Brown 2024 Acceptance Rate & Admissions

Brown University, located in Providence, Rhode Island, is a renowned Ivy League institution known for its stellar education, beautiful location, and rich history. Students in the area can explore our college counseling in Providence for personalized admissions support. It is a highly popular choice for high school students to apply to worldwide, given its vibrant academic community, supportive student life, and abundance of opportunities. But what does it take to be accepted into Brown University? The release of the Brown acceptance rate of the Class of 2028’s admissions results gives us a window into the competition and rigor students faced during this year’s round of applications. Let’s take a deeper look at Brown’s results and how they can help shape your college admissions preparation for the upcoming application season.

Total applicants - 48,898

Regular decision applicant acceptances - 1,623

Early decision applicant acceptances - 898

Acceptance rate for Class of 2028 - 5.2%

Brown University’s application pool for the class of 2028 was impressive, marking the ‘third largest applicant pool in university history.’ To put that into numbers, Brown University offered admission to a selected 1,623 regular decision applicants, along with 898 early applicants from a total of 48,898 submitted applications across all 50 states and from 166 countries globally! Altogether, the Brown acceptance rate for the Class of 2028 was a mere 5.2%, only slightly higher than 5.0% for the Class of 2027.

In the pursuit of a richer student body, Brown University has actively continued to increasingly diversify its applicant pool. This year the university has welcomed students from various households and socioeconomic backgrounds, including those particularly from rural and smaller towns. Additionally, 16% of the Class of 2028 will be the first in their families to attend college, and 65% indicated they are applying to receive financial aid. Brown’s recruitment efforts have been laser-focused on making a Brown education a reality for inspired young scholars from diverse perspectives and experiences, spanning communities across the nation and the world. 

When applying for any university, acceptance rates can tell a lot about the institution and what you can expect when gaining admission. For instance, when looking at acceptance rates, many of the top universities have extremely low percentages of admitted students. The Brown acceptance rate itself has dropped significantly over the past ten years - a chart from the Brown Daily Herald shows acceptance rates at 9.3% in 2014. Since then, the acceptance rate has dropped consistently during the decade by over 4 percent, making Brown University an extremely competitive institution to apply to!

Additionally, acceptance rates tell students much about the quality of education they will receive if accepted to the university. With Brown’s low acceptance rate, students can be assured that the education they will receive as students within the institution will be of the highest caliber, and the tools and resources they will have access to will help create a wonderful experience. On the other hand, students will be subjected to high academic rigor and must consider that as they continue their studies. Classes may be much more complex and intensive, but they will be taught by some of the greatest-thinking minds in the world. 

While much of the application for Brown University remained the same from last year, Brown indicated that they made a few changes to their application for the Class of 2028, including a new essay prompt in which students were asked to ‘reflect on how an aspect of their growing up inspired or challenged them, and what unique contributions that experience would enable them to make to the Brown community.’ Additionally, Brown notes they added four short answer questions to help application readers better understand their student pool applying for this year’s application season, providing students with an opportunity to showcase their unique perspectives on global challenges.

Now that we’ve covered the Brown acceptance rate, you might wonder if Brown University is the right fit for you or your student. Brown provides students with top-level resources, an abundance of networking opportunities, and a brilliant student and faculty body from which to learn and create groundbreaking ideas and discoveries. There are many factors to consider, though, when it comes to deciding whether to put Brown University on your college list.

As a nonprofit research university, Brown’s unique Open Curriculum may be a great first consideration around if the institution fits your academic and extracurricular goals as a higher education student. This style of curriculum allows students to design a personalized and flexible course of study and empowers students to create and pursue their passion and become the architects of their education. It is noted by Brown that the main components of an Open Curriculum include flexible completion of coursework without general core requirements, a grading system without GPAs or class rankings, the option to take courses for a letter grade or satisfactory/no credit, and an invitation to “concentrate” rather than “major” in broad, interdisciplinary fields of study. 

Additionally, the university’s location is another factor to consider when adding Brown University to your college list. For those who enjoy warmer weather and sunny days, Providence’s long and cold New England winters may deter some. Additionally, students looking for a larger city university experience might not find it here, despite Providence’s proximity to Boston’s much more urban sprawl only an hour away. On the other hand, though, Brown’s location allows students to enjoy an enjoyable vibrant college experience while still maintaining that smaller-town feel, making it a perfect fit for students who want a less overwhelming experience. Students will enjoy a true college town experience, with world-class libraries, museums, bustling restaurants, arts and culture!

Finally, Brown University students have access to various student organizations, sports, and groups to participate in throughout their time in attendance. Whether you’re looking to join Greek Life, play intramural sports, or volunteer your time within the community, you’re bound to find ample opportunities and fellow classmates to share these experiences with. On the flip side, if you’re looking to dive into your studies and spend your time focused on your academics, students can enjoy a wide variety of different disciplines and specialties to explore in over 2,000  courses offered at the university.

If you’re like many, you may now wonder just how you can receive acceptance to Brown University. To be a successful applicant, you must gain an edge in the admissions process. That’s where Empowerly can help!

Empowerly’s dedicated team of admissions counselors, former admissions officers, tools, and more can help you find your edge in the admissions process. Every student has strengths and things that make them unique, and Empowerly can help you take what you’ve already worked hard on and turn it into a compelling application that will be sure to wow the admissions officers. Remember, while gaining admission to an Ivy League institution like Brown isn’t a walk in the park, Empowerly is here to help you feel more confident when it comes time to application season.