Princeton has eliminated salaries for students serving as advising fellows with Matriculate, a national nonprofit that connects high-achieving, low-income high school students with undergraduate mentors to guide them through the college application process.
The decision was communicated to advising fellows by email late last semester, according to students working for Matriculate.
“Unfortunately, due to funding constraints, Princeton has had to discontinue its special program of offering student compensation for Matriculate Advising Fellows and transition those roles to volunteer ones, as is the norm for Matriculate fellows on other campuses,” University spokesperson Jennifer Morrill wrote in a statement to The Daily Princetonian.
Unlike most universities, where Matriculate advising positions are volunteer-based, Princeton had been providing financial compensation to its student advisors. Morrill noted that student leaders in the program — including head advising fellows and advising fellow leadership team members — will continue to receive stipends directly from Matriculate.
“I knew I was going to continue [with the program] just because of that personal stake with the mission itself,” Hafsa Sheikh ’28, an advising fellow with Matriculate, told the ‘Prince.’ However, Sheikh acknowledged that the compensation cuts “kind of impact the quality of the work, depending on the person.”
It was not clear if the cuts were due to University-wide budget reductions instituted this semester.
“Princeton continues to value Matriculate’s work in college access and remains committed to supporting the organization’s annual orientation program and monthly meetings,” Morrill wrote.
For Angela Li ’28, who joined Matriculate during her freshman fall semester, several factors, including the discontinued stipend, the virtual format of advising sessions, and limited training, led her to step away from the organization.
“Even in the spring, when I was being paid for my role, I didn’t really get a sense of fulfillment because all the meetings were over Zoom,” Li told the ‘Prince.’
Li is an assistant Features editor for the ‘Prince.’
Sheikh noted that many fellows decided to step back following the salary cut.
“If you have two roles that are coinciding, you probably are going to prioritize the paid role over the volunteer position, depending on the situation,” Sheikh said.
The Daily Princetonian reached out to multiple past and current advising fellows, who declined to comment or did not respond to requests for an interview.
Despite some turnover among current advising fellows, Sheikh said that 120 students applied to Matriculate this year, comparable to about 130 last year.
On a broader scale, the University is carrying out what it described as “a pretty thorough look” of its external partnerships.
“In some of those, we’re reducing because we want to preserve resources for students on our campus,” Provost Jennifer Rexford said at a Sept. 21 Undergraduate Student Government meeting. “We are still doing a lot of them, but just as with the library evaluating their hours, we’re also evaluating all those programs [in terms of] which ones to continue.”
Rexford emphasized that the affected partnerships were not singled out due to their connection to diversity and inclusion initiatives. Since taking office, the Trump administration has moved to limit diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at colleges nationwide, leading some universities to reevaluate related partnerships and funding structures.
“At the end of the day … if you go into social impact nonprofits, you’re [probably] not in it for the money, but likely because you care about it,” Sheikh said. “I think that rings true for organizations on campus that are very mission-driven; I think that is the same for Matriculate as well.”
Sena Chang is a senior News writer and Features contributor for the ‘Prince.’ She typically covers town topics and campus unions. She can be reached at sc3046[at]princeton.edu.
Emily Chien is a News contributor for the 'Prince.' She is from Arcadia, Calif., and can be reached at emilychien@princeton.edu.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
Read More
In April, USG offered the U. a proposal on upperclass dining. They were surprised instead.
Kian Petlin and Gray CollinsOver the summer, USG members attempted to meet with University Services to discuss their proposal as well as a major report by the Huron Consulting Group on the state of campus dining. In August, the University abruptly cancelled.
Over the summer, USG members attempted to meet with University Services to discuss their proposal as well as a major report by the Huron Consulting Group on the state of campus dining. In August, the University abruptly cancelled.
Future Humanities Institute to weigh HUM sequence expansion, hoping to be hedge against budget pressures
Aitana CamponovoPrinceton’s Humanities Initiative plans to establish the Humanities Institute in Fall 2027, which will expand the study of humanities for undergraduates.
Princeton’s Humanities Initiative plans to establish the Humanities Institute in Fall 2027, which will expand the study of humanities for undergraduates.
New Jersey facing ‘existential’ election, Sherrill’s number two Dale Caldwell ’82 says
Luke GrippoThe Daily Princetonian sits down for an interview with Democratic Lt. Gov. candidate Dale Caldwell '84 on the eve of the New Jersey governor’s election.
The Daily Princetonian sits down for an interview with Democratic Lt. Gov. candidate Dale Caldwell '84 on the eve of the New Jersey governor’s election.