Analyzing the Class of 2028 Frosh Survey: Patterns in SCEA and legacy admissions

Following the release of The Daily Princetonian’s fifth annual Frosh Survey, Data writers and editors analyze and compare the data with other surveys, including past Frosh Surveys and Senior Surveys. This piece will continuously be updated with their analysis on a variety of questions.

Single-Choice Early Action (SCEA), a non-binding early admissions process prohibiting students from applying to other private institutions, has long been a distinctive feature of Princeton’s undergraduate admissions process. Among the Class of 2028 Frosh Survey respondents, 38.2 percent were admitted through SCEA. This continues the trend of students being admitted through SCEA, with the exception of the 2020–21 admissions cycle, when the University canceled the early admissions round due to COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the number of students admitted to Princeton through the Questbridge National College Match program increased from 0.8 percent to 9.4 percent for the Class of 2025 and has remained just under 10 percent of the matriculating class since then. The University has partnered with Questbridge since 2006.

For the Class of 2028, only 21.4 percent of students admitted through SCEA gained acceptance from the other Ivy League schools and top institutions listed on the survey. In contrast, 61.2 percent of students admitted during the regular decision cycle and 76.9 percent of those accepted from the waitlist indicated that they were offered admission to other top institutions.

The discrepancy in admission to other universities aligns with data showing that 93.8 percent of students admitted through SCEA reported Princeton as their first choice. While the non-binding nature of SCEA allows students to apply to other universities during the regular decision round, these figures suggest that most students admitted to Princeton early did not take advantage of the process’s flexibility because Princeton was their top-choice institution.

A much higher proportion of legacy and multi-generational legacy matriculants — 63.7 and 65 percent respectively — gained admission to Princeton through SCEA. This trend is echoed as far back as the Class of 2024, which revealed that 75.8 percent of legacy matriculants were accepted early, compared to just 48.8 percent of non-legacy matriculants.

While Princeton does not have an official statement on a preference for legacy applicants, a report by the Ad Hoc Committee on Undergraduate Admission Policy acknowledges a “limited preference” for children of alumni. The authors of the report note that legacy preference “recognizes the University’s special bond with its alumni” — indeed, over 25,000 alumni attend Reunions each year. According to the report, legacy admissions “functions as a tiebreaker between equally well-qualified applicants in limited instances;” the authors concluded that the University should continue to practice legacy preference but “continue to carefully monitor [its] effects and implementation.”

Through SCEA, Princeton admits applicants who have a clear preference for life in the Orange Bubble — and unsurprisingly, many of them claim Princeton heritage.