College · Private nonprofit · Providence, RI · City
Brown University
Providence, RI
Admit rate5%
6-yr median pay$79k
Net price / yr$25k
Undergrad size7,226
§ I · The real read
What it's actually like.
The bet
Net price of $25k/yr for a shot at a $79k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.
Getting in
Admit rate of 5% means this is a reach for most people, even strong applicants. Admitted students average SAT 1546 · ACT 34.
If you get in
7,226 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.
Where you live
City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.
§ II · Cost & aid
Sticker vs. real.
Sticker cost of attendance is $88k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $25k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.
Sticker · 4 yrs$351k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$101k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$250k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.3x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.
Where the money goes · annual sticker.
- Tuition · in-state
- $71.4k
- Room & board
- $17.4k
- Books & supplies
- $0
How students pay for it.
Pell grants14%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans10%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$11k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $7k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes
Do people finish? Do they land?
1-yr retention99%
Very high — students stay.
Graduation · 6 yr96%
Most finish on time.
6-yr median pay$79k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$93k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity
Setting, size, and who this school is.
- Setting
- City
- Control
- Private nonprofit
- Undergrad size
- 7,226
- Location
- Providence, RI
- Region
- New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)
- Carnegie class
- Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity (R1)
- Size & setting
- Four-year · medium · highly residential
- Undergrad program
- Four-year · full-time, more selective, lower transfer-in
- Accreditor
- New England Commission on Higher Education
§ · Who studies here
The student body at a glance.
- White33%
- Asian23%
- International13%
- Hispanic12%
- Black8%
- Two or more races8%
- Unknown3%
First-gen students17%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time1%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$83k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 59
What you can study.