hall is the oldest building on campus. Begun in 1754 and completed in 1756,[168] it was the
first seat of the New Jersey Legislature in 1776,[169] was involved in the Battle of Princeton in 1777,
[170]
and was the seat of the Congress of the Confederation (and thus capitol of the United States)
from June 30, 1783, to November 4, 1783.[171] Since 1911, the front entrance has been flanked by
two bronze tigers, a gift of the Princeton Class of 1879, which replaced two lions previously given
in 1889.[172] Starting in 1922, commencement has been held on the front lawn of Nassau Hall when
there is good weather.[173] In 1966, Nassau Hall was added to the National Register of Historic
Places.[174] Nowadays, it houses the office of the university president and other administrative
offices.[175][176]

To the south of Nassau Hall lies a courtyard that is known as Cannon Green.[177] Buried in the
ground at the center is the "Big Cannon," which was left in Princeton by British troops as they fled
following the Battle of Princeton. It remained in Princeton until the War of 1812, when it was taken
to New Brunswick.[178] In 1836 the cannon was returned to Princeton and placed at the eastern end of
town. Two years later, it was moved to the campus under cover of night by Princeton students, and
in 1840, it was buried in its current location.[179] A second "Little Cannon" is buried in the lawn in
front of nearby Whig Hall. The cannon, which may also have been captured in the Battle of
Princeton, was stolen by students of Rutgers University in 1875. The theft ignited the Rutgers-
Princeton Cannon War. A compromise between the presidents of Princeton and Rutgers ended the
war and forced the return of the Little Cannon to Princeton.[179] The protruding cannons are
occasionally painted scarlet by Rutgers students who continue the traditional dispute.[180][181]

Art Museum

The Princeton University Art Museum, which holds over 112,000 objects

Though art collection at the university dates back to its very founding, the Princeton University Art
Museum wasn't officially established until 1882 by President McCosh. Its establishment arose from
a desire to provide direct access to works of art in a museum for a curriculum in the arts, an
education system familiar to many European universities at the time. The museum took on the
purposes of providing "exposure to original works of art and to teach the history of art through an
encyclopedic collection of world art."[182]

Numbering over 112,000 objects, the collections range from ancient to contemporary art and come
from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.[183] The museum's art is divided into ten extensive
curatorial areas.[184] There is a collection of Greek and Roman antiquities, including ceramics,
marbles, bronzes, and Roman mosaics from faculty excavations in Antioch, as well as other art from
the ancient Egyptian, Byzantium, and Islamic worlds.[185] Medieval Europe is represented by
sculpture, metalwork, and stained glass. The collection of Western European paintings includes
examples from the early Renaissance through the 19th century, with pieces by Monet, Cézanne, and
Van Gogh,[186] and features a growing collection of 20th-century and contemporary art, including
paintings such as Andy Warhol's Blue Marilyn.[187]

The museum features a collection of Chinese and Japanese art, with holdings in bronzes, tomb
figurines, painting, and calligraphy, as well as collections of Korean, Southeast, and Central Asian
art.[188] Its collection of pre-Columbian art includes examples of Mayan and Olmec art, and its
indigenous art ranges from Chile to Alaska to Greenland.[189] The museum has collections of old
master prints and drawings,[190] and it has a comprehensive collection of over 20,000 photographs.
[191]
Approximately 750 works of African art are represented.[192] The Museum oversees the outside
John B. Putnam, Jr., Memorial Collection of Sculpture.[193]

University Chapel

Finished in 1928, the Princeton University Chapel seats 2,000 people.

The Princeton University Chapel is located on the north side of campus near Nassau Street. It was
built between 1924 and 1928 at a cost of $2.3 million,[194] approximately $34.7 million adjusted for
inflation in 2020. Ralph Adams Cram, the university's supervising architect, designed the chapel,
which he viewed as the crown jewel for the Collegiate Gothic motif he had championed for the
campus.[195] At the time of its construction, it was the second largest university chapel in the world,
after King's College Chapel, Cambridge.[196] It underwent a two-year, $10 million restoration
campaign between 2000 and 2002.[197] The Chapel seats around 2,000 and serves as a site for
religious services and local celebrations.[198]

Measured on the exterior, the chapel is 277 feet (84 m) long, 76 feet (23 m) wide at its transepts, and
121 feet (37 m) high.[199] The exterior is Pennsylvania sandstone, trimmed with Indiana limestone,
and the interior is made of limestone and Aquia Creek sandstone.[199] The design evokes
characteristics of an English church of the Middle Ages.[199] The extensive iconography, in stained
glass, stonework, and wood carvings, has the common theme of connecting religion and scholarship.
[195]
Sustainability

Published in 2008, the Sustainability Action Plan was the first formal plan for sustainability enacted
by the university.[200] It focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, conservation of resources,
and research, education, and civic engagement for sustainability through 10 year objectives.[201][202]
Since the 2008 plan, Princeton has aimed at reducing its carbon dioxide emissions to 1990 levels
without the purchase of market offsets and predicts to meet the goal by 2026 (the former goal was
by 2020 but COVID-19 requirements delayed this).[203] Princeton released its second Sustainability
Action Plan in 2019 on Earth Day with its main goal being reducing campus greenhouse gases to net
zero by 2046 as well as other objectives building on those in the 2008 plan.[202][203] In 2021, the
university agreed to divest from thermal coal and tar sand segments of the fossil fuel industry and
from companies that are involved in climate disinformation after student protest.[204]

Princeton's Sustainability Action Plan also aims to have zero waste through recycling programs,
sustainable purchasing, and behavioral and operational strategies.[205]

Organization and administration

Governance and structure

Christopher Eisgruber, the 20th and current president of the university

Princeton's 20th and current president is Christopher Eisgruber, who was appointed by the
university's board of trustees in 2013.[128] The board is responsible for the overall direction of the
university. It consists of no fewer than 23 and no more than 40 members at any one time, with the
president of the university and the Governor of New Jersey serving as ex officio members. It
approves the operating and capital budgets, supervises the investment of the university's
endowment, and oversees campus real estate and long-range physical planning. The trustees also
exercise prior review and approval concerning changes in major policies such as those in
instructional programs and admission as well as tuition and fees and the hiring of faculty members.
[206]
The university is composed of the Undergraduate College, the Graduate School, the School of
Architecture, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the School of Public and
International Affairs.[207] Additionally, the school's Bendheim Center for Finance provides education
for the area of money and finance in lieu of a business school.[208] Princeton did host a Princeton
Law School for a short period, before eventually closing in 1852 due to poor income.[209] Princeton's
lack of other professional schools can be attributed to a university focus on undergraduates.[210]

The university has ties with the Institute for Advanced Study,[211] Princeton Theological Seminary,
Rutgers University, and the Westminster Choir College of Rider University.[212] Princeton is a
member of the Association of American Universities,[213] the Universities Research Association,[214]
and the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.[215] The university is
accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), with its last
reaffirmation in 2014.[216]

Finances

Princeton University's endowment of $37.7 billion (per 2021 figures) was ranked as the fourth
largest endowment in the United States,[2][217] and it had the greatest per-student endowment in the
world at over $4.4 million per student.[218] The endowment is sustained through continued donations
and is maintained by investment advisers.[219] Princeton's operating budget is over $2 billion per
year, with 50% going to academic departments and programs, 33% to administrative and student
service departments, 10% to financial aid departments, and 7% to the Princeton Plasma Physics
Laboratory.[220]

Academics
Undergraduate

McCosh 50, the largest lecture hall on campus

Princeton follows a liberal arts curriculum,[210] and offers two bachelor's degrees to students: a
Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (B.S.E.).[207] Typically, A.B.
students choose a major (called a concentration) at the end of sophomore year, while B.S.E students
declare at the end of their freshman year.[221] Students must complete distribution requirements,
departmental requirements, and independent work to graduate with either degree.[210][207] A.B.
students must complete distribution requirements in literature and the arts, science and engineering,
social analysis, cultural difference, epistemology and cognition, ethical thought and moral values,
historical analysis, and quantitative and computational reasoning; they must also have satisfactory
ability in a foreign language.[207] Additionally, they must complete two papers of independent work
during their junior year—known as the junior papers—and craft a senior thesis to graduate.[222][223]
Both revolve around the concentration they are pursuing.[224] B.S.E majors complete fewer courses in
the humanities and social sciences and instead fulfill requirements in mathematics, physics,
chemistry, and computer programming.[207] They likewise must complete independent work, which
typically involves a design project or senior thesis, but not the junior papers.[222][224] A.B. majors must
complete 31 courses, whereas B.S.E majors must complete 36 courses.[225]

Students can choose from either 36 concentrations or create their own. They can also participate in
55 interdisciplinary certificate programs;[207] since Princeton does not offer an academic minor, the
certificates effectively serve as one.[226] Course structure is determined by the instructor and
department. Classes vary in their format, ranging from small seminars to medium-sized lecture
courses to large lecture courses.[227] The latter two typically have precepts, which are extra weekly
discussion sessions that are led by either the professor or a graduate student.[227][228] The average class
meeting time is 3–4 hours a week, although this can vary depending on the course.[227] The student to
faculty ratio is 5 to 1,[228] and a majority of classes have fewer than 20 students.[223] In the Fiske
Guide to Colleges, academic culture is considered as "tight-knit, extremely hardworking, highly
cooperative, and supportive."[70]

Undergraduates agree to adhere to an academic integrity policy called the Honor Code. Under the
Honor Code, faculty do not proctor examinations; instead, the students proctor one another and must
report any suspected violation to an Honor Committee made up of undergraduates.[229] The
Committee investigates reported violations and holds a hearing if it is warranted. An acquittal at
such a hearing results in the destruction of all records of the hearing; a conviction results in the
student's suspension or expulsion.[230] Violations pertaining to all other academic work fall under the
jurisdiction of the Faculty-Student Committee on Discipline.[231] Undergraduates are expected to sign
a pledge on their written work affirming that they have not plagiarized the work.[232]

Grade deflation policy

The first focus on issues of grade inflation by the Princeton administration began in 1998 when a
university report was released showcasing a steady rise in undergraduate grades from 1973 to 1997.
[233][234]
Subsequent reports and discussion from the report culminated to when in 2004,[233] Nancy
Weiss Malkiel, the Dean of the College, implemented a grade deflation policy to address the
findings.[235] Malkiel's reason for the policy was that an A was becoming devalued as a larger
percentage of the student body received one.[235] Following its introduction, the number of A's and
average GPA on campus dropped, although A's and B's were still the most frequent grades awarded.
[234][236]
The policy received mixed approval from both faculty and students when first instituted.[233]
[237]
Criticism for grade deflation continued through the years, with students alleging negative effects
like increased competition and lack of willingness to choose challenging classes.[235][238] Other
criticism included job market and graduate school prospects, although Malkiel responded by saying
that she sent 3,000 letters to numerous institutions and employers informing them.[234][235] In 2009,
transcripts began including a statement about the policy.[239]

In October 2013, Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber created a faculty committee to review
the deflation policy.[239] In August 2014, the committee released a report recommending the removal
of the policy and instead develop consistent standards for grading across individual departments.[240]
In October 2014, following a faculty vote, the numerical targets were removed in response to the
report.[241] In a 2020 analysis of undergraduate grades following the removal of a policy, there were
no long-lasting effects, with the percent of students receiving A's higher than in 1998.[242]

A picture of Cleveland Tower, part of the Graduate School at Princeton

Graduate

For the 2019–2020 academic year, the Graduate School enrolled 2,971 students. Approximately
40% of the students were female, 42% were international, and 35% of domestic students were a
member of a U.S. minority group. The average time to complete a doctoral degree was 5.7 years.[243]
The university awarded 318 Ph.D. degrees and 174 final master's degrees for the 2019–2020
academic year.[243]

The Graduate School offers degrees in 42 academic departments and programs, which span the
humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering.[243][207] Doctoral education is available
for all departments while master's degrees are only available in the architecture, engineering,
finance, and public policy departments.[244] Doctoral education focuses on original, independent
scholarship whereas master's degrees focus more on career preparation in both public life and
professional practice. Graduate students can also concentrate in an interdisciplinary program and be
granted a certificate. Joint degrees are available for several disciplines, as are dual M.D./Ph.D. or
M.P.A./J.D. programs.[207][d]

Students in the graduate school can participate in regional cross-registration agreements, domestic
exchanges with other Ivy League schools and similar institutions, and in international partnerships
and exchanges.[245]

Rankings

Academic rankings
National
ARWU[246] 5
Forbes[247] 3
THE/WSJ[248] 7
U.S. News & World Report[249] 1
Washington Monthly[250] 5
 Global
ARWU[251] 6
QS[252] 20
THE[253] 9
U.S. News & World Report[254] 16

Princeton ranked first in the 2021 U.S. News rankings for the tenth consecutive year.[255][256]
Princeton ranked fourth for undergrad teaching for 2021, falling from first place in the 2020
rankings.[256] In the 2022 Times Higher Education assessment of the world's best universities,
Princeton was ranked 7th.[257] In the 2022 QS World University Rankings, it was ranked 20th overall
in the world.[258]

In the 2021 U.S. News & World Report "Graduate School Rankings," 13 of Princeton's 14 graduate
programs were ranked in their respective top 10 (with Engineering 22nd), 7 of them in the top 5, and
two in the top spot (Economics and Mathematics).[259]

Research

Princeton is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity."[260] Based
on data for the 2020 fiscal year, the university received approximately $250 million in sponsored
research for its main campus, with 81.4% coming from the government, 12.1% from foundations,
5.5% from industry, and 1.0% from private and other. An additional $120 million in sponsored
research was for the Plasma Physics Lab; the main campus and the lab combined totaled to $370
million for sponsored research.[261] Based on 2017 data, the university ranked 72nd among 902
institutions for research expenditures.[262]

Based on 2018 data, Princeton's National Academy Membership totaled to 126, ranking 9th in the
nation.[263] The university hosts 75 research institutes and centers and two national laboratories.[264]
Princeton is a member of the New Jersey Space Grant Consortium.[265]

Library system
Firestone Library, the largest of Princeton's libraries

The Princeton University Library system houses over 13 million holdings through 11 buildings,[266]
including seven million bound volumes, making it one of the largest university libraries in the
world.[15] Built in 1948, the main campus library is Firestone Library and serves as the main
repository for the humanities and social sciences.[266] Its collections include the autographed
manuscript of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby[267] and George F. Kennan's Long Telegram.[268]
In addition to Firestone library, specialized libraries exist for architecture, art and archaeology, East
Asian studies, engineering, music, public and international affairs, public policy and university
archives, and the sciences.[269] The library system provides access to subscription-based electronic
resources and databases to students.[270]

National laboratories

The Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) stemmed from Project
Matterhorn, a top secret cold war project created in 1951 aimed at achieving controlled nuclear
fusion.[271] Princeton astrophysics professor Lyman Spitzer became the first director of the project
and remained director until the lab's declassification in 1961 when it received its current name.[271]
Today, it is an institute for fusion energy research and plasma physics research.[272]

Founded in 1955 and located at Princeton's Forrestal Campus since 1968, the NOAA's Geophysical
Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) conducts climate research and modeling.[273][274] Princeton
faculty, research scientists, and graduate scientists can participate in research with the lab.[273]

Admissions and financial aid

Admissions

Admissions statistics
2019 entering
class[275]Change vs.
2014[276]

Admit rate 5.8%

(  −1.6)

Yield rate 70.4%

(  +4.2)
Test scores middle 50%
SAT EBRW 710–770
SAT Math 750–800
(  +20 median)

ACT Composite 33–35

(  +1.5 median)
High school GPA
Average 3.91
(  no change)

Princeton offers several methods to apply: the Common Application, the Coalition Application, and
the QuestBridge Application.[277][278] Princeton's application requires several writing supplements and
submitting a graded written paper.[277]

Princeton's undergraduate program is highly selective, admitting 5.8% of undergraduate applicants

in the 2019–2020 admissions cycle (for the Class of 2024).[5] The middle 50% range of SAT scores
was 1470–1560, the middle 50% range of the ACT composite score was 33–35, and the average
high school GPA was a 3.91.[5] For graduate admissions, in the 2021–2022 academic year, Princeton
received 12,553 applications for admission and accepted 1,322 applicants, with a yield rate of 51%.
[243]

In the 1950s, Princeton used an ABC system to function as a precursory early program, where
admission officers would visit feeder schools and assign A, B, or C ratings to students.[279][e] From
1977 to 1995, Princeton employed an early action program, and in 1996, transitioned to an early
decision program.[280] In September 2006, the university announced that all applicants for the Class
of 2012 would be considered in a single pool, ending the school's early decision program.[281] In
February 2011, following decisions by the University of Virginia and Harvard University to
reinstate their early admissions programs, Princeton announced it would institute a single-choice
early action option for applicants,[280] which it still uses.[277]

Princeton reinstated its transfer students program in 2018 after a three decades moratorium; the
program encourages applicants from low-income families, the military, and community colleges.[282]
[283]

Costs and financial aid

As of the 2021–2022 academic year, the total cost of attendance is $77,690.[284] 61% of all
undergraduates receive financial aid, with the average financial aid grant being $57,251.[5] Tuition,
room, and board is free for families making up to $65,000, and financial aid is offered to families
making up to $180,000.[285] In 2001, expanding on earlier reforms, Princeton became the first
university to eliminate the use of student loans in financial aid, replacing them with grants.[125][70] In
addition, all admissions are need-blind, and financial aid meets 100% of demonstrated financial
need.[286] The university does not use academic or athletic merit scholarships.[287]

Kiplinger magazine in 2019 ranked Princeton as the fifth best value school in a combined list
comparing private universities, private liberal arts colleges, and public colleges, noting that the
average graduating debt was $9,005.[288] For its 2021 rankings, the U.S. News & World Report
ranked it second in its category for "Best Value Schools."[256]

Student life and culture

Residential colleges

The university guarantees housing for students for all four years,[289] with more than 98% of
undergraduates living on campus.[290] Freshman and sophomores are required to live on campus,
specifically in one of the University's six residential colleges. Once put into a residential college,
students have an upperclassmen residential college adviser to adjust to college life and a faculty
academic adviser for academic guidance.[291] Upperclassmen are given the option to keep living in
the college or decide to move into upperclassmen dorms;[290] upperclassmen still remain affiliated
with their college even if they live somewhere else.[70]

Each residential college has its own distinct layout and architecture.[291] Additionally, each college
has its own faculty head, dean, director of studies, and director of student life. The colleges feature
various amenities, such as dining halls, common rooms, laundry rooms, academic spaces, and arts
and entertainment resources. Three of the colleges house students from all classes while the other
three house only underclassmen.[292]

Princeton's residential college system dates back to when university president Woodrow Wilson's
proposed the creation of quadrangles.[83] While the plan was vetoed,[83] it eventually made a
resurgence with the creation of Wilson Lodge (now known as First College) in 1957 to provide an
alternative to the eating clubs.[293] Wilson Lodge was dedicated as Wilson College in 1968 and
served as an experiment for the residential college system. When enrollment increased in the 1970s,
a university report in 1979 recommended the establishment of five residential colleges.[294] Funding
was raised within a year,[295] leading to the development of Rockefeller College (1982), Mathey
College (1983), Butler College (1983), and Forbes College (1984).[293] Whitman College was
founded and constructed in 2007 at a cost of $100 million.[296] Butler's dorms were demolished in
2007 and a new complex was built in 2009.[297] Butler and Mathey previously acted as only
underclassmen colleges, but transitioned to four-year colleges in fall 2009.[298] Princeton is scheduled
to open up two new residential colleges—Resident College 7 and Residential College 8—in time for
the 2022–2023 academic year.[299][f]

Princeton has one graduate residential college, known as the Graduate College, located on a hill
about half a mile from the main campus.[301][g] The location of the Graduate College was the result of
a dispute between Woodrow Wilson and then-Graduate School Dean Andrew Fleming West. Wilson
preferred a central location for the college; West wanted the graduate students as far as possible
from the campus, and ultimately, he prevailed.[303] The Graduate College is composed of a large
Collegiate Gothic section crowned by Cleveland Tower,[301] a memorial tower for former Princeton
trustee Grover Cleveland.[304][305] The tower also has 67 carillon bells, making it one of the largest
carillons in the world.[306] The attached New Graduate College provides a modern contrast in
architectural style to the gothic Old Graduate College.[307] Graduate students also have the option of
living in student apartments.[308]

First College (founded 1957)

Forbes College (founded 1984)

Mathey College (founded 1983)

Rockefeller College (founded 1982)


 Butler College (founded 1983)

Whitman College (founded 2007)

Eating clubs and dining

Founded in 1879, Ivy Club is the oldest and wealthiest eating club on campus

Although each residential college has a dining hall for students in the college, they each vary in their
environment and food served.[309][310] Upperclassmen who no longer live in the college can choose
from a variety of options: join an eating club and choose a shared meal plan; join a dining co-op,
where groups of students eat, prepare, and cook food together; or organize their own dining.[309] The
university offers kosher dining through the Center for Jewish Life and halal dining options for
Muslim students in the dining halls.[309]

Social life takes place primarily on campus and is involved heavily with one's residential college or
eating club.[289][144] Residential colleges host a variety of social events and activities, ranging from
Broadway show outings to regular barbecues.[291] Eating clubs, while not affiliated with the
university, are co-ed organizations that serve as social centers, host events, and invite guest
speakers.[311][70] Additionally, they serve as a place of community for upperclassmen.[311][144] Five of
the clubs have first-serve memberships called "sign-ins" and six clubs use a selective process, in
which students must "bicker."[312] This requires prospective members to undergo an interviewing
process.[313] Each eating club has a fee to join which ranges from around $9,000 to $10,000. As a
result, Princeton increases financial aid for upperclassmen, and the eating clubs also offer financial
assistance.[314][315] Cumulatively, there is ten clubs located on Prospect Avenue—Cannon, Cap and
Gown, Charter, Cloister, Colonial, Cottage, Ivy, Quadrangle, Tiger, and Tower—and one located on
Washington Road—Terrace.[316][312] 68% of upperclassmen are members of a club, with each one
containing around 150 to 200 students[312]

Campus organizations

Princeton hosts around 500 recognized student organizations and several campus centers.[290]
The Undergraduate Student Government (USG) serves as Princeton's student government.[317] The
USG funds student organization events, sponsors campus events, and represents the undergraduate
student body when convening with faculty and administration.[317]

Whig Hall, where the American Whig-Cliosophic Society resides.

Founded in about 1765, the American Whig-Cliosophic Society is the nation's oldest collegiate
political, literary, and debate society,[318][144] and is the largest and oldest student organization on
campus.[319] The Whig-Clio Society has several subsidiary organizations, each specialized to
different areas of politics: the Princeton Debate Panel, International Relations Council, Princeton
Mock Trial, and Princeton Model Congress.[320] The International Relations Council manages two
Model United Nations conferences: the Princeton Diplomatic Invitational (PDI) for collegiate
competition and the Princeton Model United Nations Conference (PMUNC) for high school
competition.[321]

There are several publications on campus and a radio station. Founded in 1876, The Daily
Princetonian, otherwise known as The Prince, is the second oldest college daily student newspaper
in the United States.[322][323] Other publications include The Nassau Literary Review,[324] the Princeton
Tory, a campus journal of conservative thought,[325] The Princeton Diplomat, the only student-run
magazine on global affairs,[326] the Princeton Political Review, the only multi-partisan political
publication on campus,[327] and the recently revived Princeton Progressive, the only left-leaning
political publication on campus,[328] among others. Princeton's WPRB (103.3 FM) radio station is the
oldest licensed college radio station in the nation.[144]

The McCarter Theatre, where the Princeton Triangle Club premiers its Triangle Show.[329]

Princeton is home to a variety of performing arts and music groups. Many of the groups are
represented by the Performing Arts Council.[330] Dating back to 1883, the Princeton Triangle Club is
America's oldest touring musical-comedy theater group.[331][332] It performs its annual Triangle Show
every fall at the 1,000 seat McCarter Theatre,[333][329] as well as original musical comedies, revues,
and other shows throughout campus.[332] Princeton's oldest choir is the Glee Club, which began in
1874.[334] The comedic scramble Tiger Band was formed in 1919 and plays at halftime shows and
other events.[335] Other groups include the Princeton University Orchestra, the flagship symphony
orchestra group founded in 1896,[336] and the Princeton Symphony Orchestra,[337] both of which
perform at Alexander Hall.[338][336]

A cappella groups are a staple of campus life, with many holding concerts, informal shows, and arch
sings.[334][339] Arch sings are where a cappella performances are held in one of Princeton's many
gothic arches. The oldest a cappella ensemble is the Nassoons, which were formed in 1941. All-
male groups include the Tigertones (1946) and Footnotes (1959); all-female groups include the
Tigerlilies (1971), Tigressions (1981), Wildcats (1987); the oldest coed a cappella group in the Ivy
League is the Princeton Katzenjammers (1973), which was followed by the Roaring 20 (1983) and
Shere Khan (1994).[339]

Princeton features several campus centers for students that provide resources and information for
students with certain identities. These include the Center for Jewish Life, the Davis International
Center, the Carl A. Fields Center for Equality and Cultural Understanding, the Women's Center, and
the LGBT Center. The Frist Campus Center and the Campus Club are additional facilities for the
entire campus community that hold various activities and events.[290]

Princeton features 15 chaplaincies and multiple religious student groups. The following faiths are
represented on campus: Baha'i, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Sikhism, and
Unitarian Universalism.[340]

Traditions

Princeton students partake in a wide variety of campus traditions, both past and present.[341]

FitzRandolph Gates, which by tradition undergraduates do not exit until graduation.

Current traditions Princeton students celebrate include the ceremonial bonfire, which takes place on
the Cannon Green behind Nassau Hall. It is held only if Princeton beats both Harvard University and
Yale University at football in the same season.[342] Another tradition is the use of traditional college
cheers at events and reunions, like the "Locomotive", which dates back to before 1894.[343][344]
Princeton students abide by the tradition of never exiting the campus through FitzRandolph Gates
until one graduates. According to tradition, anyone who exits campus before their graduation will
not graduate.[345][346] A more controversial tradition is Newman's Day, where some students attempt
to drink 24 beers in the 24 hours of April 24. According to The New York Times, "the day got its
name from an apocryphal quote attributed to Paul Newman: '24 beers in a case, 24 hours in a day.
Coincidence? I think not.'"[347] Newman has spoken out against the tradition.[347] One of the biggest
traditions celebrated annually are Reunions, which are massive annual gatherings of alumni.[348] At
Reunions, a traditional parade of alumni and their families, known as the "P-rade", process through
the campus.[349]

Princeton also has several traditions that have faded into the past. One of the them was clapper theft,
the act of climbing to the top of Nassau Hall to steal the bell clapper, which rings to signal the start
of classes on the first day of the school year. For safety reasons, the clapper was permanently
removed.[350] Another was the Nude Olympics, an annual nude and partially nude frolic in Holder
Courtyard that used to take place during the first snow of the winter. Started in the early 1970s, the
Nude Olympics went co-educational in 1979 and gained much notoriety with the American press.
Due to issues of sexual harassment and safety reasons, the administration banned the Olympics in
2000 to the disappointment of students.[351][352]

Alma mater

Old Nassau (0:52)

Menu
0:00

Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Old Nassau" has been Princeton University's school song since 1859, when it was written that year
by freshman Harlan Page Peck. It was originally published in the Nassau Literary Magazine, where
it won the magazine's prize for best college song. After an unsuccessful attempt at singing it to Auld
Lang Syne's melody, Karl Langlotz, a Princeton professor, wrote the music for it.[353] In 1987, the
university changed the gendered lyrics of "Old Nassau" to reflect the school's co-educational student
body.[354]

Transportation

Tiger Transit is the bus system of the university, mostly open to the public and linking university
campuses and areas around Princeton.[355] NJ Transit provides bus service on the 600, 606 and 609
lines and rail service on the Dinky, a small commuter train that provides service to the Princeton
Junction Station.[356] Coach USA, through their subsidiary Suburban Transit, provides bus service to
New York City and other destinations in New Jersey.[356]

Student body
Undergraduate racial demographics for the 2020–2021 academic year[357]

  White (39%)
  Asian (29%)
  Hispanic (12%)
  Black (10%)
  Multiracial (6%)
  Unknown (4%)
Based on data from the 2019–2020 academic year, Princeton enrolled 5,422 undergraduates, 2,971
postgraduates, and 26 other graduates enrolled in credit courses, making a total school population of
8,419.[5] Total enrollment was split 54% male and 46% female.[5] For the 2020–2021 academic year,
racial demographics for undergraduates was roughly 29% Asian, 10% Black, 12% Hispanic, 39%
White, 6% Multiracial, and 4% Unknown.[357] Master's and doctoral students followed relatively
similar trends.[357] According to the Fiske Guide of Colleges, the student body is considered racially
and ethnically diverse, although some students consider there to be social stratification.[70]

Princeton has made significant progress in expanding the diversity of its student body in recent
years. The 2021 admitted freshman class was one of the most diverse in the school's history, with
68% of students identifying as students of color.[358] The university has worked to increase its
enrollment of first-generation and low-income students in recent years.[359] The median family
income of Princeton students is $186,100, with 72% of students coming from the top 20% highest-
earning families.[360] In 2017, 22% of freshman qualified for federal Pell Grants, above the 16%
average for the top 150 schools ranked by the U.S. News & World Report; nationwide, the average
was 44%.[361] Based on data in a 2019 article in The Daily Princetonian, 10% of students hail from
Bloomberg's 2018 list of "100 richest places", and that the top 20% of high schools send as many
students to Princeton as the bottom 80%.[362]

In 1999, 10% of the student body was Jewish, a percentage lower than those at other Ivy League
schools. 16% of the student body was Jewish in 1985; the number decreased by 40% from 1985 to
1999. This decline prompted The Daily Princetonian to write a series of articles on the decline and
its reasons. The New York Observer wrote that Princeton was "long dogged by a reputation for anti-
Semitism" and that this history as well as Princeton's elite status caused the university and its
community to feel sensitivity towards the decrease of Jewish students. In the Observer, several
theories are proposed for the drop, ranging from campus culture to changing admission policies to
national patterns.[363] As of 2021, according to the Center for Jewish Life on campus, the university
has approximately 700 Jewish students.[364]

Starting in 1967, African American enrollment surged from 1.7% to 10% but has stagnated ever
since.[365] Bruce M. Wright was admitted into the university in 1936 as the first African American,
however, his admission was a mistake and when he got to campus he was asked to leave. Three
years later Wright asked the dean for an explanation on his dismissal and the dean suggested to him
that "a member of your race might feel very much alone" at Princeton University.[366] Princeton
wouldn't admit its first Black students till in 1945 when Princeton instituted the V-12 program on
campus.[367] In 1947, John L. Howard, one of the four naval cadets admitted to the program, would
become the first Black student to graduate with a bachelor's degree.[368][369]

Athletics
Princeton's mascot is the tiger.

Princeton supports organized athletics at three levels: varsity intercollegiate, club intercollegiate,
and intramural. It also provides "a variety of physical education and recreational programs" for
members of the Princeton community.[370] Most undergraduates participate in athletics at some level.
[371]
Princeton's colors are orange and black.[372] The school's athletes are known as the Tigers, and
the mascot is a tiger.[372][373] The Princeton administration considered naming the mascot in 2007, but
the effort was dropped in the face of alumni opposition.[374]

Varsity

Main article: Princeton Tigers

Princeton vs. Lehigh football, September 2007

Princeton hosts 37 men's and women's varsity sports.[371] Princeton is an NCAA Division I school,
with its athletic conference being the Ivy League.[372] Its rowing teams compete in the Eastern
Association of Rowing Colleges, and its men's volleyball team competes in the Eastern
Intercollegiate Volleyball Association.[375] Princeton's sailing team, though a club sport, competes at
the varsity level in the MAISA conference of the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association.[376]

Princeton's football team competes in the Football Championship Subdivision of NCAA Division I
with the rest of the Ivy League.[377] Princeton played against Rutgers University in the first
intercollegiate football game in the U.S. on November 6, 1869; Rutgers won the game.[378] As of
2021, Princeton claims 28 national football championships, which would make it the most of any
school, although the NCAA only recognizes 15 of the wins.[379][380] With its last win being in 2018,
Princeton has won 12 Ivy League championships.[381] In 1951, Dick Kazmaier won Princeton its only
Heisman Trophy, the last to come from the Ivy League.[382]

The men's basketball program is noted for its success under Pete Carril, the head coach from 1967 to
1996. During this time, Princeton won 13 Ivy League titles and made 11 NCAA tournament
appearances.[383] Carril introduced the Princeton offense, an offensive strategy that has since been
adopted by a number of college and professional basketball teams.[383][384] Carril's final victory at
Princeton came when the Tigers beat UCLA, the defending national champion, in the opening round
of the 1996 NCAA tournament.[383] On December 14, 2005, Princeton tied the record for the fewest
points in a Division I game since the institution of the three-point line in 1986–87, when the Tigers
scored 21 points in a loss against Monmouth University.[385]

Princeton women's soccer team advanced to the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship
semi-finals in 2004, becoming the first Ivy League team to do so in a 64 team setting.[386][387] The
men's soccer team was coached from 1984 to 1995 by Princeton alumnus and future United States
men's national team manager Bob Bradley, who lead the Tigers to win two Ivy League titles and
make an appearance at the NCAA Final Four in 1993.[388] Princeton's men's lacrosse program
undertook a period of notable success from 1992 to 2001, during which time it won six national
championships.[389] In 2012, its field hockey team became the first in the Ivy League to win a
national championship.[390]

Princeton has won at least one Ivy League title every year since 1957, and it became the first
university in its conference to win over 500 Ivy League athletic championships.[390] From 1896 to
2018, 113 athletes from Princeton have competed in the Olympics, winning 19 gold medals, 24
silver medals, and 23 bronze medals.[391]

Club and intramural

The annual Cane Spree depicted in 1877

In addition to varsity sports, Princeton hosts 37 club sports teams, which are open to all Princeton
students of any skill level.[392] Teams compete against other collegiate teams both in the Northeast
and nationally.[392] The intramural sports program is also available on campus, which schedules
competitions between residential colleges, eating clubs, independent groups, students, and faculty
and staff.[290][393] Several leagues with differing levels of competitiveness are available.[394]

In the fall, freshman and sophomores participate in the intramural athletic competition called Cane
Spree. Although the event centers on cane wrestling, freshman and sophomores compete in other
sports and competitions. This commemorates a time in the 1870s when sophomores, angry with the
freshmen who strutted around with fancy canes, stole all of the canes from the freshmen, hitting
them with their own canes in the process.[395]

Notable people
For a more comprehensive list, see List of Princeton University people and List of Nobel laureates
affiliated with Princeton University as alumni or faculty.
Alumni

Main category: Princeton University alumni

James Madison, 4th President of the United States

Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States

Samuel Alito, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States


Elena Kagan, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

Jerome Powell, Chair of the Federal Reserve

Michelle Obama, former First Lady of the United States

Aaron Burr, 3rd Vice President of the United States

 Jeff Bezos, founder and Executive Chairman of Amazon

Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google



F. Scott Fitzgerald, novelist

John Forbes Nash Jr., mathematician

David Petraeus, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency

Brooke Shields, actress

Ralph Nader, political activist



George Will, libertarian-conservative political commentator

Carl Icahn, hedge fund manager

Meg Whitman, former CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise

John Stossel, television presenter

Eliot Spitzer, former Governor of New York



Donald Rumsfeld, former U.S. Secretary of Defense

John Foster Dulles, former U.S. Secretary of State

David Duchovny, actor

Benjamin Rush, Founding Father of the United States

James Baker, former White House Chief of Staff

 

Bill Bradley, former U.S. Senator and former NBA player

U.S. Presidents James Madison and Woodrow Wilson and Vice Presidents George M. Dallas, John
Breckinridge, and Aaron Burr graduated from Princeton,[396] as did Michelle Obama, the former First
Lady of the United States.[397] Former Chief Justice of the United States Oliver Ellsworth was an
alumnus, as are current U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justices Samuel Alito, Elena Kagan, and
Sonia Sotomayor.[398] Alumnus Jerome Powell was appointed as Chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve
Board in 2018.[399]

Princeton graduates played a major role in the American Revolution, including the first and last
Colonels to die on the Patriot side Philip Johnston[400] and Nathaniel Scudder,[401] as well as the
highest ranking civilian leader on the British side David Mathews.[402]

Notable graduates of Princeton's School of Engineering and Applied Science include Apollo
astronaut and commander of Apollo 12 Pete Conrad,[403] Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos,[404]
former Chairman of Alphabet Inc. Eric Schmidt,[405] and Lisa P. Jackson, former Administrator of
the Environmental Protection Agency.[406]

Actors Jimmy Stewart,[407] Wentworth Miller,[408] José Ferrer,[409] David Duchovny,[410] and Brooke
Shields[411] graduated from Princeton as did composers Edward T. Cone and Milton Babbitt.[412]
Soccer-player alumna, Diana Matheson, scored the game-winning goal that earned Canada their
Olympic bronze medal in 2012.[413]

The Princeton University Class of 1879, which included Woodrow Wilson, Mahlon Pitney, Daniel
Barringer, and Charles Talcott

Writers Booth Tarkington,[414] F. Scott Fitzgerald,[415] and Eugene O'Neill[416] attended but did not
graduate. Writer Selden Edwards[417] and poet W. S. Merwin[418] graduated from Princeton. American
novelist Jodi Picoult[419] and author David Remnick[420] graduated. Pulitzer prize-winning journalists
Barton Gellman[421] and Lorraine Adams,[422] as well as Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa,[423]
are Princeton alumni.
William P. Ross, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation and founding editor of the Cherokee
Advocate, graduated in 1844.[424]

Notable graduate alumni include Pedro Pablo Kuczynski,[425] Thornton Wilder,[426] Richard Feynman,
[427]
Lee Iacocca,[428] John Nash,[429] Alonzo Church,[430] Alan Turing,[431] Terence Tao,[432] Edward
Witten,[433] John Milnor,[434] John Bardeen,[435] Steven Weinberg,[436] John Tate,[437] and David
Petraeus.[438] Royals such as Prince Moulay Hicham of Morocco,[439] Prince Turki bin Faisal Al Saud,
[440]
and Queen Noor of Jordan[441] have attended Princeton.

Faculty

Main category: Princeton University faculty

As of 2021, notable current faculty members include Angus Deaton,[442] Daniel Kahneman,[443]
Cornel West,[444] Robert Keohane,[445] Edward W. Felten,[446] Anthony Grafton,[447] Peter Singer,[448]
Jhumpa Lahiri,[449] Jim Peebles,[450] Manjul Bhargava,[451] Brian Kernighan,[452] and Robert P. George.
[453]
Notable former faculty members include John Witherspoon,[454] Walter Kaufmann,[455] John von
Neumann,[456] Ben Bernanke,[457] Paul Krugman,[458] Joseph Henry,[459] Toni Morrison,[460] Joyce Carol
Oates,[461] Michael Mullen,[462] Andrew Wiles,[463] and alumnus Woodrow Wilson.[396]

Albert Einstein, though on the faculty at the Institute for Advanced Study rather than at Princeton,
came to be associated with the university through frequent lectures and visits on the campus.[464]