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The Department of Economics is home to over 50 faculty members and approximately 140 enrolled graduate students. The department hosts weekly seminars with academics from around the world in a wide range of subfields within economics including behavioral economics, international economics, industrial relations, industrial organization, microeconomic theory, macroeconomics, finance, econometrics, development, political economy, and more. Graduate students are an integral part of these seminars and are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Members of the faculty interact with graduate students at weekly student workshops and seminars and are readily available to meet with students outside of class.

The Economics Department is located in the Julis Romo Rabinowitz (JRR) Building on Washington Road, which was dedicated in spring 2017. Post-generals graduate students are all provided office space in JRR. First- and second-year students have group offices with 12 unassigned desks in each. Prospective students can take a virtual tour of campus .

Please note: The Economics Department at Princeton does not offer a Master’s Degree. Students looking for information about the Master in Finance can learn more on the Princeton Bendheim Center for Finance website .

Admissions process

All applications are processed by the Graduate Admissions Office. The application for graduate admission is available here . The deadline to submit an application is December 15.

Admission decisions will be made in early March and students will be notified of the decision via email. Those students who are offered admission will be invited to visit the department for an admitted student visiting day.

Admissions requirements

Please visit the Graduate Admissions Office website for all admissions requirements. Information about the GRE and English language testing requirements can be found here .

Admissions questions: Who to ask

Prospective students can contact the Graduate Admissions Office with questions via email or by calling 609-258-3034. When sending emails to the Graduate Admissions Office, please do not send the same email to multiple Princeton email addresses. This will only cause a delay in response time.

• For questions regarding the Graduate School’s website, updates to an applicant’s contact information, or fee waivers, please contact [email protected] . General questions about the Graduate Admissions Office should also be directed to this address.
• For questions regarding GMAT, GRE, IELTS and TOEFL tests, please contact [email protected] .
• For questions regarding a submitted application, including application requirements that were not previously uploaded to that application, please contact [email protected] . Please review these tips before sending emails to this account.

For questions regarding non-degree programs, please contact [email protected] .

Graduate School

Application Management

Degree seeking applicants.

The application for fall 2024 admission is now closed.

Nondegree Applicants

The application for Summer 2024 and Fall 2024 nondegree programs is now open. If you previously applied to the Graduate School at Princeton University before fall of 2021, you will need to create a new account as a first-time user. 

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Important Dates:

Application Window Opens

Application Deadline

By February

Admission Decision

Admission Requirements

Please refer to Applying to Princeton for the authoritative requirements for admission to all graduate programs at Princeton University, including the Department of Chemistry.

Specific requirements for application to the Department of Chemistry may be found on the Chemistry Field of Study page.

Ultimately, all prospective graduate student must apply through the university’s Online Graduate School Application .

Upon receiving applications from the Graduate School, the Department of Chemistry’s Admissions Review Committee reviews each application in a holistic fashion, considering all aspects of the application file including prior research and coursework, letters of recommendation and standardized test scores.

Further Details and Fine Print…

Standardized scores.

The submission of GRE general test scores is strongly recommended but not required. There are no minimum test score requirements for admission. If submitted, the standardized scores are reviewed as part of the applicant’s portfolio by the faculty review committee.

Please note that some November GRE test results might not be officially submitted by ETS until after the December 1 deadline. You may self-report the test results to our graduate program manager, Patti Wallack , by email as soon as you have them. The November results are usually received by the Graduate School by mid-December allowing sufficient time for the official report to be confirmed by the admissions committee.

The application fee is established and managed by the Graduate School. The department cannot grant a fee waiver.  More information on fee waivers.

Financial Support

All students receive full financial support for the length of their course of study funded through fellowship, teaching and advisor support. This support is not a loan and does not require repayment. Students are provided tuition, health insurance and a stipend for housing and living expenses. More information about financial support, policies and rates.

Admissions Decisions and Campus Visit

Admissions decisions are shared by February . Official campus visits for accepted students are held in February and March. An invitation to attend one of our Visiting Weekends will be sent to all accepted students.

Graduate Program Who’s Who:

Patti Wallack Manager of Educational Programs, Outreach, and Events [email protected]

Contact Patti for all graduate program and admissions questions.

Sarah Mullins Graduate Program Manager [email protected]

Contact Sarah for all graduate program and admissions questions.

Susan VanderKam Associate Director, Undergraduate Program [email protected]

You may already have met Susan at a conference. Contact Susan for questions about diversity initiatives and resources.

Erik Sorensen Arthur Allan Patchett Professor in Organic Chemistry, Professor of Chemistry Director of Graduate Studies

For each class, we bring together a varied mix of high-achieving, intellectually gifted students from diverse backgrounds to create an exceptional learning community. We care about what students have accomplished in and out of the classroom. As you prepare your application, help us to appreciate your talents, academic accomplishments and personal achievements. We'll ask for your transcript and recommendations, and we will want to know more than just the statistics in your file. Tell us your story. Show us what’s special about you. Tell us how you would seize the academic and nonacademic opportunities at Princeton and contribute to the Princeton community.

Admission Information for:

During the admission process, our goal is to find students who will thrive in Princeton’s rigorous academic environment.

Princeton welcomes applications from students around the world. We review all applications in the same manner, regardless of citizenship or country of residence.

Princeton is committed to providing a top-quality education to students from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds. Since 2006, our partnership with QuestBridge allows us to reaffirm that mission and assist students who may have not previously considered Princeton as an option for an affordable education.

The University is committed to supporting undocumented and DACA students. Princeton’s admission and financial aid policies are the same for undocumented or DACA students as they are for all other students applying to the University. If admitted, undocumented students can be confident that their full financial need, as determined by the Undergraduate Financial Aid Office, will be met.

Princeton welcomes applications from home-schooled students. Although they still make up a very small portion of the applicant pool, applications from home-schooled students have been increasing. We recognize that your experience as a home-schooled student will be somewhat different from students in traditional schools.

U.S. military-affiliated students apply through the same process as other prospective undergraduates, and determine eligibility for the transfer program or the admissions process for first-year students based on the parameters described in the Transfer Eligibility section.

Princeton's Transfer Program looks for a small group of exceptionally well-prepared students from a range of backgrounds, and we particularly encourage applications from students from lower-income backgrounds, community college students and U.S. military veterans.

QuestBridge

Application Deadlines

Princeton's single-choice early action (restrictive) application is due Nov. 1.

Princeton's regular decision application is due Jan. 1

Princeton's transfer application is due March 1.

Preparing for Princeton

We look for students with intellectual curiosity, who have pursued and achieved academic excellence. We also look for students with strong personal and extracurricular accomplishments.

For Counselors

As our partners in this important work, we ask you to help us learn about your students' talents, academic accomplishments and personal achievements.

New & Noteworthy

Blog: “princeton before princeton”.

Blogger Gil Joseph explains the resources and programs available to students as they prepare to begin their first semester on campus, including the Freshman Scholars Institute that aids students with the academic transition to Princeton.

BLOG: “The Process of Choosing Classes”

Blogger Kevin Yeung walks readers through the process of choosing courses each semester at Princeton and offers advice on how to best go about selecting from the vast registrar offerings.

BLOG: “Is the Princeton Workload Too Much for Me?”

Blogger Grace Masback explains the four strategies she developed to tackle the college workload and successfully adjust from high school learning.

The phenomenon: Princeton's Xaivian Lee is taking college basketball by storm

Recruited by no other program, the point guard is lighting up foes and gathering followers as the Tigers stack wins in pursuit of another March run.

PODCAST: “Context is an Admission Counselor’s Best Friend”

We drop in on a conversation between Karen Richardson '93, dean of admission, and Matt Alander, director of admission. Longtime admission professionals and colleagues, Dean Richardson and Alander cover many admission-related topics.

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 ).  

Equal Opportunity and Nondiscrimination at Princeton University: Princeton University believes that commitment to principles of fairness and respect for all is favorable to the free and open exchange of ideas, and the University seeks to reach out as widely as possible in order to attract the ablest individuals as students, faculty and staff. In applying this policy, the University is committed to nondiscrimination on the basis of personal beliefs or characteristics such as political views, religion, national or ethnic origin, race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, marital or domestic partnership status, veteran status, disability, genetic information and/or other characteristics protected by applicable law in any phase of its education or employment programs or activities. See Princeton’s full Equal Opportunity Policy and Nondiscrimination Statement . In addition, pursuant to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and supporting regulations, Princeton does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the education programs or activities that it operates; this extends to admission and employment. Inquiries about the application of Title IX and its supporting regulations may be directed to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education or to the University’s Sexual Misconduct/Title IX Coordinator:

Michele Minter University Sexual Misconduct/Title IX Coordinator Vice Provost for Institutional Equity and Diversity 204 Nassau Hall Princeton, New Jersey 08544 [email protected] 609-258-6110

MPA Application

Graduate Admissions Office 609-258-4836 [email protected]

Application Timeline

• Application Deadline : December 15, 2024, 11:59 p.m. ET
• Application Fee : $75
• Application Fee Waiver Information  
• Admissions Decisions : March 15, 2024
• Admitted Students Decision Deadline : April 15, 2025

Requirements

A completed application includes:

Princeton University Graduate Application

The statement of purpose should explain the applicant’s commitment to a career in public service, showcase strengths, and provide an overview of background, goals, academic and professional aspirations, and how a SPIA graduate degree can help you accomplish them. Two to four pages, double spaced. Applicants wishing to address any weaknesses in the application should include a separate, succinct, fact-based addendum.

We want to get to know you on a more personal and individual basis. To do so, applicants must respond to this prompt: “ We all come from somewhere and it shapes us — both in who we become and what we value. Tell us your story and what has shaped you .” This should be one page, double spaced. 

Required for applicants who wish to pursue a joint degree (MPA/J.D. or MPA/MBA). This statement explains the rationale for pursuing a joint degree. This should be two pages, double spaced, and separate from the personal statement. Joint degree must be declared at the time of application.

The personal statement should not exceed 500 words and must be written in English. The goal of the personal essay 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.

Identify a problem in domestic or international affairs, discuss its complexity, and propose policy recommendations. The memo should demonstrate the ability to provide critical analysis of an issue, to write cogently, and offer reasonable and realistic recommendations. Four pages, double spaced.

Applicants who plan to pursue a certificate should submit an additional statement explaining the rationale for enrolling in a certificate program. This should be one page, double spaced. 

List employment activities, community service, education, and academic and professional honors. Include a brief annotation of job responsibilities, leadership, and awards.

There is no prescribed undergraduate major for the MPA degree. Include transcripts for any institution of higher learning attended, whether or not a degree was obtained. Transcripts can be unofficial at the time of application. (Note: This is a more expansive requirement than the general graduate application, which only requires transcripts from degree-granting institutions attended.) PPIA fellows should also upload their summer program evaluations in the “Additional Information” section of the application.

The grade point average from each degree-granting education program must be provided. Applicants must convert their GPA to a 4.0 scale if needed here .

The admissions committee evaluates an applicant’s aptitude for courses in economic and quantitative analysis. Please include mathematics, economics, and politics courses (in undergraduate, postgraduate, and evening study) completed or in progress. If possible, provide the course number, name, principal textbook, and its author.

As a general rule, recommendations should include one professional, one academic, and one from someone able to comment on the applicant’s commitment to public service. Recommenders should understand the applicant’s reasons for applying to the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs , as well as the person’s goals and strengths.

Financial aid is awarded on the basis of merit and need, in conjunction with any external scholarships offered by partnerships with government agencies or other fellowships. Applicants may be asked for additional forms or supporting documentation to verify financial data.

Official results of the GRE general test are required of all MPA applicants. Princeton’s GRE code is 2672; no departmental code is needed. Applicants should take the GRE in advance of the application deadline. While the test can be taken in December of the application year, it is not guaranteed that the application will be complete in time. If the cost of the test poses an issue, please review the GRE fee-reduction program .

English language test scores are required for all applicants whose primary language is not English, whose completed undergraduate instruction was not entirely in English as certified by the institution or who have not completed at least one year of full-time graduate study entirely in English as certified by the institution.  Additional information about this Graduate School requirement is available at this site . 

Admissions Blog