Anonymous
Post 02/20/2026 13:43     Subject: Princeton Legacy
Anonymous wrote:1470 tho..


That's my point. You have to have the stats. If you pass that threshold, then maybe, legacy can give you a bump. But it won't make up for missing points on your GPA or SATs
Anonymous
Post 02/20/2026 11:15     Subject: Princeton Legacy
Friend’s kid got in SCEA. She’s a URM legacy with high stats, but mid ECs, no awards etc from a well known private school (not in an overrepresented geographic area)
Anonymous
Post 02/20/2026 11:10     Subject: Princeton Legacy
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Princeton legacies have higher SAT scores and GPAs at Princeton than their non-legacy peers.

https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2023/07/princeton-legacy-senior-survey-frosh-survey-gpa-sat-act-career

My child is a legacy with very high scores and GPA, but we have been advised that the legacy status doesn't matter that much today, and she will select an SCEA or ED choice based on the school she actually favors.


In the past they asked: Will the kid graduate. If yes, admit. Now they ask, is the kid 1550+ and straight As at strong high school. If yes, admit. They don’t need to be exceptional in other ways.


That's not true at Harvard. The kids also need desirable ECs and leadership potential.


It's also not true at Princeton. No one knows why certain kids get in and others don't. We're a family with several Princeton grads - some of the kids did not get in (and had 1580+, A's + good ECs) and some got in (lower stats, but still good + exceptional ECs)


Were your kids asked if they are legacy during interview? or was that info already known by interviewer/ didn't matter for the interviewer (admissions had already reviewed application by that point)?


At least with respect to Harvard, interviewer does not know if kid is a legacy, the only hook they may be aware of is athletic recruit, and those kids rarely get an alumni interview.
Anonymous
Post 02/20/2026 10:33     Subject: Princeton Legacy
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Princeton legacies have higher SAT scores and GPAs at Princeton than their non-legacy peers.

https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2023/07/princeton-legacy-senior-survey-frosh-survey-gpa-sat-act-career

My child is a legacy with very high scores and GPA, but we have been advised that the legacy status doesn't matter that much today, and she will select an SCEA or ED choice based on the school she actually favors.


98% of legacy admits were 1400+

80% of legacy admits were 1500+

The admit rate is high (something like 30%), but that’s very misleading.


If you filter out the athletes and questbridge and URM students I think those numbers shift dramatically.
Anonymous
Post 02/20/2026 09:31     Subject: Princeton Legacy
Anonymous wrote:Alum here. With multiple
Other family members who were also alums.

DD applied last year and was rejected. 1470 and 4.35 W at competitive private. Higest rigor. Another double legacy with similar stats and rigor was also rejected. Three other kids with better stats got in.

Legacy isn't enough anymore. You need the grades and the SAT. And/or athletic recruit/FGLI.

Or Maybe if your granddad is friends with the President.... that might still work.

Even the "feeder" schools are no longer a guarantee.

Overall, I'm happy she's at a different school. I was miserable there. She's VERY happy at a different school.


Yes, because only 3% of students get accepted, being a legacy (unless you're extremely wealthy or child of a bold faced name, recruited athlete etc), isn't enough. That doesn't mean that being a legacy, and that legacy students don't have higher admittance rates than non-legacy students.
Anonymous
Post 02/20/2026 09:28     Subject: Princeton Legacy
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Princeton legacies have higher SAT scores and GPAs at Princeton than their non-legacy peers.

https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2023/07/princeton-legacy-senior-survey-frosh-survey-gpa-sat-act-career

My child is a legacy with very high scores and GPA, but we have been advised that the legacy status doesn't matter that much today, and she will select an SCEA or ED choice based on the school she actually favors.


In the past they asked: Will the kid graduate. If yes, admit. Now they ask, is the kid 1550+ and straight As at strong high school. If yes, admit. They don’t need to be exceptional in other ways.


That's not true at Harvard. The kids also need desirable ECs and leadership potential.


It's also not true at Princeton. No one knows why certain kids get in and others don't. We're a family with several Princeton grads - some of the kids did not get in (and had 1580+, A's + good ECs) and some got in (lower stats, but still good + exceptional ECs)


Were your kids asked if they are legacy during interview? or was that info already known by interviewer/ didn't matter for the interviewer (admissions had already reviewed application by that point)?


The interviewer doesn’t have that info and our kids were not asked. But you mark it on the common app and Princeton flags it. We received a boilerplate letter sent to legacy apps acknowledging that they received the application.

If Princeton is truly a fit, then apply early. Read their supplemental prompts carefully and see if they can be answered in a compelling way. Overall, theyre pretty good at picking out who they want on campus.
Anonymous
Post 02/20/2026 09:20     Subject: Princeton Legacy
Anonymous wrote:Alum here. With multiple
Other family members who were also alums.

DD applied last year and was rejected. 1470 and 4.35 W at competitive private. Higest rigor. Another double legacy with similar stats and rigor was also rejected. Three other kids with better stats got in.

Legacy isn't enough anymore. You need the grades and the SAT. And/or athletic recruit/FGLI.

Or Maybe if your granddad is friends with the President.... that might still work.

Even the "feeder" schools are no longer a guarantee.

Overall, I'm happy she's at a different school. I was miserable there. She's VERY happy at a different school.


No, even the president’s son did not attend Princeton. This kind of thinking doesn’t apply to Princeton.
Anonymous
Post 02/20/2026 09:19     Subject: Princeton Legacy
Anonymous wrote:Alum here. With multiple
Other family members who were also alums.

DD applied last year and was rejected. 1470 and 4.35 W at competitive private. Higest rigor. Another double legacy with similar stats and rigor was also rejected. Three other kids with better stats got in.

Legacy isn't enough anymore. You need the grades and the SAT. And/or athletic recruit/FGLI.

Or Maybe if your granddad is friends with the President.... that might still work.

Even the "feeder" schools are no longer a guarantee.

Overall, I'm happy she's at a different school. I was miserable there. She's VERY happy at a different school.


Another tiger here. I wasn’t miserable but I do wish I had gone elsewhere. The whole scene and focus of the Street didn’t fit me.

I would have done better going some place less competitive and building off my subpar high school prep. That said, academics were good, the precept small groups and thesis are good format, though I needed more support as fgli but I think they have bolstered that.

What were your issues, as my kids are considering (partly because we went to reunions and of course that made an impression).
Anonymous
Post 02/20/2026 09:16     Subject: Princeton Legacy
1470 tho..
Anonymous
Post 02/20/2026 09:10     Subject: Princeton Legacy
Alum here. With multiple
Other family members who were also alums.

DD applied last year and was rejected. 1470 and 4.35 W at competitive private. Higest rigor. Another double legacy with similar stats and rigor was also rejected. Three other kids with better stats got in.

Legacy isn't enough anymore. You need the grades and the SAT. And/or athletic recruit/FGLI.

Or Maybe if your granddad is friends with the President.... that might still work.

Even the "feeder" schools are no longer a guarantee.

Overall, I'm happy she's at a different school. I was miserable there. She's VERY happy at a different school.
Anonymous
Post 02/20/2026 09:04     Subject: Princeton Legacy
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I am a Princeton graduate. My understanding is that legacy status for Princeton matters only for Early Decision applications. And does matter for those.

I’m also a Princeton grad. And I’ve never heard anyone say that. Do you have a source you can cite for your “understanding.”
h

Princeton doesn't offer early decision.


True. They have SCEA, which I think is what the first PP means. But I think the first PP is not correct. There's no official source that legacy only "matters" for SCEA rather than RD. That would make no sense.
Anonymous
Post 02/20/2026 09:01     Subject: Princeton Legacy
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I am a Princeton graduate. My understanding is that legacy status for Princeton matters only for Early Decision applications. And does matter for those.

I’m also a Princeton grad. And I’ve never heard anyone say that. Do you have a source you can cite for your “understanding.”
h

Princeton doesn't offer early decision.
Anonymous
Post 02/20/2026 08:17     Subject: Princeton Legacy
Anonymous wrote:I am a Princeton graduate. My understanding is that legacy status for Princeton matters only for Early Decision applications. And does matter for those.

I’m also a Princeton grad. And I’ve never heard anyone say that. Do you have a source you can cite for your “understanding.”
Anonymous
Post 02/20/2026 07:35     Subject: Princeton Legacy
My kid got accepted to slightly lesser tier schools (1 top 10 amd several top 20) but not Princeton as a double legacy
Anonymous
Post 02/20/2026 07:29     Subject: Princeton Legacy
I am a Princeton graduate. My understanding is that legacy status for Princeton matters only for Early Decision applications. And does matter for those.