Financial Aid
Princeton Merit Scholarships and Financial Aid
Princeton left the merit aid lines of its Common Data Set blank.
Merit aid
Scholarships Princeton gave to first-year students who had no financial need.
Average merit award
Not reported
Freshmen who got one
Not reported
of 1,404 in the class
Share of those without need
Not reported
who received merit aid
Need-based aid
For first-year students the college found to have financial need.
Average need-based grant
$79,320
Average percent of need met
100%
Freshmen with need
71%
991 students
The average total aid package, which can include loans and work-study, was $79,320.
How to read these numbers
- Merit aid is awarded for grades, scores, or talent. Need-based aid is awarded for family finances. A student can receive both.
- The merit figures count only students with no financial need, so they show what a family that will not qualify for need-based aid can expect.
- A grant does not have to be repaid. A package can include loans, which do.
Frequently asked questions
Does Princeton give merit scholarships?
Princeton left the merit aid lines of its Common Data Set blank.
Does Princeton meet full financial need?
Princeton reports meeting 100% of need on average for first-year students who were awarded need-based aid.
What share of Princeton freshmen have financial need?
991 of 1,404 first-time, full-time freshmen, or 71%, were found to have financial need.
Source: Princeton’s own Common Data Set 2025-26, Section H, for first-time, full-time freshmen. Last checked 2026-10-08. These are averages for one entering class, and some colleges report the prior year’s class in this section. Your own offer depends on your family’s finances and your application.
