requirements phd princeton

Graduate Admission

Princeton prepares graduate students for distinguished careers in research and teaching, and as leaders in the public and private sectors.

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Resident Graduate Students live in the University's seven undergraduate residential colleges, helping to create the vibrant intellectual and social life within each college's network of students, faculty fellows and staff.

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Graduate program.

Graduate students' research into power electronics has advanced energy-savings potential for large data centers, easing their environmental impact.

Cultivating Thought Leaders

Princeton's doctoral program in electrical and computer engineering draws top students from across the United States and around the world.

Most candidates enter the program directly after completing an undergraduate degree in engineering, science or mathematics. Prospective students should familiarize themselves with the faculty  and the variety of our research . Strong applicants have a firm grasp of who we are and what we do. Admission is highly selective. Learn how to apply .

Bringing Great Minds Together

Students play a vital role in bringing together collaborative projects. Ph.D. candidates frequently have more than one adviser.

Integrating End-to-End Solutions

Our work begins at the basic level to develop whole new classes of technological application that impact society at large.

Explore Graduate Research

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Big Community, Small Groups

With a 5-to-1 student-faculty ratio, and around 170 total graduate students, Princeton boasts a Ph.D. program with the best of both worlds: close mentorship from faculty advisers and a large community of peers.

Fully Funded

Students maintaining good progress receive full financial support throughout the duration of the program, including a generous stipend for living expenses. No fees, no tuition.

Graduate Contacts

For questions on applying to the ECE Graduate program, please contact Jean Bausmith, [email protected] or [email protected] .

Graduate Committee

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Breadth Requirements (Ph.D. students)

For Ph.D. students starting in Fall 2020 or later,   the breadth requirement must be satisfied in addition to the general exam.

A total of 6 courses will be required. The first three constitute the core breadth requirement. You must take one course from each group — AI, Systems, and Theory — from the courses listed below. The remaining three courses can be any 400 or 500-level course from any department in the University, with approval required from your academic adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies for courses outside of Computer Science.  (Please note for Fall 2018 only:  ELE 396 will also count as one of the "remaining three courses")

All courses must be taken for a grade. A grade of B+ or higher is required to get credit towards course requirements, although at most one B will be accepted for a course that does not satisfy the core breadth requirements.

Individual research areas may set additional requirements for their students; they may specify certain courses to be taken or may require that courses in excess of the departmental requirement be taken.

Core Course List

Artificial intelligence.

• 511 Theoretical Machine Learning
• 513 Foundations of Probabilistic Modeling
• 514 Fundamentals of Deep Learning
• 524 Fundamentals of Machine Learning
• 529 Advanced Computer Vision
• 584 Advanced Natural Language Processing
• 475 Computer Architecture (See ELE 475)
• 518 Advanced Computer Systems
• 561 Advanced Computer Networks
• 563 Wireless Networks
• 510 Programming Languages
• 516 Automated Reasoning About Software
• 521 Advanced Algorithm Design
• 522 Computational Complexity
• 585 Information Theory and Applications

To be readmitted you must satisfy the following schedule:

• Year 1: Successful completion of 3 courses + research progress
• Year 2: Successful completion of 4th course (including all three core breadth courses) + general exam
• Year 3: Successful completion of Responsible Conduct in Research training ( EGR 501 )
• Year 4: Successful completion of last two courses, for a total of 6

For students who previously earned a Computer Science MSE or M.Eng. degree at Princeton:   The courses you applied toward your Princeton COS Masters degree (MSE or M.Eng.) can be counted toward your Ph.D. course requirements based on successful completion of a lightweight examination process at your next PhD degree milestone (e.g., general exam or pre-FPO)

At your next milestone, you will be asked by your committee/examiners 1-2 questions per course that was originally counted toward your COS MSE or M.Eng. With your successful response to those questions, you will be considered to have shown competency for the purposes of the Ph.D.

Incidental Masters

For students who entered the Ph.D. Program before Fall 2018: The Master of Arts degree can be awarded after successfully completing all the year 2 requirements — 3 core courses, one additional course, and passing the general exam.  

For students who entered the Ph.D. Program Fall 2018 and after: The Master of Arts degree can be awarded after successfully completing the 6 required courses from the Breadth Requirements.

Department of Physics

Degree Requirements

Adviser Selection

It is the goal of the graduate program to have all students engaged in real research as soon as possible upon arrival and all students settled on a thesis topic and a thesis adviser by the end of the second year. 

The Physics Department offers a large number of graduate courses every year. We recommend that students take the introductory courses they need to fill gaps in their basic physics background. They also should attend the advanced courses appropriate to their chosen specialty. In between, they should satisfy the core curriculum requirement for the general examination. 

In the first fall semester, the students take the prelims-prep courses or advanced undergraduate courses to supplement their basic physics background and prepare for the preliminary exam. Students are then encouraged to take other, more advanced courses to expand their knowledge in their chosen specialty. Students sign up for all these courses through TigerHub .

General Exam

The preliminary examination, the experimental project and the required minimum number of core courses constitute the general examination. All sections of the general examination must be completed by the end of the second year.

Students generally take the preliminary examination, in January or May of the first year. The preliminary examination covers topics of electromagnetism, elementary quantum mechanics, mechanics, statistical physics and thermodynamics.

The experimental project consists of a written report and oral presentation on experimental work that the student has either performed or assisted others in performing at Princeton. The report is due and the presentation is scheduled in October of the second year.

Passing the Generals and Qualifying for the M.A.

The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree is normally an incidental degree on the way to full Ph.D. candidacy and is earned after a student successfully completes all components of the general examination. It may also be awarded to students who, for various reasons, leave the Ph.D. program, provided that these requirements have been met.  To apply for this, contact the Graduate Program Administrator.

A wide range of teaching opportunities are offered, from laboratory work to recitation sessions in core undergraduate and advanced graduate courses.  All students are required to take a dedicated course, Communicating Physics, that is designed to strengthen the skills necessary to communicate effectively as a teacher and researcher in physics. While teaching is not a requirement, we offer the opportunity for students to teach at least one semester during their graduate tenure. 

The Responsible Conduct of Research Training

Researchers at Princeton are expected to undertake research with the highest moral and ethical standards. To ensure graduate students conducting research are educated in research ethics, the University and the Graduate School expect all graduate students in the divisions of social science, natural science, and engineering receive training in responsible conduct in research .   Physics Graduate students are required to take the on line "CITI" training (instructions below) by January of their first year.  Once you have completed the on line training email the Graduate Program Administrator a copy of your completion report.  The Graduate Program Administrator will update your RCR Milestone as completed.

Please enter the training via the following link: type in Princeton University, select "continue to SSO login/instructions, login using your Princeton Netid and take the "RCR: Physical Sciences Researcher" course. https://www.citiprogram.org/index.cfm?pageID=154&icat=0&ac=0&region=1

Instructions:  https://www.citiprogram.org/citidocuments/Princeton_Instruction.html

The Pre-Thesis Project

The pre-thesis project is a research project in the student's area of interest, conducted under the supervision of a faculty adviser who is likely to become the Ph.D. adviser for the student. The final product is a written report and an oral defense in the presence of a pre-thesis committee, which is strongly encouraged to comprise faculty who will also serve as the student’s Ph.D. committee. The report's length and format are typically comparable to a journal article. It is advisable to include an introduction aimed at physicists who are not expert in the field.

 The goals of the pre-thesis projects are:

• to give the student a serious introduction to his or her final area of specialization
• to get the student involved with the faculty in the research group of interest
• to get the student known by the faculty in the research group of interest

In order to get a rapid start on their thesis research, students are expected to start actively working on their pre-thesis project as soon as possible. The evaluation by the pre-thesis adviser will be an essential part of the reenrollment process at the end of the third year. The pre-thesis defense should take place no later than the fall of the third year. 

It is the student's responsibility to schedule the oral defense and to choose (in consultation with the advisor) the pre-thesis committee which will conduct the oral defense of the pre-thesis project. The pre-thesis committee should consist of at least three faculty members: the advisor, at least one other faculty member expert in the field of the project, and at least one member drawn from the faculty at large. For students whose primary advisor is from outside the department, the other two committee members must be from inside the department. It is the committee's responsibility to ensure that the pre-thesis project and the thesis have a strong physics component. 

The written report should be no more than ~20 pages long:  the format of the report is flexible.  You will provide your advisor and the Graduate Administrator with a final draft of your write-up three days before you present. Your presentation at the defense should be no longer than 30 minutes.  You will get frequent questions. In this oral especially, we are looking for a depth of understanding that is indicative of independent research. You should know far more than you are able to present and that should come across in the presentation.  Once you have a date and time, please contact the Graduate Administrator to reserve a room for you.  

The pre-thesis committee will, under normal circumstances, serve as a standing committee to review progress toward the Ph.D. and to provide advice as appropriate up to and including the student's FPO. In cases where a student changes advisors or research directions, the committee may be reconstituted. Although the pre-thesis committee need not meet again until the FPO, it can be called into session at the request of the candidate, the advisor, or the Director of Graduate Studies. This can be done to review a student's progress towards the Ph.D. or to provide advice on other issues that may arise in the course of a student's research.

Finding a thesis advisor is, of course, a matter of individual negotiation. All students are expected to have advisors and to be embarked on thesis research by the end of their second year.

Procedures concerning primary dissertation advisors

The physics departments is open to interdisciplinary thesis work, as long as this work has a strong physics component. If the student decides to work on his/her pre-thesis or thesis project with a faculty member outside of the department, he/she must receive approval from the DGS. The DGS then requires that the student contact a faculty member in the physics department who will act as second advisor and will guarantee that the pre-thesis project has a strong physics component.

Dissertation and FPO

The Ph.D. is awarded once the dissertation is accepted and the final public oral (FPO) has been completed.

Application Checklist

Below you'll find the list of components that comprise the Princeton first-year application. In an effort to simplify all that is required of you, we frame the process in three action steps: 1) Submit, 2) Request and 3) Report.

More information about optional components of the application is available at the base of the page. 

First-Year Application Checklist

• A Completed Application. You must submit your application online through the Coalition Application or  Common Application . Princeton's CEEB Code: 2672
• Princeton-specific Questions. In addition to the questions provided by the Coalition Application or Common Application, all applicants must submit the Princeton-specific Questions . You should submit the Princeton-specific Questions online through the Coalition Application or Common Application website. 
• Application Fee or Fee Waiver. You may submit a fee waiver one of two ways: 1) Select the fee waiver option on the Coalition Application or Common Application. Your school counselor must approve your fee waiver request online or submit your fee waiver form by mail or fax. 2) Select one of the following fee waiver options on the application: Princeton-specific,  ACT ,  College Board  or  NACAC . All low-income students are eligible for the Princeton-specific fee waiver. In addition, all applicants who are serving or have served in the U.S. military are eligible for the Princeton-specific fee waiver. If you use the Princeton-specific fee waiver, you do not need to get approval from your college counselor or academic adviser.
• Graded Written Paper. A graded written paper  is required, preferably in the subjects of English or history.
• Transcript. An official transcript must be sent by a school counselor or school official.
• School Report (SR) . The SR form is available from the Coalition Application or Common Application website. Please ask your school counselor or other school official to complete and submit the SR form.   
• Counselor Recommendation.  Please note that the SR and the Counselor Recommendation are separate items. Be sure to “invite ”  your school counselor or academic adviser to complete both items.  
• Two (2) Teacher Recommendations. Please ask two of your teachers who have taught you in higher level courses (e.g., AP, IB Higher/Standard Level, A-Levels, etc.) in different academic areas of study to complete and send the teacher recommendation forms, available on the Coalition Application or Common Application website. The subjects should be in core academic areas, such as English, language, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences or math.  
• Midyear School Report. Please ask your school counselor or other school official to complete and submit this form when your midyear grades are available. 

Our test optional policy for first-year and transfer applicants extends to the next two admission cycles (that is, for applications due in the falls 2024 and 2025).

• SAT or ACT . If you choose to submit testing, applicants should take the SAT or the ACT by the October test date for single-choice early action and the December date for regular decision. When registering for the SAT or ACT, use the following codes to ensure your scores are sent to Princeton: SAT: 2672 and ACT: 2588 .  
• SAT Subject Tests. Princeton does not require SAT Subject Tests. If you chose to sit for a Subject Test (prior to January/June 2021 when the College Board eliminated the test) and wish to submit the score, you may do so.  
• TOEFL, IELTS or PTE Academic scores . If English is not your native language and you are attending a school where English is not the language of instruction, you must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) , the International English Language Testing System Academic (IELTS Academic) or the Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) . You are not required to take the TOEFL, IELTS or PTE Academic if English is your native language or if you have spent at least three years at a secondary school where English is the primary language of instruction. Please have your scores sent directly to Princeton: TOEFL: 2672

Optional Application Components  

• Arts Supplement, if applicable.  If you've excelled in  architecture, creative writing, dance, music, music theater, theater  or  visual arts , and would like us to consider your talent, you are welcome to submit an  optional Arts Supplement . Early action applicants must submit digital arts materials by Nov. 6 and regular decision applicants by Jan. 8. On the Coalition, Common or QuestBridge Application, please indicate your intention to submit an Arts Supplement in Princeton’s member questions. You will be able to submit an Arts Supplement through your Princeton Applicant Status Portal. Please keep in mind that you need to submit your application to Princeton University before you can submit your Arts Supplement. Given the timeline, students who are participating in the  QuestBridge National College Match  will be unable to submit an Arts Supplement.
• Interview.  Princeton offers optional alumni interviews. Interviews take place after the Admission Office has received your application. You may choose to opt out of the interview in the Princeton Supplement, and this choice will not put you at any disadvantage in the admission process. If you do not opt out, you may receive an email inviting you to interview with a member of our Princeton Alumni Schools Committee. If so, we encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity. The interviews are 30-45 minute informal conversations, where you can discuss the things that are important to you and also ask questions to someone who attended Princeton. We cannot guarantee that every applicant will receive an interview. This will depend on the availability of alumni in your area. Our dedicated alumni do manage to contact the vast majority of our applicants every year; however, if you do not receive an interview for any reason, it will not put you at a disadvantage since the interview is optional. We do not offer on-campus interviews. These interviews must not be recorded in any way, either by the interviewer or the applicant. Given the timeline, students who are participating in the QuestBridge National College Match will be unable to complete an interview.

Application Confirmation

You may log in to Princeton's Applicant Portal  to verify whether we have received all your required application materials. You will receive a confirmation notice when we have received your application. The confirmation notice will arrive approximately 24-48 hours after you submit your admission application. If your application is incomplete, we will let you know which pieces are missing. Beginning in mid-October, you also may track the completeness of your application online through the Applicant Portal. Please note: You cannot apply for financial aid until you apply for admission. Please review our application dates and deadlines .

If a student has submitted an application on three separate occasions, the Office of Admission generally will not review subsequent applications. In these instances, if an application fee was submitted, it will be returned.

The University's admission process involves a holistic review of each applicant's entire file. No particular factor is assigned a fixed weight; rather, the process involves a highly individualized assessment of the applicant's talents, achievements and his or her potential to contribute to learning at Princeton. Please see the Joint Statement on Common Ivy Group Admission Procedures for more information about admission policies.

Princeton-specific Questions

Review the additional essay questions of our application.

Graded Written Paper

The graded written paper will help the Office of Admission assess the student’s written expression in an academic setting.

Optional Arts Supplement

The optional Arts Supplement is for students who have devoted a significant amount of time and energy to one or more art forms and who wish to have their work considered as part of their application.

From the Blog

Prefrosh, curious about academics start here, poets should come ready to move/yell/play/discover, my favorite place on campus: chancellor green.

As part of the application process, Princeton University collects from its applicants certain demographic information covered by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This information may be collected through graduate and undergraduate application materials, including the Common Application. You are not required to provide this information. If you choose to provide this information, it will not be shared with any University faculty members, administrators, or others who are involved in evaluating your application for admission and will not be considered in the admissions process. In addition, your refusal to provide any of this information will not subject you to any adverse treatment.

The University uses this information to help prepare certain disclosures regarding students required by state and federal law, and to enable the University’s Institutional Research Office to conduct analytical and policy studies that support University planning and decision-making. Aggregate applicant data may be shared with academic departments or admissions officers only after the admissions process has concluded to facilitate analysis. Any information that you share is subject to the University’s Data Privacy policies (available at https://registrar.princeton.edu/student-and-alumni-services/policies/data-privacy ).  

Program Requirements

The Department of Mathematics offers graduate courses on various levels, all of which are oriented toward research. There are numerous seminars that encourage research even more directly. The content of courses varies considerably from year to year, and the course descriptions below should be read only as a rough guide. Students usually acquire the standard beginning graduate material primarily through independent study and consultations with the faculty.

Ph.D. Requirements

To earn the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), the student must pass a language requirement and both portions of the general examinations, submit an acceptable dissertation and sustain a final public oral examination.

"Incidental" M.A. Requirements

To qualify for the "Incidental" Master of Arts (M.A.), the student must pass the language requirement and the first part of the general examination, and be recommended by the faculty. (Note: It is expected that ALL students will pursue their Ph.D..)

One-Year in Residence

The student must be in residence for at least one academic year before standing for the general examination. If, however, a student wishes to take his/her general examination during either the October or January generals period during their first year, it must be approved by the DGSs and the Graduate School.  Otherwise, the more acceptable time is during the April/May exam period.

Language Requirement

The student must satisfy the language requirement by demonstrating to a member of the mathematics faculty a reasonable ability to read ordinary mathematical texts in at least one of the following three languages: French, German, and Russian. The language test must be passed before the end of the first year and before standing for the general examination.

General Examination

In the first two years, students acquire a background in mathematics. Depending upon individual preparation, a student may take the general examination in the first or the second year of study.

The student must stand for an oral exam administered by a committee of three professors, including the advisor who serves as chair of the committee. A typical exam can last 2 to 3 hours. Areas covered are algebra, and real and complex variables.

The student must also choose two (2) special or advanced topics. These two additional topics are expected to come from distinct major areas of mathematics, and the student's choice is subject to the approval of the Department. Usually, in the second year, and sometimes even in the first, the student begins investigations of his/her own that lead to the doctoral dissertation.

The department collaborates with the Department of Physics in offering work in mathematical physics and leading to an advanced degree. For a student interested in mathematical physics, the general examination is adjusted to include mathematical physics as one of the two special topics.

A plan of study also may be coordinated with the Program in Applied and Computational Mathematics (PACM). See their program description for more information.

There are three general examination periods each academic year--October, January, and April/May. It has been a tradition of the students to post their exams as a resource and study guide for other students, see Graduate Students' Guide to Generals .

Dissertation and Final Public Oral (FPO) Exam 

The student must prepare an acceptable doctoral dissertation (thesis), which must demonstrate that the student has achieved a high level of understanding of his/her topic/field and is capable of doing independent research, and which must expand upon what was previously known or present a significant new interpretation of known materials. The Final Public Oral Exam is the successful presentation of the oral defense of the dissertation.

Preparation and Procedures for FPO

Please follow the  Graduate School Advanced Degree guidelines . The Graduate Program Administrator will provide additional department specific information to all PhD candidates at the start of the spring semester.

Thesis LaTex template Graduate students wishing to use LaTeX to write their doctoral thesis can use a premade LaTeX style file puthesis.  Puthesis style has appropriate preset margins, title page and other settings that should help format the thesis.

Puthesis style files consist of

• puthesis.cls - the actual style file
• puthesis.sample.tex  - first sample LaTeX file that shows how to use puthesis.cls
• thesis.tex - second sample LaTeX file

You should begin by copying at least the puthesis.cls file into the directory where you will be writing your thesis.  You can do that by either clicking on puthesis.cls in the above list and downloading the file to appropriate directory, or else copy the file on the Linux/Unix systems from /usr/finehall/tex/puthesis/latest, for example:

cp /usr/finehall/tex/puthesis/latest/puthesis.cls my_thesis_directory/

Please take a look at the two sample files to get an idea on how to use puthesis style, or even better, begin by adapting one of sample files to your needs.

Jill LeClair

Department of Psychology

Applying to the graduate program.

Please note:  The deadline to apply for Fall 2024 admission has passed. The application for Fall 2025 will be available in September.

To apply to our department, an undergraduate degree in psychology or related field (e.g., cognitive science, neuroscience, linguistics, computer science) is required. Successful candidates generally have significant research experience as part of their undergraduate program or afterward, such as in a research assistant position or a master’s program.

Submitting your Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score is optional, but not required for admission. All graduate students have a primary advisor from the start of the program, and so applicants are encouraged to contact at least one relevant faculty member about whether they are recruiting students in the current year in advance.

Applicants may be able to request a waiver of the application fee from the Graduate School. Eligibility criteria and fee waiver application instructions can be found on the Graduate School Admissions website.

For complete information on how to apply and the online application, see the Graduate School Admissions website.

Please contact the  Graduate Program Manager  with any questions.

Additional Information

In our program, individual faculty members play a large role in determining which students are accepted into the Ph.D. program. Students are essentially accepted into the lab of a specific faculty member, and the faculty are looking for students who have the knowledge, skills, and interests to succeed in their labs. Always check the lab website for information regarding the program of research. Sometimes labs will also have information regarding whether they are accepting students and policies regarding contact prior to reviewing applications. In the event that websites do not have the information you are looking for, you may wish to consider emailing faculty directly.

There are several reasons to do this.

First: You can find out whether they are actually planning to take new students. You don't want to spend money and time applying to a given program only to find out that the one faculty member of interest isn't taking students this year (or is about to move to another university, take a job in industry, etc.). Information about this may be on the program's website or the faculty member's website, but websites are sometimes out of date, so it's worth double-checking with an email.

Second: This email will get you "on the radar" of the faculty. Most Ph.D. programs get hundreds of applicants, and faculty are much more likely to take a close look at your application if you've contacted them in advance.

Third: You also might get other useful information. For example, a professor might write back saying something like "I'm not taking any new students, but we've just hired a new faculty member in the same area, and you might consider working with her." Or, the professor might say something like "When you apply, make sure that you check the XXX box, which will make you eligible for a fellowship that is specifically for people from your background." Or, if the professor accepts students through multiple programs (e.g., Psychology and Neuroscience), you might get information about which specific program you should apply to.

Fourth: You might learn the most current direction of a professor's research. While professors usually have multiple interests, they might have a current priority area.

We recommend a subject heading such as "Inquiry from potential graduate applicant." For the main body of the email, your goals are to (a) introduce yourself, (b) inquire about whether they are taking students, (c) make it clear why you are interested in that particular faculty member, and (d) get any advice they might offer. Here's an example:

Dear Dr. XXX,

I'm in my final year as a Psychology major at XXXX, where I have been working in the lab of Dr. XXX XXX. My research has focused on episodic memory distortion and I've used psychophysical and behavioral methods (see attached CV). I'm planning to apply to Ph.D. programs this Fall, and I'm very interested in the possibility of working in your lab at Princeton. I read your recent paper on XXX, and I found your approach to be very exciting.

I was hoping you might tell me whether you are planning to take new students in your lab in Fall 2020. I'd also be interested in any other information or advice you have. [Possibly add a few more lines here about your background and interests.]

If you're a member of an underrepresented/disadvantaged group, you can feel free to make this clear in your Personal Essay if you wish to. We recognize that this can sometimes be a sensitive issue, but you should feel free to discuss how your identity/identities have shaped your academic trajectory, your preparedness for graduate school, or your research interests (if applicable). We want our graduate cohorts to be comprised of interesting, diverse students who will generate creative research and contribute to our community in meaningful ways.

No matter what your situation, we recommend having your faculty mentor(s) take a look at a draft of the email and your CV before you send them. Grad students and postdocs can also be helpful, but they may not really know what is appropriate given that they haven't been on the receiving end of these emails.

Most importantly, don't be afraid to send the email. The worst thing that will happen is that you don't get a reply. The best thing that can happen is that the e-mail leads to a conversation that helps you get accepted into the program of your dreams.

You may get a brief response that says something like "Yes, I'm taking students, and I encourage you to apply" or "I'm always looking for qualified students." This indicates that the faculty member will likely look at applications, and you don't need to follow up.

If you're lucky, you may get a more detailed response that will lead to a series of email exchanges and perhaps an invitation to chat (usually on Skype or something similar). This will be more likely if you say something about what you've done and why you are interested in this lab.

You may get a response like "I'm not taking new students this year" or "I probably won't take new students this year". Or you might get something like "Given your background and interests, I don't think you'd be a good fit for my lab." In these cases, it is probably not worth putting your resources into applying if you have that specific advisor in mind.

Finally, you simply may not get a reply. In that case, no information is no information. There are many reasons why faculty may not respond, and it is not worth trying to figure out why this might be. If you don't get a response and you really want to work with the person, you may still want to apply.

You really don't have much to lose by emailing faculty, and you have a lot to gain.

We hope to demystify the Statement of Purpose. Generally it should not be an autobiography, but it can certainly include information about your trajectory. The main goal is to convey the ideas and/or research you want to pursue during graduate school, with supporting evidence from your experiences and background. You will also want to make it clear why you want to go to graduate school. It often takes people a long time to figure out their interests, and the Statement of Purpose is your opportunity to share them, broadly or specifically as you see fit.

As stated by the Graduate School, “Please write a statement of your current academic and future career plans as they relate to the Princeton department to which you are applying. In doing so, please cite relevant academic, professional, and personal experiences that motivate you to apply for a graduate degree here.” The Statement of Purpose can be up to 1,000 words.

As stated by the Graduate School, "Princeton is strongly committed to welcoming students from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Applicants are required to submit a statement with their application briefly describing how their academic interests and life experiences would help them contribute to Princeton's scholarly community.” The goal is to give you space to highlight your unique personal and professional story and share how it has helped to prepare you for success in graduate school. The Personal Essay can be up to 500 words.

This resource was originally authored by Steve Luck and Lisa Oakes and is courtesy of Tufts University .

Department of Psychology

Course requirements.

First-year students work closely with faculty advisors to plan and conduct research, as well as begin their coursework. First-year students take:

• PSY 500: Proseminar in Basic Problems in Psychology: Social Psychology
• PSY 501: Proseminar in Basic Problems in Psychology: Cognitive Psychology
• PSY 503: Foundations of Statistical Methods for Psychological Science
• PSY 504: Advanced Statistical Methods for Psychological Science

Every semester throughout graduate school, all students are required to enroll in either :

• PSY 543: Research Seminar in Cognitive Psychology, or
• PSY 551: Design and Interpretation of Social Psychological Research

Every now and then throughout graduate school, all students are encouraged to enroll in:

• PSY 505: Current Issues in Statistical Methods and Research Practices for Psychological Science

Princeton University Library

Phd dissertation and master's thesis submission guidelines.

The Princeton University Archives at the Mudd Manuscript Library is the repository for Ph.D. dissertations and Master’s theses. The Princeton University Archives partners with ProQuest to publish and distribute Princeton University dissertations beyond the campus community.

Below you will find instructions on the submission process and the formatting requirements for your Ph.D. dissertation or Master's thesis. If you have questions about this process, please use our Ask Us form  or visit the Mudd Manuscript Library during our open hours.

Ph.D Dissertation Submission Process

The first step is for the student to prepare their dissertation according to the Dissertation Formatting Requirements . Near the time of the final public oral examination (FPO) (shortly before or immediately after) the student must complete the online submission of their dissertation via the ProQuest UMI ETD Administrator website . Students are required to upload a PDF of their dissertation, choose publishing options, enter subject categories and keywords, and make payment to ProQuest (if fees apply). This step will take roughly 20-25 minutes.

 After the FPO the student should log on to TigerHub  and complete the checkout process. When this step is complete, Mudd Library will be notified for processing. This step will occur M-F during business hours. The Mudd Library staff member will review, apply the embargo (when applicable), and approve the dissertation submission in ProQuest. You will receive an email notification of the approval from ProQuest when it has been approved or needs revisions. 

The vast majority of students will not be required to submit a bound copy of their dissertation to the library. Only students who have removed content from the PDF to avoid copyright infringement are required to submit a bound copy to the library. This unredacted, bound version of the dissertation must be formatted according to the Dissertation Formatting Requirements , and delivered by hand, mail, or delivery service to the Mudd Manuscript Library by the degree date deadline in order to be placed on the degree list. Address the bound copy to: Attn: Dissertations, Mudd Manuscript Library, 65 Olden Street, Princeton, NJ 08540.

ProQuest Publishing Options

When you submit your dissertation to the ProQuest ETD Administrator site, you will be given two options: Traditional Publishing or Open Access Publishing Plus. ProQuest compares the two options in their  Open Access Overview document . Full details will be presented in the ProQuest ETD Administrator site.

Traditional Publishing

No fee  is paid to ProQuest; your dissertation will be available in full text to subscribing institutions only through the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global ; If you have an embargo, your dissertation will be unavailable for viewing or purchase through the subscription database during the embargo period.

Open Access Publishing Plus

$95 fee to ProQuest; your dissertation will be available in full text through the Internet to anyone via the ProQuest Database ; if you have an embargo, your dissertation will be unavailable for viewing through the open access database during the embargo period.

Optional Service: Copyright Registration

$75 fee to ProQuest; ProQuest offers the optional service of registering your copyright on your behalf. The dissertation author owns the copyright to their dissertation regardless of copyright registration. Registering your copyright makes a public record of your copyright claim and may entitle you to additional compensation should your copyright be infringed upon. For a full discussion of your dissertation and copyright, see ProQuest’s Copyright and Your Dissertation .

If you have questions regarding the ProQuest publishing options, contact their Author and School Relations team at 1-800-521-0600 ext. 77020 or via email at [email protected] .

Princeton’s Institutional Repository, DataSpace

Each Princeton University dissertation is deposited in Princeton’s Institutional Repository, DataSpace . Dissertations will be freely available on the Internet except during an embargo period. If your dissertation is embargoed, the PDF will be completely restricted during the embargo period. The bound copy, however, will be available for viewing in the Mudd Manuscript Library reading room during the embargo. 

According to the Graduate School’s embargo policy , students can request up to a two-year embargo on their dissertation, with the potential for renewal by petition. If approved, the embargo would apply to the dissertation in ProQuest, as well as in Princeton’s digital repository, DataSpace . Students in the sciences and engineering seeking patents or pursuing journal articles may be approved for a shorter embargo period. Students must apply for the embargo during the Advanced Degree Application process . More information can be found on the Graduate School's Ph.D. Publication, Access and Embargoing webpage .

Those who have been approved for the embargo can choose "Traditional Publishing" or "Open Access Plus" publishing when they complete their online submission to ProQuest. Mudd Manuscript Library staff will apply the embargo in the ProQuest ETD system at the time of submission of materials to the Library. In the case of Open Access Plus, the dissertation would become freely available on the ProQuest open access site when the embargo expires. The embargo in ProQuest will also apply to the embargo in Princeton’s digital repository, DataSpace

Those who wish to request a renewal of an existing embargo must email Assistant Dean Geoffrey Hill and provide the reason for the extension. An embargo renewal must be requested in writing at least one month before the original embargo has expired, but may not be requested more than three months prior to the embargo expiration date. Embargoes cannot be reinstituted after having expired. Embargoes are set to expire two years from the date on which the Ph.D. was awarded (degrees are awarded five times per year at Board of Trustee meetings); this date will coincide with the degree date (month and year) on the title page of your dissertation. Please note: You, the student, are responsible for keeping track of the embargo period--notifications will not be sent.

• To find the exact date of an embargo expiration, individuals can find their dissertation in DataSpace , and view the box at the bottom of the record, which will indicate the embargo expiration date.
• The Graduate School will inform the Mudd Library of all renewals and Mudd Library staff will institute the extensions in ProQuest and DataSpace .   
• Princeton University Archives'  Dissertation Formatting Requirements  (PDF download) document provides detailed information on how to prepare the dissertation PDF and bound volume (if you are required to submit a bound volume). Please take special note of how to format the title page (a title page example is downloadable from the upper-right-hand side of this webpage). The title page must list your adviser’s name.  
• ProQuest's Preparing Your Manuscript guide offers additional information on formatting the PDF. Where there are discrepancies with the Princeton University Archives Dissertation Formatting Requirements document, the Princeton University Archives requirements should be followed. Special consideration should be paid to embedding fonts in the PDF.
• ProQuest ETD Administrator Resources and Guidelines  web page offers several guides to assist you in preparing your PDF, choosing publishing options, learning about copyright considerations, and more. 
• ProQuest's Support and Training Department can assist with issues related to creating and uploading PDFs and any questions regarding technical issues with the online submission site.

Whether a student pays fees to ProQuest in the ETD Administrator Site depends on the publishing option they choose, and if they opt to register their copyright (if a student selects Traditional Publishing, and does not register their copyright, no charges are incurred). Fees are to be submitted via the UMI ETD Administrator Site. Publishing and copyright registration fees are payable by Visa, MasterCard, or American Express and a small service tax may be added to the total. The options listed below will be fully explained in the ETD Administrator site. 

• Traditional without copyright registration: $0 to ProQuest (online)
• Traditional with copyright registration: $75 to ProQuest (online) 
• Open Access without copyright registration: $95 to ProQuest (online)
• Open Access ($95) with copyright registration ($55): $150 to ProQuest (online)

Degrees are granted five times per year at Board of Trustee meetings. Deadlines for materials to be submitted to the Mudd Manuscript Library are set by the Office of the Graduate School . The title page of your dissertation must state the month and year of the board meeting at which you will be granted your degree, for example “April 2023.”

Academic Year 2024-2025

• Friday, August 30, 2024, degree date "September 2024"
• Thursday, October 31, 2024, degree date "November 2024"
• Tuesday, December 31, 2024, degree date "January 2025"
• Friday, February 28, 2025, degree date "March 2025"
• Thursday, May 8, 2025, degree date "May 2025"

Please note: If a student is granted an extension for submission of their materials after a deadline has passed, the Mudd Manuscript Library must have written confirmation of the extension from the Office of the Graduate School in the form of an email to [email protected] .  

One non-circulating , bound copy of each dissertation produced until and including the January 2022 degree list is held in the collection of the University Archives. For dissertations submitted prior to September 2011, a circulating , bound copy of each dissertation may also be available. Information about these dissertations can be found in Princeton University Library's catalog .

Electronic Copy (PDF) in ProQuest 

ProQuest Dissertation Publishing distributes Princeton University dissertations. Members of the Princeton University community can access most dissertations through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses subscription database, which is made available through the Princeton University Library. For students that choose "Open Access Plus publishing," their dissertations are available freely on the internet via  ProQuest Dissertations and Theses . Dissertations are available for purchase through ProQuest Dissertation Express . Once the dissertation has been accepted by the Mudd Library it will be released to ProQuest following the Board of Trustee meeting on which your degree is conferred. Bound copies ordered from ProQuest will be printed following release.  Please note, dissertations under embargo are not available in full text through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses subscription database or for sale via ProQuest Dissertation Express during the embargo period.

Electronic Copy (PDF) in Princeton's Institutional Repository, DataSpace  

Beginning in the fall of 2011, dissertations will be available through the internet in full-text via Princeton's digital repository, DataSpace . (Embargoed dissertations become available to the world once the embargo expires.)

Interlibrary Loan 

Dissertations that have bound copies and are not under embargo are available through Interlibrary Loan (ILL) to libraries in the United States and Canada, either through hard copy or PDF. If PDFs are available, they can be sent internationally. 

Master's Thesis Submission Process

Students who are enrolled in a thesis-based Master’s degree program must upload a PDF of their thesis to Princeton's ETD Administrator site (ProQuest) just prior to completing the final paperwork for the Graduate School. These programs currently include:

• The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (M.S.E.)
• The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (M.S.E.)
• The Department of Computer Science (M.S.E.)
• The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (M.S.E.)
• The Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (M.S.E.)
• The Department of Operations Research and Financial Engineering (M.S.E.)
• The Department of Near Eastern Studies (M.A.)

The PDF should be formatted according to our  Dissertation Formatting Requirements  (PDF download). The Mudd Library will review and approve the submission upon notification from the Graduate School that your final paperwork is ready for this step. Bound copies are no longer required or accepted for Master's theses. 

Students who are not in a thesis-based Master's degree program do not need to make a submission to the library upon graduation. If you have questions, please complete the form on the Ask Special Collections page.

• Dissertation Formatting Requirements

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Summer At EBCAO

Learn more about the summer opportunities offered through EBCAO: from participating in our programs to undergraduate and graduate student employment to teaching courses!

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About the application intensive.

EBCAO hosts a remote, full-time application intensive (AI) each August for current and past participants in EBCAO programs who are currently applying to PhD programs in the humanities and social sciences. Students in good standing in select EBCAO programs are eligible to apply to the AI in the summer before their senior (rising-senior) year of college. Alumni who completed select EBCAO programs in good standing, and are rising college seniors or hold a Bachelor's Degree, may also apply. 

To be eligible, participants must be applying to PhD programs in the humanities or social sciences in Fall 2024 , with plans to matriculate in a PhD program in Fall 2025. The AI is not for individuals applying to Master's programs, law or medical school, or PhD programs in STEM. 

Application to the AI are due no later than 11:59 PM on Friday, July 26, 2024. 

The AI will take place via Zoom from Monday, August 5 through Friday, August 16, 2024. 

The full schedule of required AI sessions and submissions will be communicated directly upon admission to the program. 

Participants must commit to all of the following in order to be selected to participate:

• attending on time and fully participating in every group session;
• completing every required submission in a timely manner; and
• scheduling, attending, and p articipating in all required 1:1 coaching meetings.

Application

To apply to the AI, complete the simple application form no later than Friday, July 26, 2024.

Please direct any questions to Dr. Afia Ofori-Mensa, Director of Equitable Postgraduate Academic Opportunity, at [email protected] . 

Eligibility

Current participants or alumni of the following programs in good standing are eligible to apply. Consult each program's policies for a definition of good standing in that program. 

• Rising seniors who are currently in, and college graduates who have completed, the Aspiring Scholars and Professionals ( ASAP ) program 
• Rising-senior and college graduate alumni of the Freshman Scholars Institute ( FSI ) 
• College graduates of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship ( MMUF ) program at Princeton; participation in the AI is a program requirement for rising seniors in MMUF
• Rising-senior and college graduate alumni of the Princeton Summer Journalism Program ( PSJP ) 
• Rising-senior and college graduate alumni of the Princeton University Preparatory Program ( PUPP ) 
• Rising-senior and college graduate alumni of the Transfer Scholars Initiative ( TSI ) and/or the Teaching Transfer Initiative ( TTI ) 
• Rising seniors who are currently in, and college graduates who have completed, Princeton's Transfer, Veterans, and Nontraditional ( TVN ) Students Program.

Meet Our Staff

Aditi Rao (she/hers) is a third-year graduate worker in Princeton University's Classics department. Aditi works on issues of linguistic contact and cultural recognition at the border between Greek and Sanskritic worlds in the 3rd century BC. The long tail of her research reaches into practices of colonial philology and early-modern South Asian intellectual history. Aditi completed her BA in Classics, Greek and Sanskrit, from Barnard College in 2021 where she was a Mellon Mays Fellow. Outside of the department, Aditi is a committed organizer for graduate student unionization efforts, for Israeli apartheid divestment campaigns, and for police abolition, which connect with her interests in critical university studies and university abolition studies.

Kierra Duncan (she/her) is a rising fourth year Ph.D. student in the Department of English and the Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in the Humanities (IHUM). Her concerns rest at the intersection of literary and archival studies, history, and anthropology. Her dissertation explores how Afro-Jamaicans and Afro-Americans across the nineteenth century conceptualized freedom using ephemeral forms of folk expression. Before beginning at Princeton, Kierra earned a B.A. in English from UCLA, where she was a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow.

Moad Musbahi is a joint PhD Candidate in Anthropology and Interdisciplinary Humanities at Princeton University. His scholarship tracks the transnational circuits of migration and credit across the Sahara and how injury is (re)produced in this arena, with a focus on sound studies. Through multi-sited ethnographic and archival research in Libya, Algeria, and Mali, his dissertation project explores how claims of belonging, demands for land and other economic privileges are evidenced through pathologized understandings of the body and the voice. In addition, he has written on financial obligation, healthcare ethics, environmental & humanitarian development and sonic politics. Prior to Princeton, he worked in cultural and humanitarian spaces, notably as an aid worker with the Tunisian Red Crescent and the UNHCR, and supported research for Jerusalem Legal Aid Center and other advocacy initiatives. As an artist, he makes sound installations and sculpture, with work recently shown at La Casa Encendida, Madrid [2024], Kunstverein, Hamburg [2023] and the 14th Venice Biennale [2023]. Moad is a member of the Princeton Laptop Orchestra (PLOrk) experimental sound ensemble. He holds a Masters in Architecture from the Architectural Association in London and a MA in Writing in Translation from the RCA, School of Arts and Humanities.

Runnie is a second year doctoral student in the Anthropology department at Princeton. She is a researcher, writer, performance artist, and filmmaker interested in the poetics and corporeal politics of both Mediterranean and Caribbean spaces. Prior to joining Princeton, Runnie completed a dual degree between the Paris Institute for Political Studies and Columbia University, where she studied languages and comparative literature. She is a very proud Brooklyn baby from a very Caribbean family.

Solome Haile (she/her) is a third-year graduate student in the sociology department. Prior to starting her graduate studies, Solome served as clergy to Black students, a research associate in the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research’s Landscapes of Structural Racism and Health Lab, and a research assistant in Washington University in St. Louis’s Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity and Equity. She completed her BA in Biology from Washington University in St. Louis. Her research interests include social theory, critical carceral studies, legal studies, Black feminisms, and qualitative and quantitative methodologies.

Tirzah is a second-year PhD student in History whose research focuses on kinship and the family in formerly enslaved Afro-Native communities in Indian Territory at the turn of the 20th century. She is pursuing graduate certificates in African American Studies and Digital Humanities. Community-based and digital humanities research practices are central to Tirzah’s project. She graduated in 2021 with a BA in History from Barnard College where she was a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow.

Graduate School

Graduate student is lead co-author announcing discovery related to selenium's biological significance

Graduate student Chase Kayrouz, pictured here with Professor of Chemistry Mohammad Seyedsayamdost, is a lead co-author of a paper from the Mo Lab that has been published in Nature.

Photo by Mahrad Saghafi

Graduate student Chase Kayrouz is a lead co-author of a paper published in Nature t hat suggests a deeper biological significance for selenium, a trace micronutrient that is essential for an organism’s growth and metabolism but toxic at high levels.

Princeton Chemistry's Seyedsayamdost Lab has announced the discovery of a novel selenometabolite and potential antioxidant that, together with their 2022 research also published in Nature , signals the existence of an uncharted selenometabolome. 

The lab also upends for the second time in two years the long-held notion that enzymes only install selenium into large molecules, like proteins and nucleic acids. They describe another pathway for selenium insertion into small molecules by a specialized class of enzymes.

The lab’s paper, Discovery of the selenium-containing antioxidant ovoselenol derived from convergent evolution , published mid-August in Nature Chemistry , introduces the selenometabolite ovoselenol. The researchers characterize it as part of an emerging and intriguing class of biomolecules.

“We’re shifting away from the old paradigm about selenium to one that says maybe it is more prevalent in biology than people previously thought. And we are excited by that,” said Chase Kayrouz , lead co-author on the paper and a graduate student in the Mo Lab. “In our field, we don’t look for macromolecules; we look for small molecules. And since selenium is a trace element, you’ll never find it unless you’re actually looking for it. We basically just looked under the right rock.

“The takeaway is that these metabolites are out there.”

Professor of Chemistry Mohammad Seyedsayamdost said the discovery provides proof of a selenometabolome. A metabolome is a collection of small molecules required for cellular maintenance and function. “It has been known for some time that cells can incorporate selenium into large biopolymers. We asked, are there pathways that insert this element into small molecules, the kinds that are found in primary and secondary metabolic pathways?

“In our 2022 paper, we reported the first pathway for insertion of selenium into a small molecule. The molecule, selenoneine, was known but it was thought that cells accidentally incorporate selenium in place of sulfur to generate it. Our work showed that nature has evolved entirely different pathways for the selenium and sulfur isologs. In the current paper, we are reporting a new pathway and a new selenometabolite, ovoselenol. It further substantiates our idea that there is a larger selenometabolome that can now be mined.”

Kayrouz emphasized that the researchers do not yet know the function of these molecules in their native environments.

“We have promising hints that are going to guide the next steps,” Kayrouz said. “They’re definitely doing something for the producing organisms. But it’s still an open question.”

Princeton researchers collaborated with the Davis Lab out of Emory University on this work, particularly co-lead author Kendra Ireland, who investigated the structure of the new enzyme.

Seeking the relatives

The Mo Lab’s latest paper offers a blueprint for charting future research into the selenometabolome. Their approach is based not on a specific modality but on a way of thinking about this trace element fueled by the concept of convergent evolution.

“The interesting thing about selenium-installing enzymes is that they’re the product of evolution,” said Kayrouz. “So, you can start with the known enzymes and then look for their close relatives. That’s what we did.”

The researchers took these relatives and constructed a phylogenetic tree to visualize how the family evolved, searching for “branches” that could represent distant relatives that evolved recently from the known enzymes. These were suspected to catalyze new reactions. The lab then zeroed in on one of these new branches by producing that enzyme in the laboratory and characterizing its function.

“To our delight, we found that this enzyme installs a unique carbon-selenium bond on route to a novel selenometabolite, ovoselenol,” Kayrouz said. “Another thing we’ve confirmed over the years is that while we think there is more to discover, it’s not everywhere. You really have to look in some niche places to find selenium. They represent a very specialized set of compounds. It’s still very much a needle in the haystack process.”

By measuring the electrochemical properties of ovoselenol, the researchers found it to be an excellent reductant, suggesting it may have a heightened role as an antioxidant with conceivable therapeutic applications.

These attributes will provide the lab with new motivation for looking into the molecule in future investigations.

“Selenium has chemical properties that make it a little difficult to control,” said Seyedsayamdost. “The enzymes that have evolved to introduce carbon-selenium bonds can manage or tame the properties of selenium. These enzymes could serve as useful biocatalysts to incorporate this element into all kinds of small molecules, and that is another direction of future research for us and the field.”

Funding for this research was provided by the National Science Foundation (Graduate Research Fellowship Program no. 1937971 and NSF CAREER award no. 184786), the National Institutes of Health (grant R35 GM147557 and grant R01 GM140034), and the Eli Lilly-Edward C. Taylor Fellowship in Chemistry.

Princeton Campus Dining

Summer 2024 Dining on Campus

Jump to:  Hours of Operations Undergraduate and Graduate School Meal Plans Contact us  

If you have a meal plan and are dining in the dining halls, or visiting and would like to enjoy some of our retail options, all available information for dining on campus this summer is below. We will update this page and linked pages accordingly as programs and summer options change or more become available.  

We look forward to serving you!

We have specific meal plans set up for the 2024 summer. Please note that there are different options for Undergraduate students, Graduate students, and those living on or off of campus.    

Undergraduates Living in Summer Housing

• Undergraduate living on campus during the summer have a 14 meals per week meal plan included with the room rate.  
• All weekly meal plans begin with breakfast on Sunday and end with dinner on Saturday. 
• Unused meals do not roll over to the next week.  
• If you exhaust your weekly meals before Saturday dinner, your card will be denied at the dining hall.   You have the option of purchasing PAW points at ConnectPrinceton and then you may "tap"into the dining hall to enter.  
• Please email [email protected] with any questions or concerns.  

Graduate Students Living in Summer Graduate Housing  

Your Graduate Housing room rate does NOT include a meal plan.  If you would like to purchase a Summer Block Plan, please review the information at the " Meal Plan Detail and Pricing " link. 

Meal Plan Detail and Pricing

Dining Hall Locations and Hours

Residential dining halls.

Choi Dining Hall in Yeh/New College West open for all meals.

Hours of Operations

Residential.

Daily Schedule

Breakfast: 7:30 – 10 a.m. Lunch: 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. Dinner: 5 – 8 p.m.

Retail hours of operations from June 10

Dining Hall Menus

Allergens and Dietary Restrictions

If you have questions about allergens and / or dietary restrictions, never hesitate to reach out to our Campus Wellness Dietitian, Puneet Sethi, RDN .

Hilton’s Graduate brand has a new Ivy League locale

Hilton's newly acquired lifestyle brand targeting towns and cities with a collegiate vibe now has a location near Princeton University.

Graduate Princeton officially opened this week by the Ivy League campus. The 180-room hotel is the first new hotel to open in Princeton, New Jersey, in nearly 90 years, the Graduate Princeton team boasts. Further, the arrival of Graduate Princeton nearly doubles the available hotel room count in town.

"When we started Graduate ten years ago, Princeton was at the top of our list," Ben Weprin, the founder of Graduate Hotels and CEO of AJ Capital Partners (which sold Graduate to Hilton earlier this year for $210 million ), said in a prepared statement . "The history, the heritage, the backdrop, the charm, the sophistication — it's just the idea of what somebody envisions college looks like in America."

Graduate Princeton resides in a renovated Colonial Revival-style former dormitory. In addition to the guest rooms, the hotel features the Ye Tavern restaurant and 6,000 square feet of public space.

Like other Graduate hotels , the property gives a nod to influential alumni of the nearby university. You'll also find hints of Princeton itself in the decor, like a hand-carved wooden reception desk flanked by four wooden tiger statues (paying homage to the Princeton Tiger mascot). Orange and black floor tiles in the two-story lobby are in line with Princeton's colors, and you'll even find a collection of Reunion Jackets, which alumni receive at their 25th reunion, dotting the well-stocked bookcases.

In the guest rooms, travelers will notice the orange-and-black color scheme continues in the drapery and carpets. Framed artwork also depicts scenes of the university, and the campus arboretum inspires the bathroom wallpaper.

"Graduate Princeton provides a welcoming environment for guests to discover the traditions, history and hidden gems that make it one of the most popular university towns in the country," Kevin Osterhaus, president of Hilton's global lifestyle brands, said in the statement.

Hilton Honors members will be able to earn and redeem points at the hotel, and you can earn 1,000 bonus Hilton Honors points for stays through Feb. 1, 2025. Rates at Graduate Princeton start at $273, or 50,000 Hilton Honors points, per night.

Related reading:

• The award travelers guide to Hilton Honors
• How to choose the best Hilton credit card for you
• Hilton Honors elite status: What it is and how to earn it
• The best credit cards to reach elite status
• The best hotel rewards programs in the world
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Mechanical Engineering

• Graduate study in Mechanical Engineering
• Ph.D. programs

Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering

The Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering prepares students for careers in research and academia. Our collaborative faculty are investigating a diverse range of research areas like additive manufacturing, air quality, cellular biomechanics, computational design, DNA origami, energy conversion and storage, nanoscale manufacturing, soft robotics, transdermal drug delivery, transport phenomena, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.

Interested? Visit our research pages for more information, including faculty areas of expertise and research videos.

• Other Ph.D. programs

I’d like more information.

View the  degree requirements  in the handbook.

Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering

Students typically complete the Ph.D. degree requirements in three to five years. Early in the program, students focus on course-work that enhances their knowledge as they prepare to conduct research.

Within one year, students must pass the departmental qualifying exam, an oral exam that tests research skills and knowledge of a core mechanical engineering subject area.

Student research forms the core of the Ph.D. program. Research involves active student-directed inquiry into an engineering problem, culminating in a written thesis and oral defense.

Ph.D. Financial Support

The majority of full-time Ph.D. students accepted through the standard application process receive fellowships that cover full tuition, the technology fee, and a stipend for living expenses for up to five years, as long as sufficient progress is made toward degree completion. These awards are sufficient to cover all expenses for the year (including summers). Students are required to pay for health insurance, the transportation fee, the activity fee, books, and course supplies. Off-campus housing is available within walking distance of campus. At least one year of residency is required for the Ph.D. We offer two ways to enter the Ph.D. program.

Advanced entry Ph.D.

The advanced entry Ph.D. is for students with an M.S. in an engineering discipline or equivalent field.

Direct Ph.D.

The direct Ph.D. is for students entering the program with a B.S. in an engineering discipline or equivalent field.

For a comprehensive overview of the programs, including degree requirements, please consult the most recent handbook

Ph.D. candidate Remesh Shrestha, co-advised by Professors Sheng Shen and Maarten de Boer, explains his research to create polymer nanowires that have high thermal conductivity:

Other Ph.D. programs and partnerships

Apply here (by these deadlines).

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The application for fall entry opens in October.

More information

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The Mentor program assigns students to professors of their major(s), their job being “to help guide the student through choosing classes and registration, or anything else.” The “quirky” liberal arts curriculum turns out graduates that “are not pigeonholed into the skills associated with their major, but [who] have developed a wide range of abilities which make them attractive to employers.”

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This “barefooted and brainy” brood “has a wide variety of students who all fit different niches.” “It isn’t unheard of to see people in three-piece suits sitting with what we might call modern-day hippies,” says a student. The “very relaxed” crowd adopts a “laid-back Florida attitude,” and every student is “friendly, approachable and has a general positive attitude about being here at Eckerd.” Almost everyone is “pretty liberal” and “has a strong interest in environmental sustainability.”

Campus Life

There’s a definite party streak here, and “pot and beer are not strangers to Eckerd parties,” which typically take place outdoors. Still, it’s “a very no-pressure environment” for those who choose not to partake, and “there is a very ‘free as a bird’ mentality” here so “people rarely feel trapped.” Life at this school is generally relaxed but busy. It matches the atmosphere of the location,” says a first-year student.

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Graduate by Hilton debuts in Princeton, NJ

Graduate by Hilton , the company’s university-anchored hotel brand, has opened the Graduate Princeton in Princeton, NJ.

Located directly opposite campus, the hotel has 180 guestrooms and a signature restaurant, Ye Tavern. Paying homage to the town’s rich history, architecture and design, the opening marks the first new hotel to open in Princeton in nearly 90 years—and only the second hotel in its historic downtown, nearly doubling the number of available hotel rooms in town.

“When we started Graduate 10 years ago, Princeton was at the top of our list,” said Ben Weprin, founder, Graduate Hotels, and founder/CEO, AJ Capital Partners . “The history, the heritage, the backdrop, the charm, the sophistication—it’s just the idea of what somebody envisions college looks like in America.”

Weprin’s firm, AJ Capital Partners, has meticulously restored, modernized and expanded the 1918-era, Colonial Revival-style former university dormitory in partnership with architecture firm Stonehill Taylor . Today, Graduate Princeton is a contemporary collegiate-inspired hotel with 6,000 sq. ft. of public space, 180 guestrooms and a signature bar and restaurant—all designed in the brand’s characteristic hyper-local, vibrant style.

“Graduate Princeton provides a welcoming environment for guests to discover the traditions, history and hidden gems that make it one of the most popular university towns in the country,” said Kevin Osterhaus, president, global lifestyle brands, Hilton. “Continuing our reputation for delivering top-tier hospitality, Graduate Princeton is a stellar example of how the brand honors the unique stories of these neighborhoods and celebrates the passion and nostalgia that guests and fans feel when stepping through the doors of our hotels.”

The interior design invites guests to immerse themselves in the local culture, lore and traditions. Visitors will discover subtle references to the university and the town’s 275-year history throughout the hotel’s public spaces and guestrooms. Nods to influential alumni, local architecture and storied traditions synonymous with the Princeton student experience inform every detail of Graduate Princeton’s design.

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