Timothy Peck October 12, 2023 6 11th Grade,12th Grade,School Spotlight

Princeton University Diversity Statistics: An In-Depth Look

What’s Covered:

• Overview of Princeton University Diversity Statistics
• Cultural Resources at Princeton
• Plans to Improve Diversity at Princeton
• LGBTQ+ Inclusivity at Princeton
• How Diverse and Inclusive is Princeton, NJ?

As Princeton University becomes increasingly diverse, the stereotypical image of the “old boys club” filled with preppy legacy students from upper-crust families is eroding. In recent years, Princeton has achieved gender parity, the percentage of students of color has grown to almost 50%, and the number of first-generation students is on the rise.

Keep reading to learn more about Princeton’s diversity—including the measures the school has taken to become more inclusive and welcoming, missteps of the past, and the community surrounding the University.

Learn more about Princeton University, your chances of acceptance, and how much the school will cost your family.

Overview of Princeton University Diversity Statistics

Princeton University Ethnic Diversity

Below are the demographics of Princeton’s undergraduate class:

Princeton University has made significant strides in diversifying its undergraduate student body and shedding its former reputation. Today, white students make up less than half of the total undergraduate population, signifying Princeton’s increased diversity.

Princeton’s faculty has yet to achieve the same diversity as its undergraduate class, as white males represent the majority, especially in professorships. Princeton provides an ethnic breakdown of the faculty by position—below is the ethnic breakdown of Princeton’s faculty for the 2022-2023 academic year.

Below is a breakdown of faculty positions held by gender.

While Princeton has made strides in building a more diverse campus, there is still room for progress in inclusion and equity on campus, especially in the upper ranks of faculty.

Princeton University Financial Diversity

Princeton’s reputation for attracting students from wealthy backgrounds is well deserved. According to a 2017 project by The New York Times, Princeton ranked 39th out of 2,395 colleges in median family income ($186,100) and 2,348th out of 2,395 colleges for percentage of students from the bottom fifth in median family income (families who made about $20,000 or less per year).

Below is a breakdown of Princeton students by median family income according to The New York Times project:

Princeton students are predominantly wealthy—The New York Times ranked them 32nd out of 2,395 colleges for students from the top 1% in median family income.

Since the publishing of The New York Times article, Princeton has taken steps to enroll more low-income students. More than 20% of its 2024 class are Pell-Grant-eligible. The University generously provides to students from all financial strata. The school practices need-blind admissions—meaning financial need is not a determining factor in admissions decisions—will meet 100% of demonstrated financial need, and is a no-loan school, which allows students to graduate debt-free.

Among recent seniors, 83% graduated debt-free. Princeton students that did borrow graduated with an average debt of roughly $9,400.

Princeton University Geographic Diversity

The class of 2024 saw students accepted to Princeton from 48 out of the 50 states—only Alaska and Maine didn’t send students to the University. Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the Northern Mariana Islands also sent students to Princeton. New Jersey sends the most students to Princeton, followed by New York and California.

International students make up 12% of the class of 2024, with students coming from 48 different countries, ranging from Algeria to Vietnam. Princeton is one of just a few universities that treat international and domestic students alike in the financial aid process—it’s need-blind, meets 100% of demonstrated need, and is no-loan for international and domestic students alike.

Cultural Resources at Princeton

Princeton is home to a diverse student body and boasts a wide range of centers and organizations to support and connect students of similar backgrounds and identities. The four centers supporting the cultural dimension of Princeton’s campus are:

• Carl A. Fields Center for Cultural Understanding: This Center supports and empowers students to explore topics like race, class, and gender, as well as to build the skills required to create a more just world.
• Davis International Center: This Center assists the University’s international student community on everything from visa matters to intercultural issues.
• Women*s Center: This Center provides female students with a supportive atmosphere, and it is working to end gender inequality on campus.
• LGBT Center: This Center allows LGBTQIA+ students, and the greater campus community, to affirm and explore their identities.

Princeton is also home to a broad spectrum of student identity groups, including:

• Arab Society of Princeton
• Asian-American Students Association (AASA)
• Black Arts Company (BAC) – Dance
• Black Student Union
• Chinese Students Association
• DoroBucci – African dance
• First-Generation Low-Income Council
• Hong Kong Students Association
• Korean American Students Association
• Malaysian and Singapore Student Association
• Más Flow – Latin dance
• Muslim Advocates for Social Justice (MASJID)
• Naacho – covers a wide variety of traditional and contemporary South Asian dances
• Natives at Princeton
• Pehchaan – Pakistani and Pakistani-American presence on campus
• Princeton African Students Association (PASA)
• Princeton Association of Black Women
• Princeton Bhangra – a high-energy folk dance originating from the Punjab region of India and Pakistan
• Princeton Black Men’s Association
• Princeton Caribbean Connection
• Princeton Club of Japan
• Princeton Filipino Community (PFC)
• Princeton Latinos y Amigos (PLA)
• Princeton for North Korean Human Rights
• Princeton Bengal Tigers – celebrates and raises awareness of Bengali culture
• Princeton University Gospel Ensemble
• Princeton University‘s Latinx Perspectives Organization (PULPO)
• South Asian Students Association
• Swara – Indian classical music
• Taiwanese Students Association
• Thaigers Thai Students‘ Association
• Vietnamese Students Association

Plans to Improve Diversity at Princeton

Diversity and inclusion are central to Princeton’s mission. According to Christopher L. Eisgruber, President of Princeton University, “Only by drawing the best talent from every sector of society can we achieve the scholarly and educational excellence to which we aspire.”

Princeton has a number of key initiatives aimed at building a more inclusive and diverse campus, including:

• • Climate and Inclusion within Academic Units: Advancing access, diversity, inclusion, and belonging within the University’s academic departments, centers, institutes, and programs.
  • College Access & Success: Increasing support and college access for students from historically and economically underrepresented populations.
  • Combatting Racism: Immediate Actions—Combatting structural racism on campus.
  • Diversity Strategic Plans: Taking strategic action to enhance diversity and campus climate.
  • Funding Opportunities: Acquiring funding for a variety of programs structured around culture and identity.
  • History and Sense of Place: Active examination of Princeton’s history and its effect on the University’s community.
  • HBCU/MSI Partnerships: Identifying and enabling meaningful, sustainable, reciprocal partnerships with HBCUs and MSIs.
  • Princeton Histories Fund: Supporting an exploration of the University’s history that may have been forgotten, overlooked, subordinated, or suppressed.
  • Supplier Diversity: Supporting a diverse and inclusive campus in the way the University conducts business.

Princeton has had its challenges with diversity in the past, most notably in its eating clubs. In the 1950s, of the 23 students who were not accepted into an eating club, about half were Jewish. This led to 15 Jewish students signing a statement that said, “I feel I have been discriminated against because of race or religion.”

The response to the discrimination against Jewish students was the creation of a system in which every student was admitted into an eating club, although Jewish students were still singled out in the system and made to feel unwanted.

It’s not just issues of ethnicity that have plagued eating clubs—issues over gender have been equally problematic. It’s only been 30 years since all of the eating clubs have been open to women and this was only after years of activism, legal action, and a ruling by the New Jersey Supreme Court.

The University has also struggled with the legacy of one of its most famous alumni. Former U.S. President (and former Princeton President) Woodrow Wilson instituted policies to prevent the enrollment of Black students while serving at Princeton. The policies he instituted as U.S. President also resulted in the resegregation of the federal civil service. Princeton is coming to terms with this past and grappling with the ways it can become a more inclusive place.

LGBTQ+ Inclusivity at Princeton

Princeton University is commonly counted among the most LGBQ+-friendly colleges in the country. The Princeton University LGBT Center is the hub of the University’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, and asexual community. It provides support and empowerment in a number of ways, including community building, education, events, and initiatives.

One helpful resource is the Q’nnections mentorship program, where LGBTQ+ students come together in “families” to support one another. The families are made up of undergrads, grad students, and faculty and staff. Each group has 1-3 leaders who are in charge of organizing informal social events for their families.

How Diverse and Inclusive is Princeton, NJ?

Princeton is a predominantly white town but has a reputation for being an excellent place to live for people of all identities and backgrounds. The town is frequently listed among the best places to live in both the state and the country.

The food scene in Princeton is representative of the diverse community attracted by the college. Students will find every kind of cuisine readily available, from East Asian to Middle Eastern and from Mediterranean to Latin American.

Princeton, New Jersey is a very liberal community; Mercer country has voted Democrat in the last six presidential elections.

Is Princeton University the Right Fit for You?

Diversity and inclusion are important, but this is only one aspect of your “fit” at a college. You need to ask yourself how well a particular school meets your expectations for a college experience—location, size, campus, majors offered, and Greek life are some other factors to consider.

CollegeVine can help you find a school that’s the right fit for you. Our school search tool allows you to sort colleges by a multitude of variables. In addition, our free chancing engine can calculate your odds of acceptance at your top-choice schools using a variety of metrics, including your GPA, test scores, and extracurricular activities.