Brown admits 906 early decision students to the undergraduate ...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — On Friday, Dec. 13, Brown University invited 906 students who applied through its early decision program to become the first members of its undergraduate Class of 2029.

The pool of 5,048 early decision applicants demonstrated a tremendous array of skills, talents and academic achievements and reflected the University’s sustained commitment to making a Brown education more accessible to students from every socioeconomic and geographic background, said Associate Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Admission Logan Powell.

“As Brown continues to expand its outreach to exceptional students from a wide range of backgrounds, we are fulfilling our commitment to the vitally important academic strength and diversity of perspectives that define our community,” Powell said. “The depth of talent among the applicants in our early decision pool was extraordinary by all measures, from their academic accomplishments to their resilience to the positive impact they’ve made in their own communities.”

Among the 906 admitted students, 65% applied for financial aid, and 19% will be the first in their family to attend college — characteristics that reflect the University’s robust outreach to prospective students who come from rural, first-generation and low-income backgrounds, Powell said.

Ninety students were admitted through Brown’s partnership with QuestBridge, a national nonprofit that works to equalize access to top colleges and universities for high school students from low-income families. Those students comprise 10% of admitted students, a number that has steadily grown over the last decade, surging from 64 students last year.

Brown has continued to strengthen its financial aid packages and introduced new access initiatives, including the launch of need-blind admission for international students starting with the current cycle of applicants, meaning both domestic and international students now are admitted without regard to their ability to pay tuition under Brown’s commitment to meet 100% of demonstrated need for all who enroll. The proportion of international citizens in the early decision applicant pool saw a 22% increase from last year, and 138 of the admitted students hold citizenship in countries beyond the United States.

“The international financial aid initiative builds on our earlier efforts to enroll accomplished international students, which have progressively enabled a broader range of top students from around the world to choose Brown with the support of robust financial aid,” Powell said. “Extending our need-blind admission approach to all first-year applicants is one of many measures that helps make Brown a more affordable choice for extraordinarily talented students from every income level.”

Geographically, the students admitted through early decision represent 51 nations, 49 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. In addition to the broad representation geographically, many applicants conveyed a desire to contribute to a community like Brown that values a wide diversity of perspectives, Powell said.

“The admitted members of the Class of 2029 expressed an enthusiasm to embrace Brown’s Open Curriculum and a deep interest in listening to and learning from one another,” Powell said. “While they come to Brown with their own ideas and opinions, they’re really interested in civil discourse, dialogue, learning and sharing.”

Powell said Brown has strengthened outreach to help prospective students from the widest possible range of backgrounds learn about the University’s generous financial aid, support for academic success, innovative career support and more. Those efforts come as part of a firm commitment to sustaining the diversity that is central to achieving the highest standards of academic excellence and preparing students to grow and lead in a complex world.

“As part of the measures we implemented to reach out to students from a broad array of backgrounds and perspectives, we built connections with more community-based organizations and high schools that primarily serve students from groups historically underrepresented in higher education,” Powell said. “It’s critical that the University remains in compliance with the law while cultivating a diverse and inclusive community of learners, which is integral to Brown’s mission of academic excellence.”

Brown launched an expanded set of recruitment initiatives earlier this month to ensure that students from all backgrounds, their families and those who support them are excited to explore Brown for their academic journey and, if admitted, have access to the resources they need to enroll. 

Powell said the total number of early decision applicants saw an anticipated decrease from last year following the University’s reinstatement of its requirement that applicants for first-year admission submit standardized tests scores. This reflects a return to Brown’s previous standard requirement after a temporary test-optional policy was implemented when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of high schools and ACT/SAT testing centers. 

Following an in-depth analysis that showed that standardized tests provide important information about an applicant’s performance in the context of available opportunities and serve as a strong predictor of a student’s academic performance once enrolled, Brown reinstated the standardized testing requirement earlier this year. Powell noted that the reinstatement was accompanied by enhanced communications to prospective students and school counselors to build understanding that test scores are reviewed in the context of a student’s background and educational opportunities and are a single element of a student’s application, which is assessed holistically.

“We expected a total applicant pool comparable to the years before the temporary test-optional policy, and we continue to engage in strategic outreach and education about how we use test scores in the context of an applicant’s background, opportunities and a range of other factors,” Powell said. “When comparing this year’s pool to the Class of 2024 — the last class admitted before the test-optional policy — it has expanded across nearly every region with a superlative group of talented applicants from across the country and around the world.”

Among the admitted students, the top countries represented outside the United States are Canada, China (including Hong Kong), the United Kingdom, India, Singapore, South Korea, Pakistan, Australia, Brazil, Myanmar and Switzerland. The U.S. states from which the highest numbers of admitted students hail are California, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Texas, Florida, Connecticut, Illinois, Rhode Island, Georgia and Pennsylvania. Among the admitted students, 470 are enrolled in public high school, 317 attend private school, 114 attend religious school and five are homeschooled. The admitted students include 22 students who will enroll in Brown's distinctive eight-year Program in Liberal Medical Education. 

In addition to the 906 students admitted through the early decision process, 900 applicants were deferred and will be reconsidered within the context of the regular decision pool; 3,120 applicants were denied admission.

The deadline for regular decision applications for Brown’s undergraduate Class of 2029 is Jan. 3, 2024.