The cost of attendance for the 2018–19 school year has risen 4.9 percent from the previous year, alongside a rise in financial aid of 7.7 percent according to a budget announcement on Monday from the Office of Communications.
The announcement stated that the fee package for full tuition-paying families has increased from $62,750 to $65,810. The Office of Communications added that, for the 19th year in a row, the University’s fee package will be the lowest in the Ivy League.
The cost of attendance increased by 4.4 percent for the 2017–18 school year and 4.3 percent for the 2016–17 school year.
The average national cost of attendance for an undergraduate at a four-year private university was $44,820 for the 2017–18 school year, according to the College Board. The College Board priced average in-state cost of attendance at a four-year public university at $18,390.
However, despite the increase in cost of attendance, overall financial aid has also increased by 7.7 percent to $174.2 million. Like the cost of attendance, the increase in financial aid is part of a larger upward trend over the past few years, having increased by 8.7 percent for the 2017–18 school year and 6.6 percent for the 2016–17 year.
According to the announcement, roughly 60 percent of undergraduates receive aid, and for families earning up to $65,000, the financial aid package typically covers the full cost of tuition plus room and board.
“Access and affordability remain key principles guiding decisions on Princeton’s fee package and financial aid,” Provost Deborah Prentice said in a statement. Prentice is the University’s chief budget officer and chair of the student-faculty-staff Priorities Committee, which makes budget recommendations to the trustees.
“The committee is pleased to endorse an increase in the financial aid budget that maintains Princeton’s commitment to meeting full financial need for all students who are admitted,” Prentice said.
Last year, the University was ranked 10th in a study conducted by the company Student Loan Hero in a list of the most affordable colleges, and was the only Ivy League school on that list.
The announcement emphasized that the University is dedicated to meeting students’ financial need.
“The University’s ‘stay even’ policy insulates students on aid from increasing costs of attendance,” according to the statement. “Aid packages are recalculated each year to offset increases to tuition, room, board and other expenses and to take into account changes in the family’s financial circumstances.”
President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 presented the budget proposal to the trustees during a meeting on April 14.
A previous version of this article misstated the percentage change in cost of attendance for 2018-19. The ‘Prince’ regrets the error.
Read More
Sunrise Princeton hosts Earth Day climate walkout
Olivia Sanchez and Ethan CaldwellSunrise Princeton hosted an Earth Day climate walkout on Monday, April 22. The protest was organized with a coalition of other justice groups at the University.
Sunrise Princeton hosted an Earth Day climate walkout on Monday, April 22. The protest was organized with a coalition of other justice groups at the University.
Two years in the making: PSRJ launches condom dispensers
Vitus LarrieuPrinceton Students for Reproductive Justice (PSRJ) celebrated the launch of condom dispensers around campus with a party in Campus Club on Friday, April 19, capping off its second annual “Sex Ed week.”
Princeton Students for Reproductive Justice (PSRJ) celebrated the launch of condom dispensers around campus with a party in Campus Club on Friday, April 19, capping off its second annual “Sex Ed week.”
University phones experiencing service disruptions, internal and emergency calls unaffected
Victoria DaviesOn Monday, April 22, a TigerAlert from the Office of Information Technology announced that University phones were experiencing a "service disruption." OIT has not yet provided a resolution time, and is currently investigating the issue.
On Monday, April 22, a TigerAlert from the Office of Information Technology announced that University phones were experiencing a "service disruption." OIT has not yet provided a resolution time, and is currently investigating the issue.
