Princeton University offers advanced degrees spanning the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and engineering. Doctoral education available in all disciplines emphasizes original and independent scholarship, while master's degree programs in architecture, engineering, finance, public affairs and public policy prepare candidates for careers in public life and professional practice. These programs share a number of distinctive and desirable features: a high level of engagement between distinguished faculty and outstanding students, a campus environment that fosters a community of scholars, a depth of financial support that allows concentration on academics, and degree programs with demonstrated success in educating graduates for careers in academia, government, and the non-profit and corporate sectors. Complementing and enriching these degree-granting programs are a wide range of interdisciplinary units that promote intellectual activities and research across departmental and divisional boundaries.

Princeton University believes that advanced research, scholarship and teaching are strongest when informed by the diversity of viewpoints, backgrounds and experiences of its students. For this reason, the Graduate School actively recruits underrepresented and socioeconomically disadvantaged students and strives to create an environment that is friendly to all individuals.

While the Graduate School as a whole is engaged in the effective recruitment and retention of a diverse population of students, the Office of Academic Affairs and Diversity develops and implements initiatives and programs to ensure students' success.