Demographics
The Class of 2028 has converged inside the Orange Bubble from as far as Bolivia, Ghana, and Moldova onto Old Nassau. Read more about the Class to find out more about their backgrounds, from their family and finances to their high schools and identities.
Geography
The Class of 2028 hails from all six populated continents and nearly all US states. Though nearly two-thirds of international students communicate primarily in a language other than English at home, most come from other English-speaking countries. Among domestic students, only nine percent come from a rural community.
Finances
Over 70 percent of the Class of 2028 reported receiving financial aid from the University, with 47.2 percent receiving partial aid, a 6.9 percent increase compared to the Class of 2027. Over a third of respondents felt either somewhat or very uncomfortable with the amount their family is paying for Princeton. Despite a newly redesigned Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), estimated to take only ten minutes to complete, 54.1 percent of incoming students reported taking over an hour to finish the application.
Identity
As the first class admitted after the elimination of affirmative action, the racial makeup of the Class of 2028 Frosh survey has remained remarkably similar to those in years past. This is consistent with the University’s published statistics remaining relatively unchanged in terms of racial makeup. At other universities such as Brown, however, the share of Black students in the freshman class was nearly halved in both official statistics and newspaper polls.
High School
The Class of 2028 has a diverse secondary schooling background with 52 percent of the Class having attended non-selective public schools. The other 48 percent is composed of private, selective public, and charter school graduates. Less than 8 percent of the Class of 2028 took a gap year prior to attending Princeton, yet 20 percent of former parochial and religious private school students took a year to pursue experiences prior to Princeton.
Family
Eighteen percent of the Class of 2028 have family who have attended the University, similar to the Class of 2027. Legacies as a whole, and especially multi-generational legacies, were significantly less likely than their peers to receive financial aid. 65 percent of the Class has parents who have completed a masters or professional degree or a doctorate.