Princeton University Single-Choice Early Action for Fall 2025 Admission

Colleges & Universities Princeton University
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This is the official thread for those applying SCEA to Princeton University.

List your unweighted GPA, any SAT /ACT scores, and ECs. What majors are you going into?
Ask your questions, the CC community is here to help!

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Hi everyone!
I am applying SCEA to Princeton. In the last few months, I have read a lot of advice here and thought I would ask a question.
I read elsewhere that a deferral in December can be considered a slow rejection. Can anyone attest to this? Also, assuming I am a competitive applicant, is there still an advantage to applying early as a legacy?

Thanks

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S25 is planning to apply SCEA as well. We are not legacy but D23 is a sophomore at Princeton. S25 is a competitive candidate as well but I can’t answer if there’s an advantage (or a disadvantage) of applying early. We are applying early just because it’s his #1 choice.

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I am a very competitive candidate and third gen legacy, but there is a recruited athlete applying early from my public school that usually sends 0-1 applicants. Are my chances ea going to be affected?

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Regardless of result, it won’t.

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Despite’s Princeton’s suggestions to the contrary, I believe the legacy advantage is still real for applicants who would otherwise be strong candidates regardless. Which is of course not to say that most legacies get in. And then there are still crazy stories every year about legacies denied admission at Princeton who go on to get into Stanford, Harvard etc.

My understanding is that SCEA is the time to claim whatever advantage there might be. In other words even if the early v. regular decision might not be so important generally, I think it is for legacies.

FYI - my kid did recently get in SCEA as a legacy. She’s on FA and we are not major donors by any means, nor were there any additional special hooks. A number of my college classmates do also have kids enrolled, although I don’t know enough to say what other factors might or might not have been at play.

Good luck!

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Thanks for the insights. This is such a nerve-racking process! While I know not to base my self-worth on an acceptance, the fact that my mother, her two brothers, and her father went to Pton has created a lot of pressure.

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It is soooo much more competitive these days than it was when your parent, uncle and grandparent applied. Do NOT let family legacy stress you out.

And a lot of colleges are moving away from legacy admits, which is further reason not to be unduly stressed. At my college (a different Ivy), when my kid applied a few years ago, all legacy parents got a letter saying basically they were glad the kid was applying but don’t expect an admission due to legacy.

Best bet – look for a college that is the best fit for you, and don’t let legacy pressure apply. Things are so very different now than in the past.

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Absolutely. Throw your hat in the ring, do your best on the applications, but realize how much is outside your control, and also that there are so many good places out there you don’t need to fixate on any one college.

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If your stats are in the ballpark, focus on service in essays. What have you done for others, and what can you do for the Campus, town, and community. Pton puts service first.

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Question (more of a “Chance me” type of question) for the experts: if a sibling is attending Princeton, do they take that into account (D23 is a Sophomore at Princeton)? I know it’s not legacy, but they do ask that question on the app. Wondering if it has any relevance. TIA. S25 is a competitive kid, his ECs aren’t too many but they’re deep. He’s either a valedictorian or Salutatorian by the end of his senior year with a 1540 SAT(800 Math). STEM Major. 14 APs. He’s from a slightly above average public school in terms of competitiveness, with 600 kids in his grade(class of 2025) and his schools SAT average is around 1100. His recommendations are from his AP Calc BC and APUSH teachers and they both like him a lot, so I am assuming the letters are good. His essays are “unique”. I know these schools are a reach for anyone, but it’s his #1 choice. We aren’t legacy but willing to give it a shot.

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From what you’ve said, I’m similar (35 ACT) and have various deep extracurriculars (though not SUPER ‘spiked’ like people say is crucial). I’m also from a slightly above-average public school in NorCal (850 kids in my grade). Planning on majoring in psychology.
I was wondering how Princeton views the IB Diploma in terms of rigor. I have only taken 3 APs (all 5s: Psych, Spanish Lang, and French Lang). I’m taking the 4th (Spanish Lit) at the end of this year. All the rest are my 6 IB classes and tests for the diploma. Would they prefer students take a ton of AP classes/tests instead?

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They would prefer you take the hardest/most challenging classes offered by your school. Rigor is always reviewed in context.

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I don’t think the number of APs matter much unless your school is offering a lot
 say around 30+ APs and you take only a few
 like @TonyGrace said, rigor is important but reviewed in context. They want to see if you’re a fit for the hard curriculum at Princeton. You’ve taken a lot of IB courses. Ivys don’t have a preference between AP and IB (and they don’t have preference between SAT and ACT - students often ask about that too). If you’re one of the best students in your school and have serious accomplishments in academics and extracurricular activities, then your chances might go up a little bit. These schools are reaches for anyone. But I am not the expert here, what the school wants or needs might be completely different from what we think they’re looking for :slight_smile: Good luck to you. You’ve worked very hard and you’re doing your best.

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Thanks! I asked because at my school you can either do the IB diploma or a bunch of APs in the areas you’re interested in. Since both are offered, and you can only do one of the two, I was wondering if they were considered equal. I was hoping that all the extra work I am doing for the DP (EE, CAS, TOK, etc.) would be seen in a good light.
And sorry if this question is pointless to ask others as you don’t know my specific school.

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Yes, they are equal or at least viewed as similar. And that’s how Ivy’s and other colleges look at them. IMO IB is a more comprehensive program than AP. S25’s school doesn’t offer IB. I wish they did. Good luck.

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I am curious if the best students at your school choose IB or AP. Many schools do not offer both. I agree with Parent-in-GA that IB is fine.

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Thanks and good luck to your son as well! I thought I heard that they tried to keep siblings together. Maybe that’s only if they apply in the same cycle?

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It’s kind of an interesting dynamic. I originally joined IB because I wanted to go to college in France. I find that the kids doing IB are very competitive in a slightly toxic way. They are doing IB to ‘look good’ and not necessarily out of interest. I’m sure AP is similar but there’s more freedom so people get to explore their passions. There are so many kids at my school that the best are spread out.