Brown University
Providence, RI · Private · Midsize city · Carnegie R1/R2
Private institution in Providence, RI · 7,273 undergraduates · 5% acceptance rate · $93,487 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 1%Acceptance rate
- Top 1%Average SAT
- Top 1%Median ACT
- Top 2%Graduation rate (4-year)
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $26,5721,572nd cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $68,2302,019th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $68,2302,019th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $84,9861,962nd cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $11,428153rd lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $93,48751st highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $79,13165th highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 96.0%31st highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 98.7%58th highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 5.2%11th most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- 15469th highest of 1,022 reporting
- Median ACT
- 349th highest of 952 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 7,273353rd largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 6.0:194th smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 13.3%1,980th highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 42 mi (BOS)
On 14 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
- Most Selective Colleges in Rhode Island#1
- Mathematics & Statistics#5
- Ivy League — All Eight Schools, Ranked by Selectivity#5
- Computer Science#6
- Most Expensive Colleges by Sticker Price#8
- the Highest SAT Averages#9
- Most Selective Colleges in America#9
- Resume Signal — Top 100 Undergraduate Brands#9
- Highest Four-Year Graduation Rates#10
- Best Earnings-to-Debt Ratio#11
- Business#16
- Are Least Likely to Leave#16
- Appear on the Most Lists#17
- Psychology#20
Applying
- EDNov 1
- RDJan 5
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- $80
- Personal essay
- Required
- Writing supplement
- Yes
Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.
Admitted class profile (Fall 2024 entering class (Class of 2028))
- Top 10% of high-school class
- 92%
- International
- 14%
- First-generation
- 14%
Sources: admission.brown.edu
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 60 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | bachelors | $136,278 | $153,718 |
| Applied MathematicsMathematics & Statistics | bachelors | $98,213 | $88,506 |
| Engineering, GeneralEngineering | bachelors | $72,320 | $75,921 |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business OperationsBusiness | bachelors | $70,009 | $73,769 |
| EconomicsSocial Sciences | bachelors | $66,153 | $63,302 |
| Psychology, GeneralPsychology | bachelors | $46,087 | $31,581 |
| International Relations and National Security StudiesSocial Sciences | bachelors | $41,565 | $50,105 |
| Public Policy AnalysisPublic Administration | bachelors | $41,565 | — |
| Research and Experimental PsychologyPsychology | bachelors | $40,647 | — |
| History | bachelors | $40,467 | $38,289 |
| Science, Technology and SocietyMultidisciplinary Studies | bachelors | $39,927 | — |
| Political Science and GovernmentSocial Sciences | bachelors | $39,369 | $53,108 |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1765source
- Motto: "In Deo Speramus"source
- Athletic nickname: "Bears"source
- Brown Stadium seats about 20,000source
- Competes in Ivy Leaguesource
- Mascot: Bruno the Bearsource
- Formerly known as "Rhode Island College" (1764–1804)source
- Athletic conference: Ivy Leaguesource
- A [[National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program institutionsource
- A space-grant]] institutionsource
- Plays for the "Governor's Cup" (since 1909)source
- 3 Nobel laureates affiliatedsource
- Fight song: ""Ever True to Brown" and"source
- Notable alum: Emma Watsonsource
- Notable alum: Ted Turnersource
- Notable alum: John Krasinskisource
- Notable alum: Laura Linneysource
- Notable alum: Richard Holbrookesource
Athletics — 22 sports
NCAA Division I-FCS · NCAA Division I
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $0 (M $0 · W $0 · Coed $0)
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Cross Country
- Equestrian
- Fencing
- Field Hockey
- Football
- Gymnastics
- Ice Hockey
- Lacrosse
- Other Sports
- Rowing
- Sailing
- Soccer
- Softball
- Swimming and Diving (combined)
- Tennis
- Track and Field (Indoor)
- Track and Field (Outdoor)
- Volleyball
- Water Polo
- Wrestling
- Rowing: 2011, 2008, 2007
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Campus news
- Your healthcare bill is incomprehensible. Congress is stepping in.
- Washington Bridge closure lengthened East Bay ambulance trips, study finds
- Ebola thrives in DR Congo’s chaos. The world may soon pay the price
- Why one minister’s exit won’t calm youth anger
- Growing curiosity: Pre-College students explore regenerative medicine
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to Brown University’s 7,273 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In RI
- Rhode Island CollegeProvidence, RI · 4,630 undergrads
- Providence CollegeProvidence, RI · 4,170 undergrads
- Roger Williams UniversityBristol, RI · 3,957 undergrads
- Johnson & Wales University-ProvidenceProvidence, RI · 3,913 undergrads
- Bryant UniversitySmithfield, RI · 3,236 undergrads
- Salve Regina UniversityNewport, RI · 2,102 undergrads
Elsewhere
- Emory UniversityAtlanta, GA · 7,275 undergrads
- West Los Angeles CollegeCulver City, CA · 7,277 undergrads
- Idaho State UniversityPocatello, ID · 7,260 undergrads
- Belmont UniversityNashville, TN · 7,306 undergrads
- Marquette UniversityMilwaukee, WI · 7,238 undergrads
- Saint Louis UniversitySaint Louis, MO · 7,324 undergrads
Key links
- Official websitebrown.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 217156)
- Compare colleges in RIRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in Rhode IslandEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Compare with Rhode Island CollegeSide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: Brown University vs Rhode Island CollegeHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 22 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.