Principia College
Elsah, IL · Private (nonprofit) · Rural · Common App member
Admission figures
- Acceptance rate
- Open admission
- Admits every applicant who meets its basic requirements, so no rate is published.
- SAT (middle 50%)
- Not reported
- ACT (middle 50%)
- Not reported
- Undergraduates
- 339
- In-state tuition
- $35,930
- Out-of-state tuition
- $35,930
- Graduation rate
- 71%
- Yield (admitted students who enrol)
- 71%
- 84 of 119 admitted students enrolled in 2023
Yield is not a quality score. It says how often admitted students pick this college over their other offers — useful for reading how it sits against its rivals, and nothing more. It is also the most gameable number in admissions: a binding Early Decision round turns admits into enrolments by contract, so colleges with large ED intakes post high yields largely by construction. Counts are IPEDS 2023, a different collection from the admission rate above, so the two may describe different years.
Principia College doesn't report SAT or ACT ranges in the federal data. Many test-blind institutions — including the entire University of California system — genuinely have none to report. We show that as missing rather than inventing a figure.
Majors at Principia College
6 undergraduate programs, from the federal field-of-study data. Choosing one changes your estimate — a capacity-constrained program is admitted far more competitively than the school-wide rate suggests.
Create an account to pick a program and see how it changes your estimate.
Principia College does not publish admission rates by major — almost no US university does, and the federal data has no such field. We apply a documented field-level adjustment instead and label it as modelled, rather than inventing a per-major rate.
What it would actually cost
Principia College doesn't report net price by income band in the federal data, so we have nothing reliable to show. The published out-of-state tuition is $35,930 — and that is tuition alone, before living costs and before any aid, so treat it as neither a floor nor a prediction.
Who studies here
Enrolled undergraduates, from federal reporting.
- International students41%
- White35%
- Black or African American11%
- Hispanic or Latino5%
- Two or more races5%
- Not reported2%
- Asian1%
This is context about the campus, not an input to your estimate. Since Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (2023), US colleges may not consider an applicant's race — so your background does not move the number, and any tool that says otherwise is describing a practice that ended in 2023. How this is calculated.
Essays for 2026–27
Always confirm against the school's own page before you write.Common App personal essay
Verified 2026-08-06 · source ↗Choose one. The same essay goes to every Common App college on your list. 250–650 words.
Unchanged for 2026–27 — the Common App confirmed on 27 February 2026 that the same seven prompts carry over.
Principia College is on the Common App's member list for 2026–27 (checked 2026-10-18).
Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.
Principia College supplemental essays
We don't have Principia College's supplemental prompts on file yet. Rather than show you something that might be last year's wording, here's where to read the current ones:
Principia College admissions site ↗Once you find them you can start a draft from any prompt and get feedback on it.
Your chances
See your own estimate for Principia College
Add your GPA, test scores and activities once, and we'll estimate your chances here and at every other college — with the full breakdown of what moved the number.
Figures from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Northstar is not affiliated with or endorsed by Principia College. Confirm all requirements and deadlines directly with the institution.