Faculty Retirement Eligibility

Understand the eligibility requirements for faculty as you begin to envision your retirement.

While everyone’s approach to retirement is unique, one of the first steps is to understand the eligibility requirements for Princeton University’s faculty retirement plans. These are unique to our faculty ranks, and eligibility generally depends on your age, years of service, and date of hire. If you have questions regarding your specific situation, please contact us for assistance.

General Requirements

The following requirements must be met to participate in any faculty retirement plan.

Hired on or before 12/31/2002

You are eligible to retire when you:

  • Have attained age 55
  • Have at least 10 years of service in a benefits-eligible status*

*If you became non benefits eligible after 12/31/2002, you will need to meet the retirement eligibility requirements of those hired or rehired on or after 1/1/2003.

Hired or rehired on or after 1/1/2003

You are eligible to retire when you: 

  • Have attained age 55
  • Have at least 10 years of service in a benefits-eligible status
  • Have at least 75 points**

**Points = your age + years of service.

Plan Options by Intended Retirement Age

Age Plan Options
55-64 General Retirement Plan, Phased Retirement Plan
65-70 General Retirement Plan, Phased Retirement Plans, Incentive Retirement Plans*
70+ General Retirement Plan

*Incentive plan eligibility is informed both by the age at which you retire and the age at which you commit to the plan.

Faculty Retirement Options Guide

Find all of the information outlined in this section of the site in this downloadable PDF guide.

DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE