Are you curious to know all there is to know about the lucky students admitted to the Princeton University Class of 2029? You’re not the only one. Unfortunately, this year, Princeton has continued down the same course of keeping admissions statistics close to the vest and refusing to publish any of the juicy details on this incoming cohort of Tigers. But don’t click away just yet! Rest assured, Ivy Coach will still give you the inside scoop on what this recent admissions cycle means for one of the oldest and most respected institutions in American higher education.

Princeton University Admissions Statistics (Classes of 2029 – 2007)

One short year ago, Princeton received a record number of applications to the Class of 2028: 40,468. However, this considerable number of students to choose from did not result in a record-setting acceptance rate. The Class of 2028’s 4.62% acceptance rate pales in comparison to what was achieved three years prior when a slim 4.0% of applicants were accepted to the Class of 2025 amidst a massive wave of students deferring the college admissions process for a year during the height of the pandemic. 

Let’s take a look at over twenty years of Princeton’s admissions data, keeping in mind that while we don’t yet know how the Class of 2029 fared, all will be revealed when Princeton publishes its next iteration of The Common Data Set next fall:

Princeton University Class Year	Overall Acceptance Rate	Regular Decision Acceptance Rate	Regular Decision Applications Accepted	Regular Decision Applications Received	Early Decision / Action Acceptance Rate	Percent of Class Filled by Early Applications	Early Decision / Action Applications Received	Early Decision / Action Applications Accepted	Expected Number of Students to Enroll	Total Applications Received	Total Applications Accepted
Class of 2029	NYP	NYP	NYP	NYP	NYP	n/a*	NYP	NYP	NYP	NYP	NYP
Class of 2028	4.62%	NYP	NYP	NYP	NYP	n/a*	NYP	NYP	1,400	40,468	1,868
Class of 2027	4.59%	NYP	1,032	NYP	NYP	n/a*	NYP	791	1,366	39,644	1,823
Class of 2026	4.33%	NYP	NYP	NYP	NYP	NYP	NYP	NYP	1,499	38,019	1,647
Class of 2025	4.00%	4.00%	1,498	37,601	n/a#	n/a#	n/a#	n/a#	1,308	37,601	1,498
Class of 2024	5.60%	3.70%	1,032	27,838	15.80%	n/a*	4,998	791	1,308	32,836	1,823
Class of 2023	5.80%	4.20%	1,152	27,469	13.90%	n/a*	5,335	743	1,296	32,804	1,895
Class of 2022	5.50%	3.80%	1,142	29,968	14.80%	n/a*	5,402	799	1,296	35,370	1,941
Class of 2021	6.10%	4.30%	1,120	26,053	15.40%	n/a*	5,003	770	1,308	31,056	1,890
Class of 2020	6.50%	4.70%	1,177	25,074	18.60%	n/a*	4,229	785	1,308	29,303	1,894
Class of 2019	7.00%	4.90%	1,141	23,440	19.90%	n/a*	3,850	767	1,310	27,290	1,908
Class of 2018	7.3 %	5.4 %	1,225	22,787	18.50%	n/a*	3,854	714	1,308	26,641	1,939
Class of 2017	7.30%	5.40%	1,234	22,688	18.30%	n/a*	3,810	697	1,290	26,498	1,931
Class of 2016	7.90%	5.90%	1,369	23,221	21.10%	n/a*	3,443	726	1,300	26,664	2,095
Class of 2015	8.40%	8.40%	2,282	27,189	n/a*	n/a*	n/a*	n/a*	1,300	27,189	2,282
Class of 2014	8.20%	8.20%	2,148	26,247	n/a*	n/a*	n/a*	n/a*	1,300	26,247	2,148
Class of 2013	9.80%	9.80%	2,150	21,964	n/a*	n/a*	n/a*	n/a*	1,300	21,964	2,150
Class of 2012	9.30%	9.30%	1,976	21,262	n/a*	n/a*	n/a*	n/a*	1,245	21,262	1,976
Class of 2011	9.50%	7.20%	1,194	16,605	25.50%	48%	2,337	597	1,245	18,942	1,791
Class of 2010	10.20%	7.80%	1,193	15,327	26.80%	49%	2,236	599	1,222	17,563	1,792
Class of 2009	10.90%	8.40%	1,214	14,477	29.10%	48.60%	2,039	593	1,220	16,516	1,807
Class of 2008	11.90%	8.80%	1,050	11,875	32%	50%	1,815	581	1,162	13,690	1,631
Class of 2007	10%	7.30%	979	13,375	25.10%	49.50%	2,350	591	1,195	15,725	1,570

n/a* = not applicable since an EA policy was in place

n/a# = not applicable since an EA / ED policy was not in place

Princeton Withholds Admissions Data for Third Year in a Row

In December 2021, Princeton University announced in a press release that they would stop publishing admissions data, which started a trend that has since taken the Ivy League by storm. Just this year, Harvard made a similar announcement that the Class of 2029 would break 70 years of precedent by declining to publish any data on the incoming students.

Could it be that these educational powerhouses are growing wary of the heightened scrutiny given to them in the media in recent years? That could certainly be the case. But it might also have something to do with the fact that low acceptance rates discourage applicants from applying, and that’s the last thing Princeton admissions officers want to see.

Another factor that’s worth noting to make sense of the mystery of the Class of 2029 is Princeton’s decision to go against the grain of most of its elite college counterparts and maintain its test-optional admissions policy through the 2025-26 admissions cycle. What was likely done in a move to keep up record-setting application pools (by securing the presence of “squeakers” — Ivy Coach’s term for underqualified students who apply to highly selective schools without sending in test scores) may result in yet another year of super high applications and super low acceptances. But only time will tell!

Ivy Coach’s Assistance with Princeton Waitlist to the Class of 2029

On the other hand, we at Ivy Coach are not at all shy about our acceptance rate to Princeton. Over the last 10 years, around 37% of students who have first come to Ivy Coach after being placed on Princeton’s waitlist have earned admission.

If you’re interested in optimizing your case for admission off Princeton’s waitlist or giving your child the best shot at earning admission to Princeton in a future admissions cycle, fill out our complimentary consultation form. We’ll then send you an immediate response, including an outline of our go-forward waitlist service.