Both B.S.E. and A.B. students are required to have completed a minimum of 17 courses by the start of the junior year.  Normally, this means that students will enroll in five courses in at least one of their first four semesters.  Given the other adjustments to Princeton life that first-year students make, most A.B. students take a fifth course in one of the terms of their sophomore year.

(Note: Some students elect to take courses at other institutions during the summer in order to avoid needing a five-course term.  These courses must be pre-approved, both by your residential college dean or assistant dean and by the departmental representative of the appropriate Princeton department.  See below for more on this process.)

When possible, student-athletes often seek to avoid scheduling their five-course term for the semester that contains the bulk of their competition schedule.  Others employ the PDF option for one of their courses during this term.  (Remember, students are permitted to elect the PDF option between the beginning of the seventh and the end of the ninth week of classes, so this decision can be made as the demands of the semester unfold.)  Conversations with Dean Dun, your academic adviser, and/or your assistant dean can help you decide the best path, given your sport, academic program, and developing academic interests.

Many! 

• The McGraw Center offers numerous programs, and one-on-one meetings, designed to help students develop academic plans and maximize their efficiency and proficiency.
• Students using the Writing Center find that doing so structures (and deepens!) the time they commit to doing written work.
• Schedule an appointment with Dean Dun, who can help you strategize, as well as point you towards other resources.
• As always, your residential college dean and assistant dean are fantastic sources of advice.
• Office hours!  Talk to your professor(s) about specific time constraints you are facing because of University-sanctioned athletic commitments.  Rather than simply presenting them with the problem, however, approach them with a suggested remedy for their consideration.  It is important to have these conversations as early as possible in the term, before moments of crisis.

Ideally, these conflicts will be rare.  The University's athletics department makes great efforts to schedule varsity competitions at times that do not conflict with the academic calendar.  In those cases where conflicts exist, it is the University's policy not to penalize students for missed class time when they are attending or traveling to varsity competitions. 

This does not mean that those students are excused from completing the work they missed, only that they will be given some accommodations in making it up.  For example, students might be allowed to review a classmate's notes, be asked to visit with the professor outside of class hours, be required to write a short essay covering assigned readings, or be required to complete an assignment that the professor considers an equivalent to the missed class time.

As early in the semester as possible, meet with your professor(s) to let them know of any class meetings you are likely to miss because of varsity competitions or related travel.  It is a good idea to give a subsequent reminder as the conflict approaches. 

At these meetings, it is best not to simply present your professor with the fact that you will be absent, but also to propose ways that you might make up any missed work.  While you can't expect professors to redeliver lectures or conduct one-on-one precepts, you can ask for them to talk over any topics or concepts that remain unclear to you after you've made efforts to cover the materials that you missed.

In some cases, student-athletes may request an instructor’s cooperation in rescheduling academic commitments for occasional athletic competitions that fall outside of the varsity-athletics category, such as national team and Olympic competitions. Instructors are encouraged to make allowances in such cases, although the decision about how to handle conflicts remains the instructor’s prerogative.

Any questions about these policies and practices, or about how to approach professors and coaches, should be directed to Dean Dun.

No.  Students are not permitted to miss regularly-scheduled course components because of athletic practices. 

The University has reserved the 4:30-7:30PM time slot for athletic practices.  No required academic events should be scheduled during these hours.  Similarly, no mandatory athletic practices should be scheduled outside of this period.

Students experiencing conflicts around this policy should get in touch with Dean Dun for help.

All final exam conflicts will be addressed by the Office of the Registrar.

Students should notify her/his coach and professor as early as possible about conflicts between midterm exams and athletic competitions.  They can also contact Dean Dun for assistance.

First, complete the Academic Planning Form online, designating your potential concentration and certificates, and placing courses in your queue. Meet with your adviser to discuss your courses and your academic plans. Once your adviser has approved your course choices, you enroll using TigerHub (check the academic calendar for specific dates). 

During the first two weeks of the semester, you may drop a class with the approval of your adviser. Individual courses may be dropped through the ninth week of the semester (there is a $45 late drop penalty). No course — including an extra or elective course — may be dropped after the deadline. Academic deadlines are available on the registrar’s website.

During the first two weeks of the semester, you may add a class with the approval of your adviser. For departmental courses, juniors and seniors need the permission of their departmental representative. After the deadline to add courses, rare exceptions are made only with permission of your dean. Academic deadlines are available on the registrar’s website.

If a course is eligible for Pass/D/Fail grading, you may log in to TigerHub to select the grading option between the seventh and ninth weeks of the semester. Please remember that courses taken with the P/D/F grading option do fulfill distribution requirements and count toward graduation; however, they do not count as prerequisites or departmental courses.

Graduate courses are open to undergraduates with the permission of the instructor, departmental representative and residential college dean or director of studies. The form is available from your college office or on this website. You should only consider enrolling in a graduate course if you have exhausted the curricular possibilities in a given area, or if there are no undergraduate course offerings that would allow you to study a given topic.

Talk to the professor of the course you wish to audit. If the professor agrees to accept you as an auditor in the course, see your dean or director of studies to change the course grading to audit (before the drop deadline in the ninth week of the semester). Audited courses do not count as prerequisites, distribution requirements, departmental courses or toward graduation.

All outside courses must be preapproved for credit by having the course reviewed and approved by the appropriate department where the course would be taught, were it offered at Princeton. Use the form for freshmen and sophomores, or for juniors, and submit to the appropriate departmental representative or program director. All courses must also be approved by your dean or assistant dean, or by the Office of International Programs if taken abroad. The deadline for submission for approval is Dean’s Date preceding the term in which the course is offered. See the summer coursework pre-approval page for additional details.

Talk with your adviser or assistant dean to determine whether you need academic support or to change classes. During the first two weeks of the course, you may visit various levels of math and switch your courses on TigerHub.  If you need to switch levels after that point, you will need the approval of the math department and your director of studies.

Talk with your assistant dean and your language instructor as soon as possible. Any level switches in language courses must be approved by the course head or language coordinator. Level switches after the second week of class are extremely rare.

First, speak with your faculty adviser about your academic interests. You may also consult with the assistant dean in your residential college. Next, make an appointment to see Dean Peter Bogucki at the SEAS Undergraduate Affairs Office by calling 609-258-4554. Dean Bogucki will have a conversation with you about your program of study, and if appropriate, he will approve your transfer.  After he signs his approval, return the form to your director of studies for approval and processing.

There are a range of options for students who wish to continue their coursework over the summer months. Funding is often available for summer study, as well. See the Summer Coursework pages for additional information.

It is a great idea to complete a roommate contract before the start of the academic year. If you live in the residential college, your RCA is a primary resource to talk about any concerns. Your Director of Student Life is also a resource to discuss any serious community standards concerns.

Housing and Real Estate Services oversees the room draw process.  Information about it can be found here.  Remember, students are required to live in their assigned residential college for the first two years of their time at the University.

Residential College Advisers (RCAs) and Assistant Residential College Advisers (ARCAs) are Juniors and Seniors selected by their college staffs to preside over a "zee group" in their college.  As such, they play an integral role in fostering a safe, inclusive, and engaging community for all residential college students.  RCAs and ARCAS are responsible for promoting safety, citizenship, and civic responsibility among college residents and for maintaining an environment in which all members of Princeton’s diverse campus community feel comfortable.  Along with being available for zees in the residential college, holding regular study breaks, and meeting weekly with the RCA core group, RCAs are expected to attend mandatory Spring and Fall training.  While many student-athletes are able to balance academic, athletics and the RCA commitment, some are unable to apply due to scheduling conflicts and competing expectations.  Ask your Dean, DoS, and DSL to find out if this amazing leadership opportunity can work for you.

Yes!  Click here to find out about the range of ways student-athletes can be part of student leadership on campus.

Princeton University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities.  The Office of Disability Services coordinates this process for undergraduate students. If you have questions or concerns regarding Special Needs Housing, please contact Dean Blount at (609) 258-3061.

Princeton Project 55 Fellowship program places recent graduates at nonprofit organizations working towards systemic change. Program alumni now number more than 1,900 and have served at nearly 500 nonprofits across the country.  To find out more, click here.

Handshake is an internship and job-posting site for Princeton students and alumni.  To find out more, click here.

UCAN is an internship-specific job posting site shared by 22 highly selective colleges and universities for current students only. Learn how to register for an account by clicking here.

CareerShift is a site that lets you search by keyword for open internships in geographic areas and industries that interest you most. To find out more, click here.

Yes! To find out more, click here.

https://careerservices.princeton.edu/people/all/kathleen-mannheimerCareer Services has numerous tools to help you think this through.  For a particularly helpful one, click here.

In myriad ways! Check out their offerings here.  Kathleen Mannheimer is the Senior Career Adviser who provides individual career advising appointments for all student-athletes.

A concussion is an injury to the brain caused by a direct or indirect blow to the head or caused by the head striking something else such as the ground. A concussion typically causes the rapid onset of short lived impairment of brain function that resolves spontaneously with time. However, occasionally there can be a more significant problem, and it is important that symptoms from every concussion are monitored by your athletic trainers (ATC) and team physicians (MD). Concussions usually do not cause structural damage to the brain. A concussion can occur whether or not a person is “knocked out.” When you suffer a concussion, you may have problems with concentration and memory, notice an inability to focus, feel fatigued, have a headache (HA) or feel nauseated. Bright lights and loud noises may bother you. You may feel irritable, be more emotional or have other symptoms. It may be difficult to study, attend class, or use the computer.

After evaluation by your athletic trainer / team physician, it may be determined that you are safe to go home. Otherwise, you may be sent to the UHS infirmary, or to the hospital. If you are sent home, you should not be left alone. A responsible adult should accompany you. The initial treatment of concussion is physical and cognitive rest, so avoiding texting, video games, homework and/or excessive computer use is important. Symptoms from your concussion may persist when you are sent home but should not worsen, nor should new symptoms develop. You should watch for symptoms including:

• Increasing headache
• Increasing nausea or vomiting
• increasing confusion
• garbled speech
• unusual sleepiness or difficulty being awakened
• trouble using your arms or legs
• convulsions or seizure

IF YOU NOTICE ANY OF THESE PROBLEMS OR HAVE ANY OTHER PROBLEM THAT APPEARS WORSE AS COMPARED TO HOW YOU FELT AT THE TIME YOU LEFT THE TRAINER/TEAM PHYSICIAN, IMMEDIATELY CALL PUBLIC SAFETY (609-258-3333). IF YOU ARE OFF CAMPUS, DIAL 911. PLEASE ALSO CALL YOUR TRAINER/TEAM PHYSICIAN.

Concussions often make a player feel drowsy or tired. As long as you are not getting worse, as noted above, it is all right for you to sleep. We do want the responsible adult to be at home with you in case any problems arise.

If the ATC / team MD has determined that you are able to go home, these types of diagnostic tests are not necessary. If you are sent to the hospital with a concern for a more complicated injury (e.g. skull fracture, or intracranial bleeding) a CT scan or MRI examination may be considered. If your symptoms linger for several days these studies may be considered. Neuropsychological (NP) testing post injury is a component of the PUAM Concussion protocol.

It is fine for you to eat if you are hungry. Remember, some athletes do have a sense of nausea and fatigue, and often find that their appetite is decreased immediately after a concussion. Do not force yourself to eat.

You will be asked to follow up in the training room after your concussion. You will be assessed by the ATC / team MD and, if necessary, consultants. Your symptoms and difficulty with academics will be monitored and assessed.

You should refrain from any significant cognitive work as well as physical exertion until released to do so by the medical staff. Initial cognitive rest includes avoiding texting, video games and excessive computer work as well as avoiding homework and/or class activities. Depending on your situation, you can consider trying to work or focus for short periods of time and attending class. The increase in cognitive activity should be progressive and individualized. Determining if school activities need to be modified can be evaluated by the team MD and enhanced by communication between your team MD and your dean or director of studies (DoS).

Contact your residential college dean or DoS by email.  Copy your evaluating physician at UHS and assistant dean Alec Dun ([email protected]).  In the email, let your dean/DoS know that you've sustained a concussive injury, that you want them to be aware of your situation, and that you may need time to recover.

There are two options for receiving post-concussive academic support, short-term adjustments and extended accommodations through the Office of Disability Services (ODS).  These options usually involve disclosing some information about your medical condition to University offices and/or personnel.

• If you need a short-term adjustment for your academic course work (e.g., an extension on a paper or a rescheduled test), your dean or DoS will help you manage your course load and assist you in communicating with your instructors.  Dean Dun can also be of assistance.
• Depending on the severity of your injury, you may be eligible for additional support and/or accommodations (e.g., help with note-taking or test accommodations) via ODS.  Your dean/DoS can help you explore this option and should be contacted prior to contacting ODS directly.  (ODS: [email protected] or 609-258-8840).

You should refrain from any physical exertion including strength conditioning until released to do so by the medical staff. Additional testing will be performed (e.g. NP testing) and this will be explained to you during your follow up visit. The RTP decision is an individualized one made by the team MD, which incorporates a progressive increase in both the level of exertion as well as intensity of activity and takes into account individual modifiers (e.g. history of concussion, HA, learning disability, mood disorder). This typically includes a period of rest followed by light exertion, sport-specific activities, practice and finally full play.

Dean’s Date is the University deadline for the submission of all written work (except for take-home exams), usually the last day of the reading period. Extensions beyond this date are normally given only for compelling circumstances beyond your control (such as medical or family emergencies) and must be approved by your residential college dean or director of studies and the course instructor before the deadline. The same rules apply to the take-home exam deadline, usually the Monday of the following week.

If you miss a scheduled final exam by mistake (you slept through, for instance), you must report immediately to your residential college dean or director of studies. If you discover your problem after hours on weekdays or any time during the weekend, leave a voice message for your dean or director of studies and call the deputy registrar immediately at 609-258-7242. Once during your career at Princeton you may be allowed to make up a missed exam at the next available time slot, under the following conditions: 1) you have reported the missed exam within 24 hours; 2) you have never missed a scheduled exam before; 3) you are making satisfactory progress in the course; 4) there is no evidence that you were seeking to gain additional study time. But it’s wiser to try to ensure that you never find yourself in such a situation.

If you feel too ill to take an exam, you must report to University Health Services prior to the scheduled exam time and call the deputy registrar at 609-258-7242. The deputy registrar will consult with the health services staff in order to determine if you are able to take an exam at the scheduled time. If an exam is approved for postponement, the deputy registrar will arrange for you to take the same exam within a 24-hour period of the scheduled time. If you need to postpone a final exam for more than 24 hours due to illness, you may apply to your dean or director of studies for authorization for a long-term postponement. In such cases, the deputy registrar will administer a make-up exam at the beginning of the following term.

Exams that have been completed cannot be retroactively annulled due to illness. This means that if you begin a scheduled final exam, you will — except in the rarest of circumstances — be held accountable for taking the exam and will be assigned a grade based on the work completed on it. If your condition is so serious that it requires urgent medical attention and continuing the exam is not an option, then you must report immediately to University Health Services and notify the deputy registrar, as well as your residential college dean or director of studies.

Yes! It may take careful planning, but we encourage all students to have a structured international experience during their Princeton career. B.S.E. students can take advantage of engineering-specific exchange programs at Oxford, Ecole Centrale Paris, University of Cantabria in Spain and Hong Kong University, but they have studied in many countries, including Scotland, Italy, Switzerland, South Africa and Australia. Since the engineering curriculum is highly structured, some semesters work better than others depending on your department, so early consultation with your departmental representative and with Dean Peter Bogucki is essential. Varsity athletes should talk to their residential college dean or director of studies, and to Dean Alec Dun, the academic liaison, about how best to combine a program of study abroad with athletic commitments. Depending on the sport, coaches can be very helpful in arranging for training facilities while a student is studying at a foreign institution.

Located on the 3rd floor of 36 University Place, the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) is designed to inform, engage, connect, and support undergraduates on matters related to research at Princeton.  In addition to providing research opportunities for first- and second-year students, its offerings provide many resources for juniors and seniors working on their JPs and theses.

To get in touch, write to [email protected], or use WASE to set up an appointment with Director Dr. Pascale Poussart or Program Coordinator Crystal Arrington.

The short answer — it’s never too early. You can start thinking about possible independent work well before you select your major. In fact, considering the possibility of conducting research on a particular topic can help in the process of finalizing your choice of major. The seeds of many junior papers and senior thesis topics are often planted in courses taken early on in a student’s Princeton career. So you should always be approaching your coursework with the thought that it could provide the starting point for independent work, and that it could provide a possible faculty adviser, should you ultimately choose to major in that particular field of study.

First of all, consult your department’s materials for specific instructions on how to find an adviser; departments do it very differently. Some departments collect information on students' interests and assign them to advisers, while some expect students to approach faculty on their own. If you are in a department where it is your responsibility to find an adviser, don’t be shy! Do your best to get to know faculty outside the classroom by taking advantage of office hours and attending departmental events. Faculty should welcome conversations about advising independent work. You should have some ideas for possible topics to discuss, and also ask how the faculty member likes to structure their work with advisees. The earlier you start the process the better chance you have of connecting with the ideal adviser, one who is interested in your topic and encourages you, but challenges you as well. It is entirely normal to have to approach several people before you find someone who can advise you, so persevere!

Selecting the right topic, or the proper scope of a topic, is ideally done in close consultation with your adviser, and the earlier you start to dialogue with faculty, the better. Students in the sciences conducting lab research might have their topic nailed down the summer before senior year and work in a lab gathering data. In the humanities and social sciences the topic would normally be settled as early in the fall of senior year as possible, in order to maximize research possibilities and locate the best possible primary and secondary sources. The best advice is to select a topic that you know you are passionate about. Without an underlying passion for your thesis, writing a long and demanding work is very difficult. With that passion for the subject in place, writing the thesis can be one of the most fulfilling and, indeed, fun experiences of your academic career. If you need help formulating a topic, you should know that over 63,000 senior theses are archived at the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library.  You’re encouraged to visit the basement of Mudd Library as well as consult the online database of senior theses, which holds information about student works dating back to 1926.

Since independent work requirements vary widely across the University’s academic departments, you should consult the departmental independent work guides to familiarize yourself with the specific goals and expectations of the departments that are of interest to you.

The standards by which your work will be evaluated are described in your department’s independent work guide.

A number of departments and programs across campus have funding available to support independent work projects. The key to taking full advantage of the available funding opportunities is to start planning early. If you’re applying for funding to do thesis research in the summer, the deadline is in late-March of your junior year. Successful applicants need to have strong faculty endorsement at that time.

In addition to your faculty adviser, there are several other resources available to support various aspects of your independent work. Whether you need assistance with your writing, conducting survey and library research, data and statistical analysis, getting approval for projects involving human and animal research, or planning your research project abroad, there are many qualified individuals across campus eager to help you.