Because of the pandemic, the University didn’t offer Early Action admissions last fall; all applications were due January 1. Still, 10.6 percent of survey respondents were admitted through Early Action, a group composed of those who were admitted to the Class of 2024 and took a gap year. 9.4 percent were admitted through QuestBridge, a stark increase from last year’s survey results of 0.81 percent.

At least 39 percent of survey respondents were admitted to another Ivy League school, most commonly the University of Pennsylvania. 15 respondents reported getting into five or more other Ivies (not counting Princeton) and four respondents reported getting into every school in the Ivy League. Survey respondents from the Class of 2025 reported getting into Ivy League schools at a much higher rate than their peers in the Class of 2024, but we aren’t sure why. The survey had a nominal increase in sample size, but not enough to drive such a shift. Did the Ivy League have a greater number of cross-admits this year? Did Princeton do a better job than its peers at recruiting this year? Did the removal of single-choice early action cause students to apply to a greater number of schools?

Outside of class, students stayed busy, performing sensational solos and authoring breaking news. Acting in the service of humanity, three quarters of respondents engaged with community service in high school while over half participated in varsity athletics. 41.6 percent of respondents found employment during the school year and 30.5 percent reported substantial at-home responsibilities.

Members of the Class of 2025 are no strangers to academic rigor. Over 50 respondents reported taking 15 or more AP classes and 255 reported taking 10 or more. In addition, 93.5 percent took some form of Calculus in high school while 62.9 percent of respondents reported studying for more than 15 hours every week.

While the University didn’t mandate test scores for the Class of 2025, over 89 percent of survey respondents reported a score to the ‘Prince.’ In line with publicly accessible University data, the median reported ACT score was a 34 and the median SAT score was a 1510. A fair amount of students got perfect scores — 7 on the SAT and 58 on the ACT. Around one-third indicated that they received private assistance in preparing for college admission tests or writing college applications.

Recruited athletes scored significantly lower on standardized tests than their non-recruited peers. Of athletes who reported their scores, over half received a 1390 or below — just over seven percent of non-athletes received a comparable mark. On the ACT, 51.1 percent of non-recruits who reported their scores got a 35 or a 36, compared to 12.5 percent of recruits.

As the University went test-optional for the Class of 2025, a number of students took the SAT and chose not to report it. In aggregate, those who chose to withhold their scores achieved a worse result on the test, with 49 percent of those who didn’t submit scoring a 1450 or below, compared to just 15.2 percent of those who did. On the other end of the chart, 3.5 percent of those who did not submit scored a 1560 or higher, compared to 32.5 percent of those who did.

Though respondents were most commonly undecided about their concentration, the most popular intentions were Computer Science and the School of Public and International Affairs while nobody indicated Spanish and Portuguese, Slavic Languages and Literatures, or German as their concentrations of choice. Over 15 percent of respondents indicated an interest in a certificate in Finance, with Creative Writing and Entrepreneurship trailing in the second and third positions, respectively.

Male respondents are significantly more likely than female respondents to declare BSE, though the engineering disparity is significantly less pronounced than the national average.

Though they’re just starting school, the Class of 2025 doesn’t seem to have much intention of leaving college. 41.5 percent of respondents indicated a career interest in Academia, followed by Government/Politics and Business. All the same, respondents remained open to change and uncertainty, with 72.3 percent listing three or more fields.