Certificate in American Studies at Princeton University

Princeton University

United States of America, Princeton

University Rank:#25

Princeton University offers the Certificate of American Studies as a full-time degree delivered on campus at its main campus in Princeton , United States of America. Taught in English and completed over 1 year, the program equips students with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills required for american studies and related professional fields. The next available intake begins on September 5, 2026.

About Certificate in American Studies

The Program in American Studies(link is external), administered by the Effron Center for the Study of America, is an interdisciplinary plan of study that prepares students to make intellectual connections in the world through the experiences and place of America in current and historical times. Encompassing a wide range of fields, areas, and disciplines, and grounded in the histories and experiences of the diverse peoples and cultures that make up the United States of America, the program explores different conceptual framings of America and the role of the United States in global, local, and transnational relationships. By asking a broad range of research questions and engaging with diverse scholarly methods and theories, the program encourages new understandings of issues that profoundly affect contemporary life and scholarship, including questions of migration, diaspora, and borders; indigeneity and colonization; globalization, empire, and war; capital and culture; language, race, and ethnicity; religion; slavery and racialization; gender and sexuality; and ecology and technology.

For more information, please visit the Effron Center website(link is external), effroncenter.princeton.edu.

Requirements and Admission Criteria for Certificate in American Studies at Princeton University

Entry Requirements

Transcript. An official transcript must be sent by a school counselor or school official.
School Report (SR). The SR form is available from the Common Application website. Please ask your school counselor or other school official to complete and submit the SR form.
Counselor Recommendation. If you are using the Common Application online, please note that the SR and the Counselor Recommendation are separate items. Be sure to “invite” your school counselor or academic adviser to complete both items.
Two (2) Teacher Recommendations. Please ask two of your teachers who have taught you in higher level courses (e.g., AP, IB Higher/Standard Level, A-Levels, etc.) in different academic areas of study to complete and send the teacher recommendation forms, available on the Common Application website. The subjects should be in core academic areas, such as English, language, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences or math.
Midyear School Report. Please ask your school counselor or other school official to complete and submit this form when your midyear grades are available.

Fee Information

Application Fee 75

How to Apply

A Completed Application. You must submit your application online through the Common Application. Princeton's CEEB Code: 2672
Princeton's Supplement. In addition to the application provided by the Common Application, all applicants must submit the Princeton Supplement. You should submit the Princeton Supplement online through the Common Application website.
Application Fee or Fee Waiver. You may submit a fee waiver one of two ways: 1) Select the fee waiver option on the Common Application. Your school counselor must approve your fee waiver request online or submit your fee waiver form by mail or fax. 2) Select one of the following fee waiver options on the Princeton Supplement: Princeton-specific, ACT, College Board or NACAC. All low-income students are eligible for the Princeton-specific fee waiver. In addition, all applicants who are serving or have served in the U.S. military are eligible for the Princeton-specific fee waiver. If you use the Princeton-specific fee waiver, you do not need to get approval from your college counselor or academic adviser.
Graded Written Paper. A graded written paper is required, preferably in the subjects of English or history.

Certificate in American Studies at Princeton University

Princeton University

United States of America, Princeton