Princeton University

Yes, submitting a valid ACT or SAT score will now become mandatory from the 2027-28 session. Students interested in Fall 2028 admissions, will have to submit either of the two scores. It was stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the university has now decided to introduce this policy again.

The university, in its recent findings, discovered that students who did submit SAT or ACT scores, did much better in their studies on campus, than those who didn't.

The university does not have a specific requirement of IELTS scores. The requirement can vary for different courses. It generally ranges between 7.0-8.0 for most courses. Some courses may also ask for 8.5. Students are advised to check the course page for the course they wish to pursue.

For Graduate courses, a score of 8.0 is usually required. Students with a IELTS score less than that, a TOEFL Speaking score less than 27, or DET score less than 125, have to take a language test at Princeton University USA.

US News, THE, and QS have all ranked it highly in their country-level and global rankings. Given below is a comparison of its US and World Ranking of the last 3 years, as given by these prominent platforms.

MIT ranks #1 globally in the latest Shiksha and QS Rankings. It has ranked #1 for the last 3 years in the rankings given by QS. US News, however, ranks Harvard as the #1 university. MIT ranks #2 as part of its rankings. Times Higher Education ranks Oxford #1 for 2026, while MIT finishes at #2.

Princeton, Harvard, and Yale are considered the "Big 3". Their dominance in American College football being the reason. Also called "HYP", these 3 universities still remain rivals. Each of them have consistently ranked among the top 25 global universities for several years.

Harvard (#2) ranks above both Yale (#11) and Princeton (#12) in the latest global rankings given by Shiksha.

Princeton has a more thesis-based education culture. Other Ivy League universities have a more project-based culture. Given below is how Princeton University USA compares to the rest of the Ivy League.

Life for Indian students is generally very positive, per reviews posted by students on Shiksha Study Abroad. The teachers are considered very supportive and always ready to help. Students learn a lot on how to better manage their funds. Studies are manageable with a few part-time jobs.

Princeton is connected nicely with NYC. It usually takes only a couple of hours to get there by train.

Princeton does not have a minimum requirement for SAT. However, a score in the range of 1500-1580 should be enough, per an unofficial source. It also considers academics, curiosity, and leadership potential of a student.

Other requirements include LORs, SOPs, Essays and transcripts of past education.  Students have to submit their applications in advance to allow enough time for processing of documents.

Both are very good but in different areas.  MIT is considered a better choice for STEM courses. Princeton University stands out for its UG Liberal Arts courses. MIT has a better global reputation. It ranks above Princeton in the world rankings given by Shiksha and QS World. Princeton ranks above MIT on a national level as part of US News rankings.

Both offer very similar chances of admission. Princeton acceptance rate is 4.6%. MIT's stands at 4.5%.

Although the % for Black or African American students has dropped by 5% for the Class of 2029, the overall stats do suggest that Princeton University is rather inclusive. Moreover, this drop was evident in most of Princeton's peer institutions following the Supreme Court decision to ban race-conscious affirmative action.

Hispanic student enrollments remained stable whereas the no. of Asian enrollments increased from 24% to 27%.