R1 ResearchPrivate nonprofitMedical

Brown University

Providence, Rhode Island·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·New England·brown.edu
6-yr Graduation
96%
—
Total enrollment
11,956
peer median 12,778
Avg net price
$25,184
-$2.2k vs R1 Research
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AdmissionsOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR Office

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

IPEDS
Applied
48,904
48,904 candidates competed
Admitted
2,638
5.4% acceptance rate
Enrolled
1,719
65.2% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
96%
4-year graduation
77%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
96%
Full-time retention
99%

Pell equity

4.3pp gap
Pell recipients
92%206 of 224
Non-Pell (all)
96%1370 of 1423
Subsidized loan, no Pell
94%151 of 160
No Federal Aid
97%1219 of 1263

Non-Pell students graduate at a 4.3-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 152 Title IV programs, 25 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 126 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
152
Passing
25
16.4% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
0.7% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.7%
+0.1pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

152programs
  • Passing25 · 16.4%
  • No Data126 · 82.9%
  • Failing1 · 0.7%

Severity spectrum

Critical
1
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
25
No data
126

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

26
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Master's Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-22.8%
$37,270 vs $48,304
Public Health
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+46.3%
$87,924 vs $60,112
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Master's Degree · Education
+47.3%
$68,338 vs $46,391
Area Studies
Bachelor Degree · Area, Ethnic, Cultural, And Gender Studies
+71.8%
$59,808 vs $34,808
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+73.8%
$60,508 vs $34,808
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+75.2%
$60,985 vs $34,808
Medicine
First Professional Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+77.1%
$106,465 vs $60,112
Research and Experimental Psychology
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+82.2%
$63,415 vs $34,808

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

24
Medicine
First Professional Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
128%
$135,785 debt · $106,465 earn
Public Policy Analysis
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
74%
$64,850 debt · $87,139 earn
Public Health
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
56%
$49,000 debt · $87,924 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Master's Degree · Education
30%
$20,500 debt · $68,338 earn
Biotechnology
Master's Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
27%
$41,000 debt · $151,944 earn
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
26%
$15,500 debt · $60,508 earn
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
26%
$15,625 debt · $60,985 earn
Area Studies
Bachelor Degree · Area, Ethnic, Cultural, And Gender Studies
26%
$15,275 debt · $59,808 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

New England Commission of Higher Education

Accredited since 1929Next review Dec 2028

Programmatic accreditations · 7

Action history · 11

  1. Apr 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · Professional Psychology (RPSY) - Postdoctoral residency programs
  2. Jul 2022Initial Accreditation
    American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · Professional Psychology (RPSY) - Postdoctoral residency programs
  3. Aug 2021Renewal of Accreditation
    Council on Education for Public Health · Public Health (PHBG) - Baccalaureate and Graduate level school of public health
  4. Feb 2021Renewal of Accreditation
    Liaison Committee on Medical Education · Medicine (MED) - Programs leading to the M.D. degree
  5. Jul 2019Renewal of Accreditation
    American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · Professional Psychology (IPSY) - Predoctoral internship programs

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$0
$30–48k$2,031
$48–75k$5,858
$75–110k$16,219
$110k+$44,937

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$25,184
-$2,167vs R1 Research median $27,352
Federal loans
9.6%
In-state tuition
$71,412
Out-of-state
$71,412

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 1,358 students received $8.4M in Pell grants, alongside $52.3M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,358
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$8.4M
$8,430,543 total
Direct Loans
$52.3M
2,345 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
’20
1k
’21
1k
’22
1k
’23
1k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$1.9M
456 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$2.5M
595 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$26.1M
751 loan awards
Parent PLUS$10.6M
292 loan awards
Grad PLUS$11.2M
251 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 869 borrowers who entered repayment, 6 (0.6%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.6%
-1.7pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
869
Defaulted
6
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
1.0%
2017
2.1%
2018
0.8%
2019
0.6%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Brown

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs123
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

3,421 total completions
01Social Sciences
91526.7%
02Computer Sciences
55316.2%
03Biological Sciences
38311.2%
04Engineering
2998.7%
05Mathematics
2988.7%
06Multi/Interdisciplinary
2928.5%
07Health Professions
2286.7%
08Physical Sciences
1725.0%
09English Language
1554.5%
10Visual/Performing Arts
1263.7%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
11,956
12-mo unduplicated
12,765
Undergraduate
8,534
Graduate
4,231

Gender split

Men
47%6,024
Women
53%6,741

Race / ethnicity composition

White
32.9%
Asian
22.9%
Non-resident
12.7%
Hispanic
12.1%
Black
8.2%
Two or more
7.9%
Unknown
2.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
995
494 M · 501 W
Women athletes
50.4%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$43.2M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$868K
$405K
Head-coach salaries
$196K
$122K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 22

Football
112 M · —
$3.6M
Rowing
59 M · 48 W
$2.2M
Lacrosse
59 M · 46 W
$2.6M
Swimming and Diving (combined)
32 M · 34 W
$904K
Soccer
31 M · 31 W
$1.8M
Track and Field (Outdoor)
24 M · 32 W
$464K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
4.17
48 offenses · 11,516 students

3-year trend

8.512 yrs ago6.081 yr ago4.17Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
207
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
60
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
11
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
12

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
24
Rape
10
Burglary
7
Arson
3
Fondling
3
Aggravated assault
1

By location

48total
  • On campus45
  • Public property3

Includes 19 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

6
Domestic violence
1
Dating violence
9
Stalking
16 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Religion2
  • Gender1
  • Ethnicity1
  • Gender identity1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons01
Drugs012
Liquor0110

Residence-hall fires

  • Olney House1 fire
    Damage $0-$99
  • Bronson House1 fire
    Burnt papers.1 injured · 0 deathsDamage $0-$99
  • Everett House1 fire
    Burnt paper towels.Damage $0-$99
  • Minden Hall1 fire
    Heating equipmentDamage $0-$99
  • Perkins Hall1 fire
    OtherDamage $0-$99
  • Diman House3 fires
    Ceramic bowl containing rubbing alcohol lite on fire.1 injured · 0 deathsDamage $0-$99
  • Diman House3 fires
    Damage $100-$999
  • Diman House3 fires
    Damage $0-$99
  • Young Orchard #101 fire
    CookingDamage $1,000-$9,999

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
6.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
1,033

Brown vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Brown selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectBrown University
96%—11,956$25,184R1 Research
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
96%4.5%11,886$20,111R1 Research
Tufts University
94%11.5%13,599$39,998R1 Research
Boston College
91%16.4%15,432$41,704R1 Research
Yale University
96%3.9%15,564$23,777R1 Research
Dartmouth College
96%5.4%6,938$29,519R1 Research
Peer group median96%5.4%12,778$27,352

Institutions like Brown

Explore the federal data for institutions in Brown's comparison group.

IPEDS

Brown Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Research
Phone
401-863-1000
Address
Brown University, Providence RI 02912

Supporting the evaluation and planning efforts of Brown University's senior administration by initiating and conducting studies on the University's policies, academic programs, and environment.

Visit IR office page
Team
5 members
  • Katharine Tracy Barnes
    Director of Institutional Research
  • Karen Baptist
    Senior Associate Director of Institutional Research
  • Kimberly Buxton
    Senior Institutional Research Analyst
  • Emily Hsieh
    Senior Data Analyst for Institutional Research
  • Margot Saurette
    Executive Assistant and Project Coordinator

Frequently asked questions about Brown University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Brown.

What is the graduation rate at Brown University?

Brown University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 96% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Brown University?

Brown University reports a total enrollment of 11,956 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Brown University?

The average net price at Brown University is $25,184 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Brown University?

Brown University's yield rate is 65.2%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Brown University located?

Brown University is located in Providence, Rhode Island 02912.

Who runs Institutional Research at Brown University?

Brown University's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
U.S. Department of Education
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
U.S. Department of Education
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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