Brown University has announced the admission of 2,521 talented students to the undergraduate Class of 2028. The University offered admission to 1,623 students through its regular decision process, joining the 898 early decision applicants who received offers in December 2023. This brings the total number of admitted students to 2,521.

The application pool for the Class of 2028 comprised 48,898 students, coming from all 50 U.S. states and 166 countries. These applicants represented a diverse array of backgrounds and experiences, drawn to Brown’s rigorous, student-centered approach to education. Logan Powell, associate provost for enrollment and dean of undergraduate admission, highlighted the exceptional talent among the admitted students, noting that they demonstrated impressive intellect, ingenuity, and a broad range of interests.

Among the admitted students, 16% are the first in their families to attend college, and 9% come from rural areas and small towns. This represents an increase over previous years and aligns with a specific initiative aimed at recruiting students from these regions. Powell emphasized the admissions team’s efforts to broaden the reach of Brown’s recruitment efforts and ensure that inspired young scholars from various perspectives and experiences can access a Brown education.

A significant portion of the applicants—65%—indicated they are applying for financial aid. Powell explained that this reflects Brown’s generous financial aid practices, including need-blind admission and a commitment to fully meeting students’ demonstrated financial needs without requiring loans. Brown’s annual financial aid budget now exceeds $200 million and is projected to increase by approximately $13 to $15 million in the upcoming academic year. Scholarships cover full tuition for families earning $125,000 or less with typical assets, and for students from families making less than $60,000 a year, scholarships cover all expenses, including tuition, room, board, books, and more.

Other notable financial aid initiatives include the Brown Promise, which replaced loans with scholarship funds in all University-packaged undergraduate financial aid awards starting in 2018-19, and the elimination of the consideration of a family’s home equity as an asset when calculating a student’s available financial resources. This typically translates to thousands of additional dollars in a student’s scholarship aid. Additionally, Brown will become fully need-blind for international students starting with the Class of 2029, who will begin their studies in Fall 2025.

Brown made adjustments to its undergraduate application process this year, introducing a new essay prompt that asked applicants 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. The addition of four short-answer questions required applicants to describe themselves using three words, mention their most meaningful extracurricular activity, propose a course they would teach, and explain why they want to attend Brown. These prompts elicited creative and passionate responses from students, highlighting their interdisciplinary approach to solving complex global challenges.

The Class of 2028 is the first admitted at Brown since the June 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision prohibiting the consideration of race in admission decisions. President Christina H. Paxson noted that the University would continue to seek talented students who bring a wide variety of perspectives and experiences and maintain its commitment to diversity in compliance with the new law. Brown will report data on the race and ethnicity of its enrolled first-year students after the new class matriculates next fall.

The admitted Class of 2028 includes students from all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. They come from 96 countries, with the most international students hailing from China (including Hong Kong), Canada, India, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Switzerland, Greece, and Japan. Twenty students were admitted to the Brown-RISD Dual Degree Program, and 76 students were admitted to the Program in Liberal Medical Education.

Top intended concentrations for the admitted students include economics, computer science, engineering, biology, political science, biochemistry and molecular biology, international and public affairs, applied mathematics, English, biomedical engineering, mathematics, and public health. Admitted students can begin logging onto a secure website at 7 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, March 28, to learn the status of their applications. Following the release of admission decisions, Brown will host two Day on College Hill sessions for the Class of 2028 on April 12 and 19, for students who can visit Providence in person. The University will also continue to support admitted students with virtual programming to explore and connect with the campus community.

Admitted students have until May 1 to accept the University’s offer of admission. For more information, visit the official portal.

For more news and updates, visit Brown University’s News and Events page.

News is prepared from public university announcements for general guidance. Policies change frequently; confirm current details with each university admissions office.