Summary
Princeton University, established in 1746, is one of the oldest higher education institutions in the United States. Originally named the College of New Jersey, it adopted its current name in 1896. The university is nestled in Princeton, New Jersey—a town roughly 50 miles southwest of New York City. Around 8,000 students are enrolled at Princeton, with nearly two-thirds being undergraduates. International students make up about 12% of the undergraduate population and over 40% of graduate students. Undergraduates are guaranteed housing for all four years, and almost all of them live on campus. The university has six undergraduate residential colleges, which serve as tight-knit communities offering both academic and social programs. Additionally, about 70% of graduate students reside in university housing.
As an Ivy League institution, Princeton consists of an undergraduate college, a graduate school, the School of Architecture, the highly ranked School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Undergraduates can choose from more than 30 academic concentrations. Classes are primarily taught in English, and the academic year follows a semester system. Research at Princeton spans four major disciplines: engineering and applied sciences, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. The university is also connected to two national labs—the U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, the latter of which focuses on climate research and modeling.
Rankings
Princeton University holds the #18 spot in the Best Global Universities ranking. These rankings are based on a set of widely recognized indicators of academic excellence.
Global Universities Rankings
- #18 in Best Global Universities
Subject Rankings
- #20 in Arts and Humanities
- #42 in Biology and Biochemistry (tie)
- #73 in Cell Biology
- #248 in Chemical Engineering
- #51 in Chemistry (tie)
- #443 in Clinical Medicine (tie)
- #47 in Computer Science
- #112 in Condensed Matter Physics
- #64 in Ecology (tie)
- #18 in Economics and Business
- #17 in Electrical and Electronic Engineering (tie)
- #231 in Energy and Fuels (tie)
- #133 in Engineering
- #23 in Environment/Ecology (tie)
- #31 in Geosciences
- #181 in Materials Science (tie)
- #2 in Mathematics
- #30 in Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences
- #192 in Microbiology (tie)
- #56 in Molecular Biology and Genetics (tie)
- #330 in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (tie)
- #101 in Neuroscience and Behavior
- #134 in Optics (tie)
- #232 in Physical Chemistry (tie)
- #9 in Physics
- #193 in Plant and Animal Science
- #54 in Psychiatry/Psychology (tie)
- #74 in Social Sciences and Public Health
- #4 in Space Science
2024-2025 Indicator Rankings
Thirteen different indicators determine Princeton’s overall Best Global Universities rank. Below is how the university performs in each category:
Global Universities
- #18 in Best Global Universities
- Global score: 83.9
Breakdown by Indicator
- Global research reputation: #8
- Regional research reputation: #9
- Publications: #205
- Books: #50
- Conferences: #143
- Normalized citation impact: #36
- Total citations: #127
- Number of publications among the top 10% most cited: #117
- Percentage of total publications among the top 10% most cited: #15
- International collaboration (relative to country): #136
- International collaboration: #737
- Number of highly cited papers in the top 1% most cited: #98
- Percentage of highly cited papers in the top 1% most cited: #49