Princeton ACT: Average Scores, Ranges, and What You Need to Know

The middle 50% of admitted students at Princeton score between 34 and 35 on the ACT composite, with an average of 35. Princeton is an extraordinarily selective institution with a 4% acceptance rate, which means that the overwhelming majority of admitted students achieve these exceptionally high scores, and falling below the 25th percentile of 34 would place you at a significant disadvantage in the applicant pool. Simply scoring within or above the middle range does not guarantee admission to Princeton, as these numbers reflect only the academic testing component of a highly competitive applicant pool where nearly every student has similar credentials.

A truly competitive ACT score for Princeton means aiming for a 34 or higher, with 35 being the target that aligns you with the middle of admitted students. However, you should understand that a perfect or near-perfect ACT score does not guarantee your admission to Princeton. Every year, many applicants with composite scores of 35 or even 36 are rejected because Princeton's admissions process is genuinely holistic. Your personal essays, demonstrated intellectual curiosity, extracurricular impact, recommendation letters, academic rigor in high school, socioeconomic background, and how you will contribute to Princeton's community all weigh heavily in the decision.

While Princeton has no official minimum ACT score requirement, you should realistically target at least a 33 to have any meaningful chance of acceptance. An ACT score below 33 places you significantly below the 25th percentile, and submitting a score in the low 30s or below would make acceptance highly unlikely unless you have truly exceptional qualities elsewhere in your application that compensate for this shortfall. That said, Princeton does conduct a comprehensive review and does not assign fixed weights to any single factor, so if your ACT score falls short but you possess other remarkable strengths, you still have options. However, be realistic about your odds if your score is notably below their typical range.

Princeton is currently test-optional for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 application cycles, meaning you can submit your application without ACT or SAT scores and will not be at a disadvantage in the admissions process. However, this policy will change beginning with the 2027-28 admission cycle, when Princeton will return to requiring either an SAT or ACT score from all applicants. The majority of current Princeton applicants choose to submit test scores, and most admissions professionals suggest that you should consider submitting yours if you have taken the test and scored competitively.

Princeton does not superscore the ACT by combining your highest individual section scores across multiple test dates the way some other elite colleges do. Instead, Princeton considers only your highest composite score from a single sitting, meaning that if you take the ACT multiple times, the school will look at your best overall composite rather than cherry-picking your strongest English section from one test and your strongest Math section from another. This policy does give you flexibility in deciding which test date to submit, and you can take the exam multiple times to improve your overall composite score as a complete package.

Understanding how Princeton uses your ACT score requires recognizing that it serves as just one piece of a much larger application puzzle. Your test score helps Princeton confirm that you have the academic foundation to succeed in their rigorous coursework and challenging academic environment. A strong ACT score demonstrates intellectual capability, but it does not differentiate you from the thousands of other high-achieving applicants who also have exceptional scores. Admissions officers spend most of their time reading your essays, reviewing your recommendation letters, understanding your extracurricular involvement, and learning what makes you unique as a person and student.

At a school as selective as Princeton, having a strong ACT score is essentially the price of entry, but it is not what gets you admitted. Once your score confirms you can handle Princeton's academics, the admissions committee shifts focus to whether you will thrive intellectually at Princeton and whether you will meaningfully contribute to the campus community. This is why you sometimes see students with 34 ACT scores admitted while students with 35 or 36 are denied. The higher score helps, but it is not the deciding factor. Your background, your passions, your leadership, your resilience, and your vision for how you want to change the world matter far more in the final decision. To maximize your chances at Princeton, invest energy in crafting thoughtful essays, securing strong recommendations that reveal your character, pursuing meaningful extracurriculars, and demonstrating genuine intellectual engagement with topics that matter to you.

AdmitStudio users who have found success at top colleges often approach their applications as a single, cohesive story, not a checklist of impressive achievements. Rather than treating essays, activities, and recommendations as separate pieces, they focus on presenting themselves as a clear, memorable individual with defined values, motivations, and strengths. Their essays help admissions officers understand why they pursued certain activities, how their experiences shaped them, and what kind of person they would be on campus. This clarity makes it easier for readers to grasp who the applicant is within just a few minutes of review.

AdmitStudio users who are successful also tend to use their essays to connect and reinforce the rest of their application, not repeat it. The essay highlights a few core traits, such as curiosity, leadership, resilience, or initiative, while the activities list and recommendations quietly support those same traits with evidence. By aligning every part of the application around a consistent narrative, these students stand out not because they try to be extraordinary, but because they are specific, authentic, and intentional. Admissions officers come away with a strong sense of the applicant's identity and how they would uniquely contribute to the university community.