Princeton University

Founded 1746. Fourth-oldest US college, famed for undergraduate focus and pure sciences.

Overview

Princeton began as the College of New Jersey and moved to the small town that later took its name. It emphasizes undergraduates unusually for a research giant: senior thesis requirements, small classes, and generous aid, with most students graduating debt-free. Woodrow Wilson led the university before the White House, and John Nash and Alan Turing earned their doctorates here. The mathematics department and Institute neighborhood give the town an outsized scholarly reputation. Without medical, law, or business schools, Princeton concentrates on arts, sciences, engineering, and public affairs.