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
$26,572
-$1.6k vs R1 Research
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Admissions & acceptance rate

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

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.

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

Pell equity

2.0pp gap
Pell recipients
92%
Non-Pell
94%

Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates — a notably small equity gap.

Program outcomes

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

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.

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.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$0
$30–48k$2,273
$48–75k$7,757
$75–110k$19,526
$110k+$45,823

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

Avg net price (private)
$26,572
-$1,646vs R1 Research median $28,219
Federal loans
9.2%
In-state tuition
$68,230
Out-of-state
$68,230

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 1,358 students received $8.4M in Pell grants, alongside $36.8M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,358
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$8.4M
$8,430,543 total
Direct Loans
$36.8M
2,135 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
454 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$2.5M
595 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$15.1M
595 loan awards
Parent PLUS$10.6M
292 loan awards
Grad PLUS$6.7M
199 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.

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.

Distinct CIP programs116
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

3,279 total completions
01Social Sciences
84725.8%
02Computer Sciences
50915.5%
03Biological Sciences
37111.3%
04Engineering
3089.4%
05Mathematics
2768.4%
06Multi/Interdisciplinary
2748.4%
07Health Professions
2276.9%
08Physical Sciences
1835.6%
09English Language
1504.6%
10Visual/Performing Arts
1344.1%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
11,956
12-mo unduplicated
12,261
Undergraduate
8,334
Graduate
3,927

Gender split

Men
47%5,814
Women
53%6,447

Race / ethnicity composition

White
35.8%
Asian
20.4%
Hispanic
12.2%
Non-resident
12.2%
Black
8.7%
Two or more
8.1%
Unknown
2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
951
467 M · 484 W
Women athletes
50.9%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$42.2M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$863K
$395K
Head-coach salaries
$183K
$126K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 20

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
108 M · 150 W
$1.5M
Football
111 M ·
$4.2M
Rowing
54 M · 49 W
$2.7M
Lacrosse
53 M · 45 W
$2.9M
Swimming and Diving (combined)
31 M · 37 W
$1.1M
Soccer
30 M · 32 W
$2.2M

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
6.08
68 offenses · 11,189 students

3-year trend

4.222 yrs ago8.511 yr ago6.08Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
201
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
49
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
12
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
4

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
24
Rape
20
Fondling
12
Burglary
6
Aggravated assault
4
Robbery
2

By location

68total
  • On campus63
  • Public property5

Includes 21 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

12
Domestic violence
5
Dating violence
8
Stalking
25 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Religion2
  • Sexual orientation1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs020
Liquor096

Residence-hall fires

  • 111 Brown Street1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99
  • Young Orchard #41 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

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.

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$26,572R1 Research
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
96%4.5%11,886$19,813R1 Research
Tufts University
94%11.5%13,599$35,435R1 Research
Boston College
91%16.4%15,432$39,866R1 Research
Yale University
96%3.9%15,564$27,818R1 Research
Dartmouth College
96%5.4%6,938$28,619R1 Research
Peer group median96%5.4%12,778$28,219

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 $26,572 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.

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