If you’re an international applicant to Princeton University, you’ve likely been following the campus news cycle with bated breath. Now is as turbulent a time as ever to be an international applicant to an American college, but if you have your sights set on Princeton, you probably aren’t the type to let anything deter you from your dreams. We at Ivy Coach have long advocated for Princeton to do more to accommodate its international applicants, including by certifying Duolingo scores to prove English proficiency for those applying from outside the English-speaking world. 

New Barriers for International Students Under The Trump Administration

Now, with the second Trump administration in full swing, international applicants are again facing entry barriers. The Daily Princetonian recently published a report entitled “Princeton advises international students to carry I-94s, warns about device searches,” in which Christopher Bao spells out these very challenges: “The Davis International Center (Davis IC), Princeton’s center for international students and scholars, advised non-U.S. citizens at Princeton to carry their I-94 forms and ‘exercise caution’ with regards to international travel, in an email sent on Friday. The email also warned students to ‘be mindful that electronic devices are subject to search when entering the US,’ including social media activity.”

The environment for international students is more uncertain than ever. As the report goes on to describe, this advisory comes on the heels of the Trump administration’s crackdowns on dissidents on college campuses across the country. While international students on Princeton’s campus should certainly heed the warnings of the Davis International Center, we at Ivy Coach would like to take this opportunity to reassure international applicants.

Rest Assured, a Princeton Education Will Never Go Out of Style

Today, it is much more difficult than before President Trump took office for prospective international applicants to American colleges to plan their campus tours and visits. Nonetheless, attending an information session or tour on your prospective campus is a crucial step in demonstrating your interest in your future school, something admissions officers at elite schools look for when evaluating applicants. Even though they likely would never admit it, Princeton admissions officers are no exception to this rule — they, too, give extra consideration to international applicants who take the time to demonstrate interest, including by visiting campus.

However, demonstrating your interest as an international applicant is easier said than done, especially within the present political climate. So should Princeton (as well as any other elite college) expect a slump in applications in this upcoming admissions cycle as international students turn their attention elsewhere? We think not.

An American college education remains the gold standard in higher education internationally, and Princeton is pretty much as prestigious as it gets when it comes to undergraduate studies. Maybe non-U.S. citizens would prefer to attend a school that draws less scrutiny from the media and ire from the executive branch, but if that were true, the many hundreds of other colleges and universities in the United States would sweep up international applicants instead — but they don’t! The Ivy League is the number one destination for academically ambitious applicants, international or otherwise, and we at Ivy Coach are proud to predict that no intimidation on the part of the federal government will change that.

Ivy Coach’s Assistance With Princeton Admission for International Students

Considering a Princeton education will never go out of style, this Ivy League school’s already dwindling acceptance rate will only continue to drop in future admissions cycles. How can an international applicant put themselves in the best position to optimize their odds of admission? You’ve come to the right place to find out!

Ivy Coach’s team of former elite college admissions officers has gotten two out of every three of our students who applied in the Early round into Princeton over the last ten years. We know Princeton admissions like the back of our hands. All you need to do is fill out our complimentary consultation form to get started, and we’ll be in touch.