Brown University

Brown University is a private, nonprofit school in an urban setting in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown was founded in 1764 and now enrolls around 9,948 students a year, including 6,792 undergrads. Brown offers on-campus housing for students. The majority of students live on campus, and first year-students are required to live in campus housing.

There are many ways for students to get involved at Brown! Love music or performing? Join a campus band, sing in a chorus, or perform with one of Brown's theater groups.

Interested in journalism or communications? Brown students can write for the campus newspaper, host a radio show or be a producer for the student-run television channel.

Excited for Greek life? Brown has fraternities and sororities.

Planning to play sports? Brown has many options for athletes. See them all and learn more about life at Brown on the Student Life page.

Learn more about life at Brown on the Student Life page.

Mark your calendar! The final application deadline for Fall 2022 is January 1. Regular decision applicants for Fall 2022 should hear from Brown by March 31.

Is Brown a Good School?

There is no one way to define a "good" college or university. Admissions criteria, acceptance rate and average GPA are good indicators of how competitive an institution is, but they don't tell you how happy or successful students are. However, there are a few good ways to get a better sense how satisfied students are and how well a school supports its student body.

Let's take a look at to get a clearer sense of what Brown offers and if it could be a good fit for you.

2021 Acceptance Rate for Brown University

It is extremely difficult to get into Brown. Brown admitted 8% of all applicants in 2021. In 2021, just 2,822 out of the 36,793 students who applied were accepted.

Retention and Graduation Rates at Brown

Retention is the number of students that stay enrolled at a school over time. This is a way to get a sense of how satisfied students are with their school experience, and if they have the support necessary to succeed in college.

Out of all the first-year, full-time undergrads who start at Brown, around 92% are still enrolled the next year. Brown's six-year graduation rate for undergrads is 95%. Compare this to the average six-year graduation rate for colleges and universities in the U.S., which is around 61% for public schools and 67% for private.

Job Outlook Brown Graduates

Job placement statistics for recent graduates can give you a sense of the return on investment a school offers.

Brown's Endowment

An endowment is the total value of a school's investments, donations, and assets. Endowment is not necessarily an indicator of the quality of a school, but it can give you a sense of how much money a college can afford to invest in expanding programs, improving facilities, and support students. Brown's endowment was valued at $4.7 billion in 2021, compared to a national average of $905 million. For each full-time student, Brown spends about $34,086 a year.

Tuition and Financial Aid at Brown

Cost is another important factor when choose a college. Some colleges may have high tuition, but do a better job at meeting students' financial need. Brown meets 100% of the demonstrated financial need for undergraduates. First-year students that attend Brown full-time are awarded $56,474 a year in financial aid, on average.

Students in the class of 2021 who had taken out student loans graduated with an average of $24,443 of debt. For context, compare this number with the average national debt, which is around $36,000 per borrower.

The 2022-2023 FAFSA Opened on October 1st, 2021

Some aid is available on a first-come, first-served basis, so fill out the FAFSA as soon as you can. Visit the FAFSA website to apply for student aid. Remember, the first F in FAFSA stands for FREE! You should never have to pay to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), so don't give your money (or info!) to any website that claim you do.

Learn more about Tuition and Financial Aid at Brown. Based on this information, how does Brown sound? Remember, a school that is perfect for one person may be a terrible fit for someone else! So ask yourself: Is Brown a good school for you?

If Brown University seems like a school you want to apply to, click the heart button to save it to your college list.

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Where is Brown?

Brown is located in the urban setting of Providence, Rhode Island, less than an hour from Boston.

If you want to see Brown for yourself, plan a visit. The best way to reach campus is to take Interstate 95 to Providence, or book a flight to the nearest airport, T.F. Green.

You can also take a virtual campus tour to get a sense of what Brown and Providence are like without leaving home.

Considering Going to School in Rhode Island?

See a full list of colleges in Rhode Island and save your favorites to your college list.