Additional Information for Foreign Applicants

Princeton welcomes students of all nationalities. However, students from non-English-speaking countries must show they are proficient in the English language in order to be admitted. The GRE and TOEFL examinations are a first indication of English proficiency. We often conduct a telephone interview before deciding on admission.

Recommended Steps for Foreign Applicants

1. GRE and TOEFL Exam. The GRE is a multiple choice exam which tests your verbal, quantitative, and analytical abilities. It does not require much work, but it is advisable to go through a few past exams beforehand. See www.gre.org, and try to get one of the books with CDROM to prepare (easily available through the internet if your bookstore doesn't have them). Ask the US embassy where and when you can take the GRE. If that is past the deadline, mark the date you plan to take it on the admissions form. In most countries you can do a computerized test, others have only two or three opportunities every year for a written test. For the written tests in particular you must register for the exam some time in advance and the official score reporting takes up to six weeks. For the TOEFL test, see www.toefl.org.

2. Contact the faculty member(s) you would like to work with. E-mail adresses are on the web. A personal contact with one or more professors takes much of the guesswork out of the admissions process.

3. Documents. You will need to gather a fair amount of documentation. A lot of the documentation is standard in the US whereas it is not in Europe. You will therefore have to do your best to get something as close to it as possible.