Princeton University

Princeton is one of the leading computer science departments in the United States, and it carries a special weight in the history of the field. The town, if not the university department, was home to the Institute for Advanced Study where Alan Turing studied and John von Neumann built one of the first stored-program computers, so the foundations of computing were partly laid here.

The modern department is smaller than some of its rivals but highly regarded, with particular strength in theoretical computer science, algorithms and the mathematics of computation, alongside strong groups in systems, security and machine learning. Its size is part of the appeal: students work closely with leading researchers rather than getting lost in a crowd.

Founded in 1746, Princeton is one of the oldest universities in the country and among the most selective. Its computer science graduates are heavily recruited by both research and industry.

Admissions

Princeton’s Common Data Set records 1,868 offers from 40,468 applications for autumn 2024 entry, an admit rate of about 4.6 per cent for the university as a whole. Admission is to Princeton rather than to a department, and computer science can then be read through either the AB or the BSE degree, so there is no separate CS rate to clear. The same document rates grades, test scores, essays and recommendations all as very important in selection.