Princeton: the smallest (~5,500 undergrads), the most focused on undergraduate teaching. No Law, Business or Medical school. Mandatory Senior Thesis, Eating Clubs, a strong emphasis on research. The most generous Financial Aid in the Ivy League. Ideal for Math, Physics, Public Policy.

Harvard: larger (~7,500 undergrads), the most diverse professional network (Business, Government, Medical). Ideal for business, MBA path, government.

Yale: ~6,500 undergrads, Gothic atmosphere, Yale Law #1, a legendary Drama School. Ideal for law, arts, humanities.

All 3 are need-blind for international students. Princeton: under $150k zero. Harvard: under $100k zero. Yale: under $100k zero (Fall 2026 plus). Princeton is the most generous.

The Senior Thesis is Princeton's defining academic requirement, an independent research project mandatory for every student in year 4. Usually 80-150 pages written under faculty supervision over the course of the final year. For BSE, it is an applied engineering project with a prototype or experimental research.

At the end, you give a public defense, a 1-hour interview with 2-3 professors. The Junior Paper (JP) is the preparation for the thesis, written in year 3. Many Princeton alumni say the Thesis was the most formative experience of college, more important than the courses themselves.

Eating Clubs are 11 social-dining clubs on Prospect Avenue, unique to Princeton (there is no equivalent at other universities). Junior and senior students (roughly 70-75 percent of them) dine here from Monday to Friday.

There are 2 types: 6 clubs are sign-in (you join by lottery, no selection) and 5 are bicker (they select through interviews and socializing). The bicker clubs are more prestigious: Ivy, Cottage, Tiger Inn, Cap & Gown, Tower. The clubs occupy their own Victorian buildings, with formal dining rooms, libraries, billiard rooms and weekend social events.

Cost: roughly $10,000 per year, fully covered by financial aid for those eligible. The alternative: stay on the university meal plan (cheaper) or Co-ops (kosher, vegan, cheaper).

Princeton is the only Ivy that requires you to choose your track at admission itself:

A.B. (Artium Baccalaureus, Liberal Arts): you declare your concentration (major) at the end of year 2, choosing from 36 majors. Distribution requirements in humanities, social sciences, natural sciences. Maximum flexibility in the first two years.

B.S.E. (Bachelor of Science in Engineering): declared at submission, choosing from 6 majors (Computer Science, Mechanical/Aerospace, Operations Research/Financial, Electrical/Computer, Civil/Environmental, Chemical/Biological). A dense technical curriculum with math, physics and engineering fundamentals.

Switching from AB to BSE is very hard after you have submitted (it requires specific pre-requisites). From BSE to AB is easier. For AB you can study engineering as a minor or certificate. Applying as undeclared is not an option.

In August 2025, Princeton announced the largest Financial Aid expansion in the university's history. The thresholds were raised significantly:

$100,000 family income: zero parent contribution. Princeton covers tuition, housing, food, books, personal expenses.

$150,000 family income (NEW): zero for everything. This is the key advantage vs Harvard ($100k) and Yale ($100k Fall 2026). Princeton covers housing and food too at this threshold.

$250,000 family income: no tuition. The family pays only housing/food.

$350,000 plus family income: may still receive considerable grant aid, especially those with multiple children in college.

Princeton was also the first university in the USA (2001) to fully eliminate loans from the aid package. No student graduates with debt. The policies are identical for Americans and internationals. Average grant 2025-26: over $76,000.

Princeton is one of the few universities that requires an academic essay graded by a teacher as part of the application. Specific requirements:

1-2 pages double-spaced (or equivalent if handwritten), from a humanities or social sciences subject (Romanian, history, English, philosophy, sociology). Written in grade 11 or 12 (preferably grade 12 or the first semester of grade 11). The grade awarded and the teacher's comments must be clearly visible.

You scan it (good quality, legible) and upload it through the Common App as a document attached to your Princeton application. Princeton wants to see how you think and write in a real classroom context, unpolished by admission consultants. Application essays can be rewritten 50 times; the Graded Paper shows your thinking naturally.

Princeton admits on average 1-3 Romanian students per year at the undergraduate level. The number varies: 0 in some years, 4-5 in others. Princeton's mathematics department has a strong reputation among Romanian olympiad students. Many Romanian IMO (International Mathematical Olympiad) and IPhO (International Physics Olympiad) medalists have ended up here, drawn by the presence of world-class faculty.

The active Romanian community at Princeton (undergrad plus graduate plus recent alumni) numbers 30-50 people. There is a Princeton Romanian Society at the graduate level. For undergrad it is smaller but cohesive.

There is no official cut-off. Admitted profiles generally have: a Baccalaureate average of 9.85 plus, with 10 or near 10 in the subjects relevant to the chosen track (math, physics for BSE; humanities for AB). IB 42 plus (HL 776 plus) or A-Levels A*A*A. SAT 1500 plus.

Princeton places a very strong emphasis on intellectual excellence and on potential for independent research (think of the Senior Thesis). International olympiad students, especially in Math, Physics, Chemistry or Biology, have significantly better chances. The essays, Graded Paper and demonstrated passion for a specific field count as much as the grades.