On Friday, 1,168 students were offered membership in one of Princeton’s 10 active eating clubs, which select new members through either a Bicker or sign-in process. An unprecedented 111 students were left without a club, a sharp departure from previous near-universal placement.
In 2025, all 1,263 Street Week participants secured a spot, and Street Week 2024 saw 1,207 students placed — over 99 percent of participants. In a statement to The Daily Princetonian, vice president of the Interclub Council Sofia Marina ’26 explained that the temporary closure of Cloister Inn contributed to this year’s high number of unplaced students.
The ICC is a governing body composed of all eating club presidents that convenes to discuss “club policies, student life projects, and best practices to ensure a safe environment for all members and visitors to the clubs.”
“While the remaining clubs aimed to accommodate as many students as possible, this temporary capacity ceiling meant that a small number of students could not be immediately placed through the initial system,” Marina wrote.
Marina told the ‘Prince’ that 78 percent of the accepted sophomores were placed into their first-choice club, showing “that the vast majority of students are finding a place in the clubs they were the most excited about.”
Marina additionally shared that 96 juniors and 1,183 sophomores participated in Street Week activities. With approximately 84 percent participation, the Class of 2028 set a recent record for sophomore Street Week turnout, slightly exceeding last year’s 83 percent participation by the Class of 2027.
Street Week, which was held from Jan. 25 to Jan. 31, is a week of social events during which many sophomores and juniors explore the eating clubs located on or near Prospect Avenue. Six of the 10 active eating clubs — Cap and Gown Club, Cottage Club, Cannon Dial Elm Club, Ivy Club, Tiger Inn, and Tower Club — held Bicker the following week, a process in which prospective members engage in conversations and games with current members. Clubs then hold member or Bicker committee discussions to select their incoming classes. Each student is able to bicker up to two clubs.
This year, Cap was the most selective club, dethroning Tiger Inn, which has held the distinction for the past two years. Cap has also retained the status of the most bickered club, with 401 students bickering. Tower saw another decrease in acceptance rate, from 42 percent last year to 35.8 percent this year.
Other than Bicker, there are two systems for admission into the eating clubs. Cloister, which is currently closed, Colonial, and Terrace, all use the “sign-in” system, where students can simply sign up for membership. Although all clubs are currently at capacity according to the ICC website, unplaced students may be able to join sign-in clubs if spots free up as membership is finalized.
A recent addition to the sign-in system is the group sign-in, which was introduced by the ICC in 2024. This feature allows groups of sophomores and juniors to sign in to a club with their friends, ensuring they receive the same placements. The ICC said in its statement that 47 students used group sign-in, up from last year’s 32.
The selective sign-in process, adopted by Charter and Quadrangle in 2021 and 2025, respectively, awards points to prospective members for demonstrating interest in the club. Interest is measured by attendance at events such as coffee chats or socials before winter break and during Street Week.
Quadrangle announced in November 2025 that all prospective sophomore members were required to attend at least one of three “Quad Socials” in Street Week 2026 and that it would cap the number of new sophomores at 75.
For both Charter and Quadrangle, membership is selected based on where prospective members rank the club, as well as participation in activities.
In a previous email to the ‘Prince,’ Marina, who also served as the Quadrangle president, said the change was in response to feedback given by sophomores who wanted more opportunities to meet members and experience the club’s community prior to eating club selection.
The ranking window for eating clubs opened on Tuesday, Feb. 3 at 8 p.m. and closed on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 8 p.m., before decisions were released the next day at 10:15 a.m.
Marina wrote that 24 percent of participating sophomores utilized the single-bicker option and 64 percent utilized the double-bicker option. 12 percent of all participating students, or 153 of the original participants, chose not to bicker.
Breakdown of clubs
613 of the 1,168 students placed in clubs were offered spots in Bicker clubs, 11 fewer spots than last year.
Cap, which had 401 bickerees, accepted an equal number of male and female bickerees, which has been a pattern for the club in the two previous bicker cycles. The club welcomed 100 new members, the same number as last year. Its 24.9 percent acceptance rate is a 0.3 percent decrease from last year.
Tiger Inn welcomed 96 new members of the 374 bickerees for a 25.7 percent acceptance rate, an increase from last year’s 24.3 percent acceptance rate. 90 of these accepted students were sophomores, while the remaining six were juniors. Tiger Inn accepted the same number of students this year as it did last year.
Cannon offered admission to 102 of its 347 bickerees for a 29.4 acceptance rate — cutting last year’s acceptance rate of 60 percent in half. Cannon admitted 101 members last year.
Tower accepted the most members among the Bicker clubs, accepting 140 of the 391 bickerees. This year, Tower saw an increase in bickerees, compared to 337 last year. The club had an acceptance rate of 35.8 percent, a decrease from last year’s 42.4 percent.
Cottage welcomed 95 new members out of its 255 bickerees, a 37.2 percent acceptance rate compared to last year’s 36.7 percent. In 2025, it accepted 88 of 240 prospective members.
Ivy had a 25.2 percent acceptance rate, accepting 80 of 317 bickeeres, a 5.2 percent decrease from last year. Last year, the club accepted 79 of its 260 bickerees. Ivy let in 15 fewer students than Cottage — which had the second fewest admitted students — and 33 fewer than the average of all the clubs.
Bicker club acceptance rates have fluctuated dramatically in recent years. This year, Tower saw a continued increase in selectivity, and Cannon had an unprecedentedly low acceptance rate.
This year, Quadrangle welcomed 115 members, marking a dramatic decrease from last year’s 155 acceptances. Charter welcomed 112 new members, an increase from 100 last year.
With 180 acceptances, up from 120, Colonial offered membership to the most new students among the sign-in clubs — a distinction held by Quadrangle last year. Terrace welcomed 133 members to the club, similar to last year’s 131.
Looking ahead, students consider their options
This year, an unprecedented number of participants were both “hosed” — not accepted by a Bicker club — and left without a placement in a sign-in club. Still, the ICC said that 86 percent of sophomores who participated in Street Week were placed into their first or second choice club, four percentage points more than last year. 78 percent of sophomores were placed into their first choice club.
The ICC is encouraging students to join sign-in clubs that might still have open spots. “We are actively encouraging students to engage with sign-in clubs that may have additional capacity as they finalize their memberships following Street Week,” Marina wrote.
Students will have until noon on Feb. 22 to sign in to any open clubs. At the time of publication, some spots in Colonial appear to be available, and other sign-in clubs may become open if students decline their acceptances.
In the wake of these decisions, students have begun to explore alternate options for their dining plan next year. Aside from the eating clubs, dining options for upperclassmen include remaining on the unlimited dining plan, selecting a 128-block meal plan, or joining one of the four student co-ops. The block plans allow students to eat in the dining halls as upperclassmen if they are not in an eating club or a co-op. The co-ops are groups in which upperclass members prepare and share food in on-campus facilities.
Last fall, the University eliminated two dining options: the independent status and the 105-block meal plan. Students with independent dining status previously did not need to pay the University any fee for dining. Under the original changes, upperclassmen living in University housing, regardless of their dining plans, would be required to pay for the 32-block plan starting fall of 2026.
After opposition from eating clubs, co-ops, and alumni, the University decided to rescind the decision to make students pay for the 32-block plan. Although the 160-block plan was changed to a 128-block plan, the independent status and the 105-block plan remain eliminated.
Historically, Ivy, Cap, and Cannon have offered fall Bicker for upperclassmen students who were not placed into a club in the spring. However, getting a spot in a Bicker eating club during Fall Bicker is far from guaranteed; the process has become more competitive with lower acceptance rates and fewer spots available.
Justus Wilhoit is a former head Audience editor and current senior News writer for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Kenosha, Wis. and typically covers Princeton’s eating clubs/co-ops, identity & student life, and the Trump administration.
Luke Grippo is a head News editor for the ‘Prince.’ He is from South Jersey and typically covers high-profile interviews and University and town politics. He can be reached at lg5452[at]princeton.edu.
Justus Wilhoit is a member of Cap and has recused himself from reporting on the club.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
A correction was made Feb. 10, 2026: A previous version of this article implied that Charter did not consider the rankings of students who were signing in, and only considered the number of points they earned. In fact, Charter does first consider rankings, after which it uses points earned as a tie-breaker. The ‘Prince’ regrets this error.
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