A department entered after arrival
Princeton says students apply to the University, not to departments, and A.B. students choose a major in the spring of the sophomore year.
Undergraduate · Princeton
Princeton Neuroscience: molecular to computational, with a thesis
Princeton admits students to the University, not to a department, and Neuroscience is one of the A.B. majors they can choose once enrolled. The Undergraduate Announcement for 2026-2027 describes an interdisciplinary major offered by the Princeton Neuroscience Institute, with entry courses, a mathematics course, a laboratory course, electives across four subject areas and a senior thesis defended orally. This guide sets out that documented structure for current students. It does not present it as a confirmed requirement for 2028 entrants, and makes no claim of a separate application to the major.
Official information · read 1 November 2026, no entry-year label
What Princeton says about Princeton Neuroscience
Taken from the Neuroscience entry in the Princeton Undergraduate Announcement 2026-2027, Princeton Admission's Academics, Standardized Testing and International Students pages, read on 1 November 2026. The pages carry no entry-year label, so for a 2028-entry application every statement below is evidence for the previous cycle and may change; check Princeton's pages for the 2028-entry details.
Entry courses with a grade condition
NEU 201, NEU 202 and MAT 103 (or an equivalent outcome on an accepted test), with a minimum grade of C in each.
Six electives across four areas
At least one each from Molecular and Cellular, Circuits and Systems, Formal Theory and Neural Computation, and Cognitive and Social Neuroscience.
Mathematics and a laboratory course
NEU 314 Mathematical Tools for Neuroscience and NEU 350 Laboratory in Principles of Neuroscience.
A senior thesis or independent project
Princeton says every senior writes a thesis or, in some engineering departments, undertakes a substantial independent project.
The SAT or ACT is required
Princeton says fall 2028 first-year applicants need to submit either SAT or ACT scores.
Official sources
- Princeton Admission: Academicsadmission.princeton.edu
- Princeton Undergraduate Announcement 2026-2027: Neuroscienceua.princeton.edu
- Princeton Admission: Standardized Testingadmission.princeton.edu
Read on 1 November 2026 on the Neuroscience entry in the Princeton Undergraduate Announcement 2026-2027, Princeton Admission's Academics, Standardized Testing and International Students pages, which describes 2027 entry. The pages carry no entry-year label. Princeton's department website, the full course descriptions, deadlines and financial aid were not read and are not stated.
The department
What the Announcement says the major requires
The Announcement describes neuroscience as a broad interdisciplinary field requiring rigorous preparation in basic science, increasingly reliant on quantitative methods and theory. After the entry courses, majors complete NEU 314, NEU 350, introductory physics (PHY 101 or the equivalent), six NEU electives spanning the four subject areas, one cell biology course and one statistics course. Independent work runs through a junior research proposal (NEU 398) and a senior thesis (NEU 498-499) with a roughly 30-minute oral examination before the adviser and a second reader. This guide did not read the list of current electives, the course descriptions or the department website.
Is it the right department?
Neuroscience beside psychology and biology majors
Princeton describes these separately, so the choice is made after admission. Avandy's comparison is general.
Neuroscience fits if
you want the brain studied at molecular, circuit and computational levels, with mathematics built in.
A psychology route fits if
behaviour and cognition are the focus. this guide did not read Princeton's Psychology pages.
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology fits if
your interest is organisms and ecosystems. Avandy's Princeton Ecology and Evolutionary Biology guide covers it.
Admission and testing
A Princeton application and the SAT or ACT
Princeton asks for an academic record that includes internal grades and marks from external exams such as A levels or the IB, with predicted or achieved results sent as they become available. It says first-year applicants for fall 2028 will need to submit either SAT or ACT scores. The department is chosen after enrolment, not applied for separately. This guide states no score.
A decision framework
Three questions before you commit
This is Avandy's own framework, not Princeton's.
Are mathematics, physics and statistics comfortable tools for you?
The Announcement says students are expected to gain competency in all three.
Which of the four elective areas draws you first?
Majors must sample every area at least once.
Can you plan the SAT or ACT with your A levels or IB?
Princeton says fall 2028 first-year applicants need to submit one of them.
Planning for 2028 entry
Planning for 2028 entry: what carries over and what is awaiting publication
Princeton's pages carry no entry-year label, so nothing on them is confirmed for 2028 entry. Use them to understand the structure of the application, then check Princeton's own pages for the 2028-entry details.
The Princeton Undergraduate Announcement 2026-2027 entry for the major, read on 1 November 2026: a documented major structure for current students, not a confirmed requirement for students entering in 2028
Princeton's University-wide admission pages for fall 2028, which set the testing and application rules this guide reports
Anything specific to the major requirements that will apply to 2028 entrants: not published
This guide has not read it. Check the Announcement edition that applies when you enrol.
What to do now
Read the Undergraduate Announcement entry for the major and plan the SAT or ACT alongside your A levels or IB.
Support
Independent support with planning your own application
Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support. It is not affiliated with Princeton University or any of its colleges or departments. Preparation sits within the Avandy Trinity Advisory Model: a Strategic Admissions Consultant, a PhD-level Academic Mentor and a Subject-specific Tutor, working to the actual requirements of each course. Support here is limited to understanding the requirements and planning the applicant's own work; Avandy does not write or edit essays, does not submit any materials and has no partnership with Princeton University. No outcome is promised.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
Can I apply directly to Princeton Neuroscience?
No. Princeton says students apply to the University, not to individual departments, programs or schools.
What must I complete to enter the major?
NEU 201, NEU 202 and MAT 103 (or an equivalent outcome on an accepted standardized math test), with a minimum grade of C in each, in the Announcement's wording.
Is there a thesis?
Yes. Seniors write a thesis (NEU 498-499) and present it in an oral examination of about 30 minutes.
Is there a neuroscience minor?
The Announcement lists a minor alongside the A.B. This guide did not read the minor's requirements.
Do I need the SAT or ACT?
Princeton says first-year applicants seeking to enrol in fall 2028 will need to submit either SAT or ACT scores.
Do A levels and the IB count?
Princeton asks for marks from external exams such as British A levels or the International Baccalaureate, with predicted or achieved results as they become available.
Are these the rules for 2028 entry?
No. They are Princeton's wording with no entry-year label. Check Princeton's pages again when Princeton publishes its 2028-entry requirements.
Students and families
Talk to us about Princeton Neuroscience
Tell us about the student's curriculum, their biology, mathematics and statistics, their interest in computational or molecular approaches and their SAT or ACT plan, the universities on the list, and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare.