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Brown University

Providence, Rhode Island · Private, a midsize city · 7,226 undergraduates

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Is it hard to get into Brown?

The middle half of admitted students scored in these ranges: a quarter scored lower, a quarter higher. Fall 2024 admissions, from the College Scorecard.

Acceptance rate
5.4%
51,316 applied
SAT, middle half
1510 to 1580
Reading plus math, out of 1600
ACT, middle half
34 to 35
Composite, out of 36
Test scores this year
Required
63% of admitted students enrolled
What they look at
  • High school GPAConsidered
  • Class rankConsidered
  • Courses takenRequired
  • College-prep programRequired
  • RecommendationsRequired
  • EssayRequired

How much does Brown cost?

Sticker prices and what students actually paid after grants, by family income. A year means tuition, fees, room, board, books and other costs.

Tuition and fees
$74,650
A full year, sticker price
$91,676
Living on campus
Average price after grants
$26,976
Students who got federal aid

What a year cost, by family income

Family incomeAverage paid after grants
Under $30,000$39
$30,001 to $48,000$228
$48,001 to $75,000$10,079
$75,001 to $110,000$24,827
Over $110,000$48,459
Room and board on campus
$18,514 a year
Books and supplies
$0 a year
The school's own grants
51% of full-time first-years get one, averaging $56,435

Tuition over the years

Tuition and fees for a year, as reported to the federal government.

$0K$22K$43K$65K$86K201220142016201820202022Brown

How much do Brown students borrow?

Federal student loans only, for students who borrowed.

Typical debt at graduation
$14,567
About $166 a month over ten years
Students who borrow
10.8%
Get a Pell Grant
16.5%
Federal grant for lower-income families
Over 25 when they start
1.7%

What do Brown graduates earn?

Typical yearly pay of everyone who started here with federal aid, whatever they studied and whether or not they finished.

Six years after starting
$80,094
Ten years after starting
$99,974
Middle half: $65,867 to $174,606
Best-paid program, five years out
$234,845
Computer Science
Lowest-paid program, five years out
$59,822
Area Studies

Do Brown students finish?

Of the students who started full time, first time.

Back for second year
98.8%
Graduate in six years
95.6%
The four-year figure is for a later, smaller group, so it is not shown
After eight years
97% graduated
2% transferred, 0% still enrolled

Who goes to Brown?

Women
50%
First in their family at college
17%
Part-time
0.6%
Students per teacher
6
Background
White 33%, Hispanic 12%, Black 8%, Asian 23%, Two or more 8%, International 13%
Housing
Campus housing, 5,336 beds

What do Brown graduates earn, by program?

Every bachelor's program the school awards, with what its graduates earn and owe. The government hides pay for small programs, so some rows have no figure.

Computer science

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Computer and Information Sciences, General77HiddenHiddenHidden
Computer Science523$141,816$234,845$15,000

Engineering

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Biomedical/Medical Engineering60HiddenHiddenHidden
Engineering Physics0HiddenHiddenHidden
Engineering, General160$87,175$121,142$19,000
Engineering, Other0HiddenHiddenHidden
Industrial Engineering2HiddenHiddenHidden

Business and commerce

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations42$93,627$147,661Hidden
Human Resources Management and Services0HiddenHiddenHidden

Health sciences and kinesiology

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Public Health0Hidden$79,289Hidden

Life sciences

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology72$35,637HiddenHidden
Biology, General221$42,441$78,854$12,000
Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology33HiddenHiddenHidden
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology0HiddenHiddenHidden
Natural Resources Conservation and Research105$63,016HiddenHidden
Neurobiology and Neurosciences151Hidden$71,063$13,565

Math and physical sciences

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Applied Mathematics390$135,449$163,649$8,125
Astronomy and Astrophysics2HiddenHiddenHidden
Chemistry39HiddenHiddenHidden
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences36HiddenHiddenHidden
Mathematics57HiddenHiddenHidden
Physics66HiddenHiddenHidden
Statistics13HiddenHiddenHidden

Social sciences

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Anthropology51HiddenHiddenHidden
Archeology13HiddenHiddenHidden
Area Studies125$47,927$59,822$12,375
Communication and Media Studies90HiddenHiddenHidden
Economics409$108,964$129,347$12,000
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies24HiddenHiddenHidden
International Relations and National Security Studies315$67,921$90,268$11,750
Political Science and Government121$62,332$90,029$16,050
Psychology, General0HiddenHiddenHidden
Public Policy Analysis16$60,280$99,914Hidden
Research and Experimental Psychology149$49,920$87,208$9,438
Social Sciences, General144HiddenHiddenHidden
Social Sciences, Other21HiddenHiddenHidden
Sociology62HiddenHiddenHidden
Urban Studies/Affairs47HiddenHiddenHidden

Arts and humanities

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics43HiddenHiddenHidden
English Language and Literature, General167$56,050$61,756$11,539
History127$60,823$91,370Hidden
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services59Hidden$76,722Hidden
Philosophy55HiddenHiddenHidden
Religion/Religious Studies26HiddenHiddenHidden
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies80$42,487$60,798Hidden
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics23HiddenHiddenHidden

Education (teaching)

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Education, General54$43,467$77,459Hidden

Fine and performing arts

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft22Hidden$60,630Hidden
Fine and Studio Arts133Hidden$80,760$17,420
Music64$42,515HiddenHidden

Architecture and design

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Architecture37HiddenHiddenHidden

General arts and science (major chosen later)

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Behavioral Sciences64HiddenHiddenHidden
Classical and Ancient Studies0HiddenHiddenHidden
Cognitive Science25HiddenHiddenHidden
Human Biology108$29,431$96,210$12,500
Medieval and Renaissance Studies5HiddenHiddenHidden
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General38HiddenHiddenHidden
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other2HiddenHiddenHidden
Science, Technology and Society28HiddenHiddenHidden

Compare Brown with other universities

Side by side: acceptance rates, scores, costs and pay.

Or the list of every university, by state.

Where these numbers come from

College Scorecard release 10152026, Most Recent Cohorts files, fetched 2026-10-20. Test policy: the school's page (opens in a new tab). Tuition history, housing and the school's own grants: the federal IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) survey.

How every figure in this part of the site is sourced, and the check of every link.

Careerhelp is not affiliated with Brown University. Figures describe past students; check the school's own pages before you apply.

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