Princeton University

Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university located in Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. The university is governed by the Trustees of Princeton University and has an endowment of $37.7 billion, the largest endowment per student in the United States. Today, it stands as one of the defining institutions of New Jersey and a cornerstone of American academic life, drawing students, researchers, and visitors from around the world to the historic borough of Princeton.

Founding and Early History

The Province of New Jersey granted a charter on October 22, 1746 for "the Education of Youth in the Learned Languages and in the Liberal Arts and Sciences." The charter was unique in the colonies, for it specified that "any Person of any religious Denomination whatsoever" might attend. The college's enrollment totaled 10 young men, who met for classes in the Reverend Jonathan Dickinson's parlor in Elizabeth. Dickinson died soon after and was replaced by Aaron Burr Sr., pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Newark, New Jersey. The college moved to Newark in the fall of 1747, where in 1748 a class of six men became the first to graduate.

The institution's inception was a direct outgrowth of the Great Awakening, a religious movement to revitalize Christianity in the British American colonies from the 1720s to the 1740s. The purpose of founding the college was to train clergy who would be in agreement with the precepts of the revivalist movement.

Located in Elizabeth for one year and in Newark for nine, the College of New Jersey moved to Princeton in 1756. It was housed in Nassau Hall, which was newly built on land donated by Nathaniel FitzRandolph. Nassau Hall, named to honor King William III, Prince of Orange, of the House of Nassau, was one of the largest buildings in the colonies. For nearly half a century it housed the entire college — classrooms, dormitories, library, chapel, dining room, and kitchen.

Following the untimely deaths of its first five presidents, the college enjoyed a long period of stability during 1768–94 under the Reverend John Witherspoon. Witherspoon, himself a signer of the Declaration of Independence, helped reorient the college's mission from the training of ministers toward preparing students for civic leadership. In 1896, when expanded program offerings brought the college university status, the College of New Jersey was officially renamed Princeton University. The Graduate School was established in 1900.

Nassau Hall and the American Revolution

Nassau Hall occupies a central place not only in Princeton's campus but in the history of New Jersey and the United States. Begun in 1754 and completed in 1756, it was the first seat of the New Jersey Legislature in 1776, was involved in the Battle of Princeton in 1777, and was the seat of the Congress of the Confederation — and thus the capitol of the United States — from June 30, 1783, to November 4, 1783.

The region became a focal point during the American Revolution, with the Battle of Princeton in 1777. The final stage of the battle was fought on the college campus — George Washington's troops were victorious, and the British ultimately surrendered to Washington at Nassau Hall. Nassau Hall was also where, in 1783, the Continental Congress formally thanked Washington for his service in the American Revolution.

During the American Revolution, Nassau Hall survived occupation by soldiers from both sides and today bears a cannonball scar from the Battle of Princeton (January 3, 1777). The federal government recognized the historical significance of "Old Nassau" by awarding it national landmark status and by issuing an orange and black commemorative three-cent stamp in celebration of its 1956 bicentennial. In 1966, Nassau Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Today, it houses the office of the university president and other administrative offices.

The Modern University: Growth and Transformation

Princeton University underwent a period of decline after the American Revolution, experiencing financial trouble and decreased enrollment. In 1868, James McCosh became president of the university and lifted it out of its postwar difficulties by expanding the curriculum and adding faculty. The Princeton University Art Museum, which houses a collection of more than 72,000 works of art, was founded in 1882.

A pivotal chapter in Princeton's modern development came with the presidency of Woodrow Wilson. In 1902, Woodrow Wilson became Princeton's 13th president. During his term of office (1902–10), plans for building the Graduate College were finalized, and what had been the College of New Jersey began to grow into a full-scale university. As Princeton looked toward expansion, Wilson focused on the quality of the individual teaching and learning experience. He is credited with developing small discussion classes called preceptorials, which to this day supplement lecture courses in the humanities and social sciences. Wilson doubled the size of the faculty, created an administrative structure, and revised the curriculum to include general studies for freshmen and sophomores and concentrated study for juniors and seniors.

The 20th century brought both expansion and controversy. The creation of the School of Architecture in 1919, the School of Engineering in 1921, and the School of Public and International Affairs in 1930 marked significant milestones in Princeton's institutional growth. Princeton began undertaking a sharper focus towards research in the years after World War II, with the construction of Firestone Library in 1948 and the establishment of the Forrestal Research Center in nearby Plainsboro Township in the 1950s. Government-sponsored research increased sharply, particularly in the physics and engineering departments, with much of it occurring at the new Forrestal campus.

A landmark shift in Princeton's social history came in 1969. Princeton's trustees voted 24–8 in favor of coeducation and began preparing the institution for the transition. The university finished these plans in April 1969 and announced there would be coeducation in September. Ultimately, 101 female freshman and 70 female transfer students enrolled at Princeton in September 1969. In 2001, Princeton elected its first female president.

In more recent years, Princeton confronted its own institutional legacy. In 2020, university authorities removed the name of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson from two of its institutions — its public policy school (now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs) and the residential Woodrow Wilson College (now known as First College). Contemporary views of Wilson have been severely critical of his support of racist practices, such as enforcing segregation in federal agencies. As president of Princeton University, Wilson had barred the enrollment of Black students, who had been admitted since McCosh's tenure as president.

Campus, Research, and Academic Programs

The main campus consists of more than 200 buildings on 600 acres (2.4 km²) in Princeton, New Jersey. At the southern edge of the campus is Lake Carnegie, an artificial lake named for Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie financed the lake's construction in 1906 at the behest of a friend and his brother who were both Princeton alumni. Carnegie hoped the opportunity to take up rowing would inspire Princeton students to forsake football, which he considered "not gentlemanly." Princeton's grounds were designed by Beatrix Farrand between 1912 and 1943.

Princeton offers postgraduate degrees through the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the School of Architecture, and the Bendheim Center for Finance. The university also manages the Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and is home to the NOAA's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity" and has one of the largest university libraries in the world.

The university hosts 75 research institutes and centers and two national laboratories. The Princeton University Library system houses over 13 million holdings through 11 buildings, including seven million bound volumes, making it one of the largest university libraries in the United States. Built in 1948, the main campus library is Firestone Library and serves as the main repository for the humanities and social sciences. Its collections include the autographed manuscript of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and George F. Kennan's Long Telegram.

In the 2026 edition of Best Colleges, Princeton University is ranked #1 in National Universities by U.S. News & World Report. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 5,813 (fall 2024), its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 3,500 acres. The student-faculty ratio at Princeton University is 5:1, and it utilizes a semester-based academic calendar.

Through its financial aid program, Princeton ensures all qualified students who are accepted can afford to attend the university and graduate with little or no debt. Most families with incomes up to $100,000 a year now pay nothing for their student to attend Princeton, and families earning up to $300,000 a year may qualify for financial aid.

Notable Alumni and Faculty

Princeton's alumni and faculty network is among the most decorated of any university in the world. As of October 2025, 81 Nobel laureates, 16 Fields Medalists, and 17 Turing Award laureates have been affiliated with Princeton University as alumni, faculty members, or researchers. In addition, Princeton has been associated with 21 National Medal of Science awardees, 5 Abel Prize awardees, 11 National Humanities Medal recipients, 217 Rhodes Scholars, 137 Marshall Scholars, and 62 Gates Cambridge Scholars.

Two U.S. presidents, twelve U.S. Supreme Court justices (three of whom serve on the court as of 2026), and numerous living industry and media figures and foreign heads of state are all counted among Princeton's alumni body. Princeton has graduated many members of the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Cabinet, including eight secretaries of state, three secretaries of defense, and two chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Among the most recognized alumni are James Madison (Class of 1771), the fourth President of the United States and a primary author of the U.S. Constitution; Woodrow Wilson (Class of 1879), the 28th President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate; and Aaron Burr, third Vice President of the United States. Princeton University counts two U.S. presidents — James Madison and Wilson — among its alumni, as well as several Nobel laureates and Pulitzer Prize winners. In the sciences, Princeton scholars and alumni received an unprecedented five Nobel Prizes in 2021. Mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr., whose work on game theory earned him the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, spent much of his career at Princeton. Michelle Obama graduated from Princeton in 1985 with a degree in sociology. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos had an early love for computers and studied computer science and electrical engineering at Princeton.

Princeton alumni also include 113 athletes who competed in the Olympics, winning 19 gold medals, 24 silver medals, and 23 bronze medals.

Princeton's Role in New Jersey

The university, with about 8,000 benefits-eligible employees, is an economic engine for central New Jersey as one of the largest private employers, a major purchaser of goods and services, and a draw for hundreds of thousands of annual visitors. The university's presence has shaped the borough of Princeton for nearly 270 years, influencing everything from local real estate and transportation to the cultural and intellectual life of the region.

Princeton University was featured at the top of U.S. News & World Report's national university rankings for the ninth consecutive year in 2024, as well as topping comparable lists by Forbes and The Wall Street Journal. The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, managed by the university on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy, conducts cutting-edge nuclear fusion research at its Plainsboro Township campus, contributing to New Jersey's standing as a hub of scientific innovation.

Princeton's 20th and current president is Christopher Eisgruber, who was appointed by the university's board of trustees in 2013. The board is responsible for the overall direction of the university. It consists of no fewer than 23 and no more than 40 members at any one time, with the president of the university and the governor of New Jersey serving as ex officio members.