Brown University
Source: brown.md
Brown University
Admissions (Class of 2029 / Fall 2025)
- Total applicants: 51,302
- Overall acceptance rate: 4.5%
- Early round: Early Decision — 14.6% vs 3.2% RD
- Class size: 1,700
- Yield: 67%
Academics
- SAT middle 50%: 1480–1570
- ACT middle 50%: 34–35
- Avg unweighted GPA: 3.93
- Top 10% of HS class: 95%
- Testing policy: Required
Demographics
- Women: 51.0%, Asian: 12.0%, Black: 6.0%, Hispanic: 9.7%, White: 42.3%, International: 16.8%
Financial Aid / Net Cost
| Income Bracket |
Net Price |
| $0–$30,000 |
$5,131 |
| $30,001–$48,000 |
$6,790 |
| $48,001–$75,000 |
$12,228 |
| $75,001–$110,000 |
$21,425 |
| Over $110,000 |
$44,737 |
Athletics
405 varsity athletes (~7.2% of undergrads). NCAA Division I, Ivy League Conference.
Notable
Open curriculum — no core requirements. Recruited athletes account for ~1/3 of ED acceptances.
Admissions Strategy
- ED acceptance rate ~14.6% vs ~3.2% RD — ED fills ~37.5% of the class
- Recruited athletes account for approximately one-third of ED acceptances — a widely cited statistic on forums
- ~14% of the student body are varsity athletes across 34 teams — athlete hook is significant
- Forum consensus: ED signals strong fit with Brown's unique Open Curriculum; applicants who can articulate why they want academic freedom do better
- Brown is binding ED only (no EA option) — this means every early applicant is committed, which inflates the early acceptance rate relative to non-binding schools
Campus Culture & Fit
- Open Curriculum is the defining feature — no core requirements, students design their own education
- Forums describe Brown as the most "laid-back" and progressive Ivy — collaborative rather than competitive
- Recent Brown Daily Herald op-ed (2025) criticized Open Curriculum for creating "echo chambers" — not universally beloved
- 80% of Brown students pursue an advanced degree within 10 years — strong graduate school placement despite relaxed vibe
- Known for attracting creative, independent-minded students who want flexibility
- Social scene described as less Greek-life-dominated than Penn or Dartmouth
Financial Aid Reputation
- Need-blind for domestic applicants; need-aware for international
- Net costs at lower income brackets ($5-7K for families under $48K) are competitive but not as low as Harvard/Princeton/Stanford
- At upper-middle income ($110K+), Brown's $44.7K net cost is among the highest in the Ivy League
- Forum consensus: good but not exceptional financial aid — some gap vs. HYPSM
Simulation-Relevant Takeaways
- Athlete hook is very strong — ~1/3 of ED admits are recruited athletes; model should weight this heavily
- ED multiplier (~4.6x) is high, but much of it is athlete-driven
- 67% yield — Brown loses admits to HYPSM but retains those who specifically want the Open Curriculum
- Self-selection is strong: applicants who apply to Brown tend to genuinely want Brown's unique model, which aids yield
Sources
- Brown University Common Data Set 2024–2025
- research_colleges.json simulation data
- Brown Daily Herald: "How Brown University recruits and admits its athletes" (Dec 2024)
- TKG: "Early Decision Strategy for Brown 2025-2026"
- Brown Daily Herald: "It's time to close the Open Curriculum" (Apr 2025)