Members of the Class of 2029 have actively contributed to their communities through service, worked diligently both in school and during summer jobs, and crushed standardized tests and their pre-college studies. Upon entering Princeton, they intend to explore a diverse range of subjects within the humanities and engineering, with a particular focus on potential earnings. Read more to learn about the academic skills and diversity of backgrounds that the Class of 2029 brings to campus.
Princeton was the first choice for 69 percent of students, but out of respondents who did not have Princeton as their top choice, approximately 70 percent preferred either MIT, Stanford, Harvard, or Yale. Around 80 percent of Princeton admits who declined their acceptances chose to attend one of those four schools, according to a September memo circulated to faculty. Around 18 percent of respondents reported using the free version of ChatGPT on their college essays, while about one-third said they used Grammarly.
Twenty percent of the Class of 2029 reported having cheated on examinations or assignments during high school. This statistic is similar to that of the Class of 2028, where 19.5 percent reported violating the honor code in high school.
Nearly three-quarters of the incoming class reported doing community service in high school. A large share of students also worked jobs, with 58 percent working in the summer and over a third working during the school year. More than half of students participated in honor societies, and 49 percent participated in varsity athletics. A small group — 2.5 percent of frosh — devoted at least 40 hours each week to extracurriculars.
Like last year, around 60 percent of the Class of 2029 intends to pursue a Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) degree — ten percentage points fewer than those who applied with the A.B. option. Meanwhile, 32 percent of the Class of 2029 intends to study engineering , the same percentage as that of the Class of 2028 who declared engineering majors last spring. Out of all intended career fields, future engineers were most likely to be in it for the money: nearly 45 percent of aspiring engineers indicated that one of their career aspirations was to make money.
About half of students admitted via regular decision attended a non-selective public high school, compared to only 43.4 percent admitted during early action. More than 80 percent of Questbridge admits attended a public school. Almost all high schools offered Advanced Placement (AP) courses, but IB offerings were comparatively low, representing just 17.1 percent of selective public schools and 15 percent of independent private schools.
Of the Class of 2029 members who took the ACT, about three-quarters achieved a 34 (the 99th percentile) or better. However, only 47 percent of those who took the SAT scored above a 1530, placing in the 99th percentile. Only three percent of non-athletes who took the SAT had a best score lower than a 1390 — the 93rd percentile — compared to 20 percent of recruited athletes. Princeton remains test-optional through the current 2025–2026 admissions cycle.