Statement of Academic Purpose
Applicants will be required to upload a statement of academic purpose with the admission application in the space provided. Please write a statement of current academic and future career plans as they relate to the Princeton department to which the applicant is applying. In doing so, please cite relevant academic, professional and personal experiences that influenced the decision to apply for graduate admission and to obtain a graduate degree. The statement should not exceed 1,000 words and must be written in English.
Please be sure to review the final statement before uploading it and submitting the admission application. If an applicant submitted an application and needs to revise the statement of academic purpose, the applicant may upload the corrected version through the checklist if it is before the deadline. After the deadline, no revised statement of academic purpose will be accepted.
Applicants to the Department of Physics only notes that it is not necessary to describe how one became interested in physics. Applicants are usually better served by devoting the statement to a description of their research background and interests. However, if an applicant's path to applying to the Princeton Department of Physics was unusual or compelling, please feel free to describe it. In any case, the Statement of Purpose should focus on specific research interests at Princeton and any relevant research experience.
Resume/Curriculum Vitae
Applicants will be required to upload a resume or curriculum vitae with the admission application in the space provided. Resumes or curricula vitae should include employment, activities, community service, education, and academic or professional honors.
Applicants should be sure to review the final resume or curriculum vitae before uploading it and submitting an admission application. If an applicant submitted an application and needs to revise the resume or curriculum vitae, the applicant may upload the corrected version through the checklist if it is before the deadline. After the deadline, no revised resume of curriculum vitae will be accepted.
Recommendation Letters
In order to apply for admission to the Graduate School, an applicant must supply three electronic letters of recommendation. The letters must be written in English and come from faculty members or other individuals well acquainted with the applicant's academic work.
Applicants to the Woodrow Wilson School M.P.A. and M.P.P. programs only must have one professional letter in addition to one academic reference letter. The third letter should come from a faculty member, administrator, or professional who can comment on commitment to public service.
The letters of recommendation must be submitted using our electronic recommendation service as part of the admission application. The applicant will be required to register the recommenders' email addresses within the application. Recommenders will then receive an email with directions on how to proceed. We suggest registering recommenders as early as possible to allow sufficient time for them to submit their letters of recommendation. An application does not need to be submitted in order to register recommenders. Please do not wait to submit an application because of pending letters.
If a recommender uses a letter service (e.g., Interfolio) the applicant will still need to provide the recommender's information in the admission application. Each recommender's email must be unique. If two or more of the recommenders use the same letter service, the recommendation letters may be uploaded as a group under one of the registered recommenders. This is completely acceptable; however, it will not be reflected on the checklist. The Graduate Admission team suggests that the applicant confirms with the letter service that they submitted all the letters requested from them.
For more details on how to manage recommenders, please visit the checklist page.
If a recommender has used the CollegeNET application system previously, he or she will simply log in with the password he or she created. If the recommender has forgotten his or her password, he or she can request a new one by clicking the link in the email received and selecting "Request a New Password". For further assistance, email help@applyweb.com (link sends e-mail).
Transcripts
Applicants must upload a transcript including the key from all attended colleges or universities. An unofficial transcript must show the name of the student, name of the issuing institution, name of courses taken, and the grades received in those courses. Applicants with transcripts in languages other than English will need to upload an English translation along with such transcripts. Sealed copies of transcripts need to be opened, scanned, and uploaded. Transcripts should be scanned in black and white at a maximum resolution of 300dpi and no larger than 10MB. Screenshots from student portals will not be accepted as an unofficial transcript.
At the time of application, nothing needs to be mailed to the admission office. If offered admission and our offer is accepted, we require final official transcripts from every college or university from which the applicant had earned a degree.
Fall Semester Grades
Applicants will be encouraged to upload a current transcript which includes the fall semester grades from the college or university where currently enrolled. An applicant that is not a current student or the school does not provide fall semester grades will not have to provide this information.
If the fall semester grades are not available at the time of application submission, please log back into the application checklist and upload them when they become available. Screenshots from student portals will not be accepted as a current transcript.
Prerequisite Tests
Graduate School applicants are required to submit valid test scores to be considered for admission. International applicants must meet the English language proficiency requirements and may be required to submit TOEFL/IELTS test scores.
Test scores should be sent no later than three weeks before the deadline to ensure receipt of the official score report by the deadline.
English Language Tests
Graduate students must demonstrate a level of oral proficiency in the English language sufficient to participate successfully in all the various activities that comprise a graduate education, including classwork, research, research presentations, group meetings, project teamwork, and the teaching of undergraduates. Please view our English Language Proficiency policy for more information.
Writing Sample
Some departments require uploading a writing sample with the admission application in the space provided. Please be sure to review the document before uploading and submitting the application. An applicant may upload a revised version of the writing sample before the deadline of the department. After the deadline, no revised documents will be accepted.
Writing samples should be written in English unless otherwise noted. The Graduate School has no specific formatting requirements; however, each department may have set their own. Please click on the links below to learn more. For any questions about the writing sample, please contact the department directly.
Please refer to the upload requirements webpage for specific instructions on uploading materials.
Statement of Financial Resources
Applicants applying to a master's program will be required to fill out the Statement of Financial Resources during the application process.
The information provided on this form is not used when evaluating an application for admission. It will be reviewed by the Graduate School only if the department recommends an application for admission. Financial assistance for graduate students is awarded on the basis of academic merit, academic promise, and on the basis of financial need as indicated on this form.
There is no requirement to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form to apply for fellowship or assistantship awards at Princeton. All applicants are automatically considered for all available funding.
The Graduate School does not have a minimum TOEFL or IELTS score requirement. If you are offered admission and accept our offer and have scored below a 28 on the Speaking sub-section of the TOEFL iBT or below an 8.0 on the Speaking sub-section of the IELTS you will be required to take an English placement test at the start of the fall term. Students who do not pass the test will be required to enroll in English Language Program classes.
The Woodrow Wilson School requires a minimum score of 100 IBT for the TOEFL and 7.0 for the IELTS.