The cost of attendance, which includes direct and indirect costs to attend Princeton, includes an amount intended for personal expenses.

Depending on the amount of the grant funds in your aid offer, the personal expense amount should either be covered from the family contribution in the aid offer, or may be available as a refund on your student account. For enrolled students who would like to determine whether a refund may be available, please visit TigerHub to view your student account or the Student Bill Estimator.

What are Personal Expenses?

The Books and Personal estimate in the student budget includes $3,000 for personal expenses for the academic year. This is approximately $100 each week over the 30 weeks in the academic year.

Examples of Personal Expenses:

  • Clothing, such as a winter coat
  • Toiletries
  • Cell phone bill
  • Entertainment
  • Technology
  • Travel (Outside of the two roud trips included in the student budget)
  • Routine medical and dental expenses, including co-pays and medication

First year students receiving the start-up grant may also use these funds for some of these predictable personal expenses.

In some cases, student may be faced with unexpected expenses related to an emergency circumstance. Emergencies may include but are not limited to:

  • Necessary and critical emergency medical care not covered by insurance
  • Travel home for a family emergency
  • Other emergency travel

Students who experience medical or travel emergencies should speak to their Assistant Dean for Student Life (ADSL) in the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students. Emergency funds may be available for necessary critical medical care not covered by insurance or emergency travel. Visit https://tigerlife.princeton.edu/personal-emergency-funding for more information on emergency funds at Princeton. 

In certain cases, emergency loans may be available. As with other sources of aid, emergency loans are for the expenses of the student and cannot be used to cover family expenses. If you have a qualifying emergency circumstance and are either not eligible for emergency funds through the Office of the Dean of Student Life or your costs exceed the grant awarded, you may submit a loan request for emergency loan funds with appropriate documentation.