“I was just hysterically crying, fumbling with my phone to call my mom — a really emotional moment for me,” Ambrose Cole, a student from Pennsylvania, told The Daily Princetonian after receiving his acceptance notice from Princeton. “I’m just so grateful.”
The University released regular decision admission results for the Class of 2030 on Thursday. Admitted students were able to apply without submitting standardized test scores, a practice that the University announced in October would be discontinued starting with the 2027–28 admission cycle.
This year’s Ivy Day fell on March 26, with all eight Ivy League schools releasing decisions at around 7 p.m. EDT. Princeton also admitted students through the QuestBridge program and the Single-Choice Early Action (SCEA) round in December.
The Class of 2030 will be some of the first students to live in Hobson College, a new residential college scheduled to be completed before the fall of 2027. Around 200 students in the current freshman and sophomore classes currently live in Forbes. These students are expected to move into Hobson for their sophomore year.
Princeton Preview, the annual opportunity for admitted students to get a better understanding of life on campus, will be held on April 7, April 14, and April 28 this year. In previous years, the University only held two Princeton Preview sessions. According to the University website, Preview allows students to “attend programs and discussions about studying at Princeton, meet current students and faculty members, and learn about our close-knit residential community.”
Since 2021, the University has not released data about accepted students immediately following Ivy Day.
“Princeton does not release information on an incoming class until the class is enrolled,” wrote University spokesperson Jennifer Morrill in a comment to the ‘Prince.’
Multiple accepted students spoke with the ‘Prince’ hours after opening their acceptance letters.
Cole detailed his anticipation while opening decisions right at 7 p.m. “I opened up the little status update. It buffered for a really long time, and then I saw the top of the tiger’s head … and saw ‘congratulations,’” he said. “I immediately started crying.”
Kyla Leggette from Virginia told the ‘Prince’ that she had never heard of the University before the college process.
“I didn’t know Princeton was a school until I started thinking about universities and what my future could look like,” she said. Leggette then wrote her application in one day during winter break. “I wouldn’t recommend it.
Leggette and Cole highlighted Princeton’s unique 50-word application essays as an enjoyable part of the process, with prompts like “What brings you joy?” and “What song represents the soundtrack to your life right now?” offering an opportunity for applicants to express their personality and creativity.
Jonathan Gordon from Potomac, Md., was on the metro back home from his internship with Senator Tom Cotton on Capitol Hill. On the ride home, he had been listening to music to calm himself down on what he considered “the scariest day of the year” — Ivy day.
Opening his acceptance letter was a dream come true, but not just because Princeton had been at the “top of [his] list.” Gordon said that last year, he had been reading a ‘Prince’ article about the Class of 2029’s admitted students, thinking, “maybe [he] would do this someday.”
Gordon is hoping to continue studying physics, music, and policy while at Princeton. He is specifically hoping to be a part of the astrophysics department, study under Lecturer with the rank of Professor Sam Cohen, and join Princeton Racing Electric.
“Maybe they’ll let me drive. I wrote about that in one of my supplementals,” he said.
Arsh Parekh had been on the couch surrounded by his family when he opened his letter — a tradition he’s carried through every application he’s submitted.
“Just being around Princeton University for the past three years, it’s almost been this surreal place that really seems limitless in opportunities,” Parekh said. “[The acceptance] honestly feels completely surreal.”
At the Hun School of Princeton, Parekh plays multiple sports, serves as the student government president, and participates in Model UN — each of which he hopes to continue at Princeton as he explores all that the University has to offer.
Citing Princeton’s large number of clubs and student groups, especially those “in disciplines that I’ve never even thought about before,” Parekh said, “Having the opportunity to explore that over the next four years is definitely going to be a big task, but something that I’d love to do over time.”
Kate Glover from Colorado got her acceptance when she was out on the tennis courts.
“I had just popped out of our drills for a bit to go check my phone at 5:00. I opened my portals, and I just saw the ‘congratulations.’ Immediately, I was just screaming at my team that I got in, and they were all just so excited for me,” Glover said. “Then we went back to practice, and it was just a really, really happy day for everybody, and it was great to share that with them.”
For Glover, Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs offers a way to keep doing the public policy work she enjoys and has devoted much of her high school career to, specifically through the Colorado Youth Advisory Council.
Glover also hopes to start a para-athletic tennis team at Princeton and dabble in data journalism.
“I’ve actually been following the polling and data journalism side of The Daily Princetonian for a while,” Glover said. “I’m an adaptive athlete, and that’s been a huge part of my life. I would love to start a program at Princeton that allows me to keep competing at the collegiate national level, and really bring Princeton into that para-sport world.”
“Princeton’s mission with public service and service of humanity really fulfills what I’m looking to accomplish in my career with policy,” she added.
Katherine Nguyen said one of her best friends was there to support her as she opened each acceptance letter. Her family stayed in another room, to take off some of the stress.
“I think what brings me the most interest when it comes to Princeton is … the undergraduate focus,” she said. “I think that’s what really brings it apart from other schools — is that you’re treated with so much care, and you have so many opportunities to embark on.”
Lola Ge, an international student from Shanghai who attended high school in the U.S., told the ‘Prince’ that after her SCEA application to Princeton was deferred in December, the regular-round acceptance was exciting news. However, after receiving offers from other top schools, she still faces a difficult decision over whether to commit to Princeton.
Before reaching a decision, she said, “I was thinking that I would definitely visit a lot of schools.”
Multiple students are looking to Princeton Preview as an opportunity to distinguish Princeton from other comparable institutions.
“I’m really excited to meet some of my fellow admits and potential future peers,” said Andrew Stepanyan, who is planning to attend the April 28 session of Princeton Preview.
Matthew Lin, a student from Long Island, N.Y., wrote, “[The] admitted students’ day experience will likely guide where I will be attending.”
Accepted students must make a final decision before May 1 and, if they decide to attend Princeton, will report to campus for orientation on Aug. 21.
Gray Collins is the assistant News editor for the ‘Prince’ leading University administration coverage. He is from outside of Philadelphia and can be reached at graycollins[at]princeton.edu.
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 luke.grippo[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
Read More
Socialist New Yorkers and schizophrenic literary characters: famous alumni’s senior theses
Lucia ZschocheAs the Class of 2026 nears their graduation, the senior theses of Princeton’s famed 20th Century alums are dug up and dusted off for one more look.
As the Class of 2026 nears their graduation, the senior theses of Princeton’s famed 20th Century alums are dug up and dusted off for one more look.
Immigrant Trust Directive codified as Sherrill signs trio of immigration bills into law
Sena ChangNew Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill signed three immigration enforcement-related bills into law on Tuesday, including a bill codifying the Immigrant Trust Directive.
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill signed three immigration enforcement-related bills into law on Tuesday, including a bill codifying the Immigrant Trust Directive.
Roundup: retirement of a grammy-winning professor, Eisgruber at Princeton Council, and wrestling success at NCAAs
Rainey Reese, Devon Rudolph, and Julia HackPrinceton composer Steven Mackey steps back after 41 years at the University, along with Eisgruber’s commitment to municipal funding, and wrestler Marc-Anthony McGowan ’28 at NCAAs.
Princeton composer Steven Mackey steps back after 41 years at the University, along with Eisgruber’s commitment to municipal funding, and wrestler Mark Anthony McGowan ’28 at NCAAs.