More selective than 100% of Rhode Island colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $87,648. College Scorecard.
Higher than 100% of Rhode Island colleges we cover and 99% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 100% of Rhode Island colleges we cover and 98% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Brown University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 51,316 applicants, Brown University admitted 2,686 and 1,695 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1510–1580 on the SAT or 34–35 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Brown University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Brown University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Brown University took 4.2 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Rhode Island. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $0 | $0 | under 1 year |
| $30–48k | $2,031 | $8,490 | under 1 year |
| $48–75k | $5,858 | $24,486 | under 1 year |
| $75–110k | $16,219 | $67,795 | 1.3 years |
| $110k+ | $44,937 | $187,837 | 3.5 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (80% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($93,487) minus $39,880 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in RI (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $53,607 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Brown University majors, earnings & careers
Brown University offers 59 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 15
- Science & Math · 15
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 13
- Engineering · 5
- Arts & Design · 3
- Business & Finance · 3
- Technology & Computing · 2
- Communications & Media · 1
- Education · 1
- Health & Medicine · 1
Highest-earning majors at Brown University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $214,479 | $11,500 |
| Applied Mathematics | $157,822 | $10,000 |
| Entrepreneurship | $125,955 | $18,000 |
| Economics | $124,508 | $13,000 |
| Engineering | $108,550 | $14,500 |
| Public Policy Analysis | $94,962 | $10,345 |
| Biomedical Engineering | $91,674 | — |
| International Relations | $86,780 | $12,000 |
Quick list of all 59 majors
- Anthropology—
- Applied Mathematics$157,822
- Archeology—
- Architecture—
- Area Studies$59,808
- Astronomy and Astrophysics—
- Behavioral Sciences—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$60,508
- Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology—
- Biomedical Engineering$91,674
- Chemistry—
- Classical and Ancient Studies—
- Classics—
- Cognitive Science—
- Communications—
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Computer Science$214,479
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology—
- Economics$124,508
- Education—
- Engineering$108,550
- Engineering Physics—
- Engineering, Other—
- English$73,497
- Entrepreneurship$125,955
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- History$85,520
- Human Biology$69,802
- Human Resources—
- Interdisciplinary Studies—
- International Relations$86,780
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Linguistics—
- Mathematics—
- Medieval and Renaissance Studies—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music—
- Neuroscience—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science$85,388
- Psychology—
- Psychology (Research)$63,415
- Public Health$74,496
- Public Policy Analysis$94,962
- Religious Studies—
- Science, Technology and Society—
- Social Sciences—
- Social Sciences, Other—
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Statistics—
- Studio Art$60,985
- Theatre—
- Urban Studies / Affairs$73,905
- Writing—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Computer Science → Software developer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Biology → Biological technician
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 7.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Providence
Overall prices in the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,879. Housing costs 4% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 51 inches of rain a year, 37 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: river flooding (relatively high); heat wave (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Providence County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Providence County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Brown University with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Rhode Island by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown University | 5% | $25,184 | 96% | $93,487 | This school |
| Rhode Island School of Design | 19% | $50,507 | 89% | $68,140 | |
| Providence College | 51% | $48,523 | 86% | $87,054 | |
| Bryant University | 65% | $41,219 | 80% | $90,008 | |
| Salve Regina University | 68% | $36,967 | 77% | $72,975 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Brown University would cost you $25,323 less per year than Rhode Island School of Design, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Brown University, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$8,724).
- Brown University gives aided families $31,244 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Rhode Island resident | Brown University | RISD | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $71,412 | $62,688 | +$8,724 |
| Books & supplies | $0 | $2,700 | −$2,700 |
| Housing & meals | $16,598 | $15,850 | +$748 |
| Personal & travel | $2,820 | $3,500 | −$680 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$3,182 | −$3,011 | −$171 |
| Sticker price | $87,648 | $81,727 | +$5,921 |
| Average grants | −$62,464 | −$31,220 | −$31,244 |
| You pay | $25,184 | $50,507 | −$25,323 |
“+” means Brown University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Brown University
What is the Brown University acceptance rate?
Brown University accepts 5% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 2,686 of 51,316 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1510–1580 on the SAT or 34–35 on the ACT.
How much does Brown University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $87,648 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $25,184 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $0 and families earning $110k+ pay $44,937.
How much do Brown University graduates earn?
Former Brown University students earn a median $93,487 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Brown University graduation rate?
96% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 99% return for their second year.
How long does a Brown University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Brown University costs about $24,486 after grants ($5,858 a year for 4.2 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $93,487 ten years after starting, $53,607 more than high school graduates in Rhode Island ($39,880), so the cost is repaid in under 1 year of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
Is Brown University the right fit for your family?
Get a free report comparing Brown University with up to 4 other schools on what you'd actually pay, what graduates in your major earn, and how each fits your priorities.
Build my free reportCheck my chances of getting inWe never share your contact information.
Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Brown University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/brown-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).