Financial Aid

PiB admission decisions are based on academic criteria without reference to financial need. Aid awards are based upon demonstrated financial need, available to all Princeton and non-Princeton students.

In an effort to allow you to make a fully-informed decision, if you were to be admitted to PiB and are also applying for financial aid from PiB, notification of admissions will include your aid award.  Therefore, if you are an early applicant, after admissions has been decided, your application is subject to financial aid evaluation, which will delay your notification date.

Aid for Princetonians

All Princeton students who are currently receiving financial aid from Princeton University and will continue their studies at Princeton after PiB (i.e. freshmen, sophomores, juniors and graduate students) are not required to fill out a separate financial aid application. You are eligible for funds not only from PiB, but also from the East Asian Studies Program and the Dean's Fund for Study Abroad. 

You should be aware, too, of the following sources:

  1. Princeton's Office of International Programs can tell you about a number of funds available to Princeton students. Their funds listing is available on the OIP Financial Aid page.
     
  2. The Fred Fox '39 Fund, which offers grants of up to $1000 for academic projects and courses not available at the University.
     
  3. If you are a Junior, or have declared a major as a Sophomore, your home department may be willing to partially fund your study at PiB, especially if your independent work requires a knowledge of Chinese. You should start early with these sources, in order to be sure that you have funds by mid-April when tuition is due. 
     
  4. Graduating Princeton seniors are not eligible for East Asian Studies Program funding or funding from the Dean's Fund for Study Abroad. Seniors should apply to PiB for financial aid. The process will be the same as the one detailed below for non-Princeton students. Note that this means your PiB application and financial aid application must be turned in by the financial aid application deadline.

  5. Princeton Graduate students are eligible for summer funding via The Graduate School. 

NOTE:  You cannot pay your $500 deposit, which is due along with your admissions acceptance, using financial aid from PiB or any other sources.

Aid for Non-Princeton Students

Non-Princeton students should fill out PiB's Financial Aid Application form online, along with their applications, so that it is submitted no later than the stated financial aid application deadline.

PiB aid is need-based and priority goes to students who are simultaneously applying to other sources for summer funding. Such applicants will need to provide the award / rejection letter from other foundations in order to secure PiB funding.

As part of PiB's financial aid application, students are required to submit a financial aid award letter from their home institution as well as other supporting documentation.

Your college or university may also have FLAS (Foreign Language and Area Studies) grants, or other grant programs, available for Chinese language study.

NOTE: You cannot pay your program deposit, which is due by the deadline stated in your admissions notification, using financial aid from PiB or any other Princeton-based source.

Other Sources of Aid

  • Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship
    Available for U.S. citizens who are receiving a Federal Pell Grant. Now available to students of ALL majors.
  • Boren Awards
    The Boren Scholarships and Fellowships programs focus on geographic areas, languages, and fields of study critical to U.S. national security that are not emphasized in other U.S. study abroad programs. Through a merit-based, national, annual competition, successful applicants distinguish themselves as both highly motivated in their academic and career goals, as well as in their strong commitment to public service. 
  • Freeman-ASIA
    Freeman Awards for Study in Asia (Freeman-ASIA) provides scholarships for U.S. undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need to study abroad in East or Southeast Asia.
  • Fullbright Hayes Group Project Abroad (GPA) Program
    The GPA program is a discretionary grant program designed to contribute to the development and improvement of the study of modern foreign languages and area studies in the United States. Awards are made under the program to conduct overseas group projects in research, training, curriculum development, and advanced foreign language study.
  • Rotary Foundation Fellowships
    Many Rotary Club chapters have scholarships for study abroad. Contact your local Rotary Club for more information. To find a Rotary club near you, please use their Club Locator.