The GRE is required
A current score is needed, and scores older than five years must be retaken.
Doctoral · Princeton Economics
Princeton Economics PhD: a required GRE, a long writing sample and no credit transfer
The Princeton Economics department's admissions pages say all applicants submit a current GRE score, a writing sample of 20 to 25 pages and a list of their most advanced mathematics and economics courses with textbooks. They add that a strong mathematics background is required, a master's degree and an economics degree are not necessary, no credits transfer from another programme and deferrals are generally not allowed. The pages carry no entry-year label and refer to the Graduate School for the full requirements.
Official information · no entry-year label on the page
What Princeton asks for in Princeton Economics PhD
Taken from the Princeton Department of Economics PhD admissions page and common admission questions page and read on 2 November 2026. The page carries no entry-year label, so every value below is treated as previous-cycle evidence for a 2028-29 start; Princeton's requirements, dates and funding for 2028-29 are awaiting publication, and none is stated here.
A 20-25 page writing sample
Self-standing paper or excerpt of a larger work.
No credit transfer
All admitted students begin as first-year students.
Official sources
Read on 2 November 2026 on the Princeton Department of Economics PhD admissions page and common admission questions page, which carries no entry-year label. The Graduate School's own admissions pages, which the department refers applicants to, were not read and are not stated. No deadline, fee, funding amount or place number is stated.
The decision
Does your record fit what the programme page asks?
This guide concerns only the Princeton research degree. The reading below is Avandy's judgment (heuristic), built from what the programme page says.
It fits if
you have strong mathematics, a substantial writing sample and have documented your most advanced mathematics and economics courses.
Think again if
you hope to bring graduate credit from another programme or defer entry. The department says neither is generally possible.
Check the page
The Graduate School's programme page is the source; deadlines, funding and score thresholds change by cycle and are not stated here.
How the application is read
What the programme page lists
The department's pages describe a current GRE score, TOEFL or IELTS for applicants who need it, a 20-25 page writing sample, a list of the most advanced mathematics and economics courses with textbooks, and strong letters from professors. They say the department asks for nothing beyond the Graduate School's requirements, which this guide did not read, apart from the course list and writing sample. This guide states no deadline, fee or funding term.
How the programme runs
Focus and working pattern
The department runs a five-year PhD only, with no separate master's programme. Admitted students begin the first-year core courses with no credit transfer, although an exemption exam may be taken for first-year core courses. The Political Economy programme is joined from one of three departments. These pages carry no entry-year label.
Avandy's judgment
Where an application can go wrong
These points are Avandy's heuristic reading of the page. They are not Princeton rules and carry no probability.
Skipping the GRE
The department says all applicants must submit a current GRE score.
Submitting a short writing sample
The department requires 20 to 25 pages.
Arranging a meeting with the committee
No one on the admissions committee will meet an applicant before an offer.
Next steps
A sensible order of work
The order is Avandy's suggestion, built from the page's own steps.
Check your record
Compare your coursework and experience with the stated expectations.
Prepare the written work
Draft the statements and writing sample the page asks for, in the formats it lists.
Plan the tests
Check which tests are required, optional or not accepted.
Read the current page
Read the programme page for the cycle you apply in.
Planning for 2028-29 entry
Planning for 2028-29 entry: what carries over and what awaits publication
Princeton's programme page carries no entry-year label. A start in 2028-29 means applying under rules Princeton has not yet published. Each item below is either read on the page and treated as previous-cycle wording, which may change, or awaiting publication for 2028-29 entry.
The structure of the programme and the application
The expectations, the written work and the test policy are described on Princeton's programme page, which carries no entry-year label. Princeton has not published the following cycle.
Deadlines, places, funding and fees
This guide states none of them. Princeton publishes them per cycle; read the page again for the cycle you apply in.
What to do now
Check your record against the programme page, prepare the written work it lists and plan any required test.
Support
Independent support with the research statement and fit
Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support. It is not affiliated with Princeton University or any of its departments, and it has no relationship with any member of staff. Support sits within the Avandy Trinity Advisory Model: a Strategic Admissions Consultant and a PhD-level Academic Mentor help the applicant test a research idea against the department's published research areas and plan their own statement. Support here is limited to testing a research idea against the department's published research themes and planning the applicant's own statements; it does not extend to contacting staff on the applicant's behalf. Avandy does not write or submit any part of an application, cannot arrange a supervisor and promises no outcome or funding.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
What does the Princeton Economics PhD ask for?
The department requires a writing sample of 20 to 25 pages, which may be a self-standing paper or an excerpt of a larger paper or senior thesis.
Is a test required?
The department's common-questions page says all applicants to the Economics PhD must submit a current GRE score, retaking it if more than five years old, and that applicants whose native language is not English, or who lack an undergraduate degree from an English-speaking country, submit TOEFL or IELTS. It refers applicants to the Graduate School for full requirements, which this guide did not read.
Does this guide state a deadline?
No. The page carries no entry-year label and this guide states no deadline, fee or funding. Check the programme page for the cycle you apply in.
Does the programme include funding?
This guide did not use Princeton's funding sections and states no funding.
Students and families
Talk to us about the Princeton Economics PhD
Tell us about your degrees, your research experience, the research question you want to pursue and the supervisors or groups you have in mind. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to develop the research statement.