Principal may refer to:

The head of an educational institution:

• Principal (school), head of a primary or secondary school
• Principal (university), chief executive of a university
  • Dean (education), a person with significant authority
  • Provost (education), chief academic officer of a university
  • Chancellor (education), the head of a university

Other uses:

• Principal (law), a person who authorises an agent to act to create a legal relationship with a third party
• Principal, in finance, the original amount of a debt on which interest is calculated
• Principal, in business, a person with an ownership (equity) position in the business,
• Organ stop on a pipe organ
• A musician in an orchestra who either plays the first part (wind instruments)
• Principal Financial Group, a life insurance company traded on the NYSE.

Principal