Learn about the advanced standing program, which is a potential pathway to early graduation.

If you have been granted advanced placement in the appropriate number of subject areas, you may be eligible for advanced standing, which will permit you to graduate in either three or three and one-half years of study. You will be notified of your possible eligibility during the fall semester of your first year. 

Please note that advanced standing will be discontinued for the Class of 2029 and beyond. Effective for the Class of 2029 and beyond, eligible standardized test scores and placement test scores may be used for course placement and requirement fulfillment but will not confer units of credit towards advanced standing.

Considerations and Advising

If you are considering advanced standing, carefully assess whether condensing your Princeton education into fewer than eight semesters will enable you to accomplish your academic and personal goals. Consider not only the time and money you will save by accelerating your studies (i.e., one or two terms of course work and tuition), but also your own readiness to enter a department and start independent work. Ask yourself:

  • Can you create a manageable program of study that will enable you to meet your general education and departmental requirements on a compressed schedule?
  • Will you be prepared to write a senior thesis with less time in the classroom?  
  • Will you be able to accomplish everything that you want to in your extracurricular life?

Family and personal mentors are likely to be important sources of advice. At Princeton, your faculty adviser and the assistant dean for studies in your residential college can help you weigh your options. B.S.E. students are encouraged to discuss their options with the associate dean for undergraduate affairs in the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

 

Plan for Advanced Standing