Roughly 40 students committed to Princeton within one hour of admission

Princeton accepts a record-low number of applicants and a record-high lower-income students for Class of 2022

In the most competitive early action cycle since its inception in 2011, 799 out of 5402, or 14.7 percent of applicants were offered admission for the Class of 2022. Last year, the acceptance rate was 15.4. Within one hour, roughly 40 students had already decided to matriculate to Princeton, according to Dean of undergraduate admission Janet Rapelye.

“Almost all of the applicants logged in between 3 and 4pm to check their decisions, and roughly forty made the commitment in the first hour.” Rapelye said in an interview with The Tab.

Notably, the 799 admitted applicants include 14 percent of first generation students. Among them, 49 were admitted through QuestBridge College Match, a nationwide program dedicated to linking lower-income students to top-tier universities. This unprecedented number also reflects an increase in the number of QuestBridge participants this year, according Rapelye. Rapelye noted that Princeton anticipates admitting another 50 QuestBridge applicants in the regular decision cycle. Both groups will receive 100 percent of the demonstrated financial need, Rapelye said.

“Reaching out to socioeconomically and otherwise disadvantaged applicants is a big part of our recruitment effort. This year, my staff worked with hundreds of community-based organizations,” Rapelye said. She also noted that alumni who conducted admission interviews also actively reached out to CBOs. Additionally, Princeton will fly in lower-income admitted students for a preview event in April.

Princeton also hosts the Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA) summer program, which invites low-income high school students for a ten-week college preparation camp.

In light of Princeton’s activism on national immigration policy, Rapelye reaffirmed that the university has admitted undocumented and “DACA-mented” students every year. This year is no exception. The University has extended outreach efforts to students with and without DACA.

“We give our applicants every consideration regardless of their immigration status,” Rapelye said.

Against the backdrop of growing civic engagement this past year, more applications also reflected interests in public policy and commitment to serving communities, Rapelye explained.

“Reading the applications, my staff and I come away with a great sense of optimism of our future, contrary to what we are hearing on the media. We need these young people more than ever,” she added.

The majority of applicants for Early Action were deferred to the regular decision pool. They will be granted another round of consideration.

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