College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Brown University

RIMedium private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #131 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth places Brown University in the 91st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

Brown University is a private nonprofit university in Providence, Rhode Island, where the degree mix is led by Social Sciences and Computer & Information Sciences. Return is among the highest we track, while affordability is around the average.

Graduates earn less than predicts for students like them. The model attributes an addition to the factors it measures—field of study, enrollment, and the local labor market—and a subtraction to the remainder it does not explain.

At the bottom of the income scale, aid can exceed the published cost entirely. Pell students complete within a few points of the overall rate, and mobility is well above average.

The admission rate is below the median for comparable institutions. Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study, and the largest program is also the highest-earning one.

Brown University at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
5.4%
Six-year completion[2]
95.7%
Four-year earnings[3]
$94,678

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$5,858
Median student debt[4]
$11,428
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$48,245

Brown University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Brown University is a private nonprofit university in Providence, Rhode Island, enrolling 7,226 undergraduates in total. Its composite standing sits near the top of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Brown University admits 5.4% of applicants, against a median of 71.2% for comparable institutions of the same type and size. Retention for the first-time, full-time cohort stands at 98.8%, against a peer median of 83.4%.

The six-year graduation rate for the first-time, full-time cohort is 95.7%, against 68.8% for comparable institutions. An estimated 8.2% of undergraduates arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the six-year graduation rate describes the experience of most who start here.

The four sit far apart. Return is the strongest (at the 95th percentile) and affordability the weakest (at the 54th percentile).

Mobility and access fall between them, at the 83rd and 78th percentiles respectively.

Return is the clearest part of the profile, while affordability is the area where cost deserves closer attention. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, the return pillar stands in the 95th percentile and access in the 78th percentile.

Mobility is in the 83rd percentile, compared with the affordability pillar at the 54th percentile. The pillar results are strongest on return and more mixed on affordability.

13.8% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, the financial-access measure that enters both the access and mobility pillars. Azimuth ranks Brown University #326 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The access pillar rests on that financial-access measure alongside the six-year completion rate for Pell recipients. Those students complete at 92.3%, a rate that sits 3.4 percentage points below the figure for the entering cohort as a whole (95.7%).

Azimuth ranks the university #250 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. The mobility pillar brings together that same financial-access and completion data with the earnings outcome.

Graduates earn about $9,623 less than the model expects for similar students, a result that coincides with the completion pattern in the mobility calculation.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Brown University rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#131

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 83
Access & reach
National percentile: 78
Affordability
National percentile: 54
Return on investment
National percentile: 95

Top-ranked majors

  1. Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations#1
  2. Applied Mathematics#2
  3. Engineering, General#3

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / Brown University briefing

Brown University cost & financial aid[6][7]

Brown University carries a high published price, though aid recipients face a much lower average cost after grants and scholarships. The published cost of attendance is $87,648, an average across living arrangements.

Published tuition and fees are $71,412, and room and board is $17,444. For aid recipients, the average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $25,184; financial aid offsets $62,464 from the published cost on average.

At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $27,371, placing Brown's average $2,187 below that benchmark. Azimuth places its affordability pillar in the 54th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The lower-than-peer average price and middle-range affordability standing point in different directions.

At Brown University, qualifying families in the lowest family-income band can receive aid that exceeds the full cost. The published cost of attendance is $87,648 (an average across living arrangements).

Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is -$420 for the lowest family-income band, $2,031 for the lower-middle band, $5,858 for the middle band, $16,219 for the upper-middle band, and $44,937 for the highest family-income band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $45,357.

Azimuth ranks the university #646 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid offsets much of the published price for the average aid recipient: aid covers about 71% of the published cost, or $62,464 in average savings against the sticker price.

Across all aid recipients, is $25,184, $2,187 below the peer median of $27,371 at comparable institutions (same type and size). Published tuition and fees are $71,412.

The below-peer average price and large average aid offset point in the same direction. Federal-loan borrowers who complete leave with median federal student loan debt of $11,428, and 72.2% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.

That median is $12,771 below the peer median debt of $24,199 at comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $130 a month if repaid over ten years.

Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $48,245.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$5,858

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Net price can be negative: when grants and scholarships exceed the listed cost of attendance, students can receive the difference as a refund for other expenses.

Borrowing and repayment at Brown University

Federal borrowing reaches 72.2% of federal aid recipients, and debt is well below peers. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $11,428, which is $12,771 below the peer median of $24,199 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That median debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $130 a month if repaid over ten years. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $48,245 in Parent PLUS loans.

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 18% of the bachelor's graduates in the cohort borrowed from any source. The average cumulative debt per borrower was $34,735.

Of those graduates, 15% held federal loans averaging $14,664. Another 5% of graduates held private loans, averaging $73,669.

At Brown University, the investment picture turns on a tension: graduates earn high raw earnings, but they fall short of what the model expects for similar students. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $94,678.

Azimuth places that earnings figure in the 95th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $9,623 less than the model expects for similar students.

That puts the gap at the 20th percentile. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, stretch from $57,488 in a downside case to $186,240 in an upside case, with $94,678 as the typical outcome.

On the borrowing side, the median federal student debt at completion is $11,428, which is $12,771 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $130 a month if repaid over ten years.

For the separate population of Parent PLUS parent borrowers, median borrowing is $48,245. For borrowers at the median federal debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $130 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$11,428
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$48,245

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$130/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$613/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Brown University briefing

Brown University career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Return is mixed. Brown University federally aided completers working and not enrolled earn a median of $94,678 four years after completion.

Azimuth puts it in the 95th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median is $68,250; its median sits $26,428 above it.

Graduates earn about $9,623 less than the model expects for similar students. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between graduate earnings and model expectations for similar students, is in the 20th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $9,246. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $18,869.

Azimuth places the return pillar in the 95th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Peer earnings and model expectations point in different directions.

Brown University offers a schoolwide earnings reference for federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled: median earnings are $94,678 four years after completion. That same amount is the typical scenario based on the program mix.

Azimuth places the earnings measure in the 95th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, using an earnings cohort of 1,086 completers. The downside earnings scenario is $57,488, and the upside scenario is $186,240.

These scenarios describe outcomes associated with the program mix, not observed groups of graduates or forecasts for an individual. Graduates earn about $9,623 less than the model expects for similar students.

An estimated 37.1% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. High observed earnings and below-expected earnings point in different directions.

Brown University has median earnings of $94,678 four years after completion, placing it in the 95th percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $68,250, with the university's figure $26,428 above it.

Graduates earn about $9,623 less than the model expects for similar students. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, is in the 20th percentile.

Azimuth ranks Brown University #81 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix range from $57,488 in the downside scenario to $186,240 in the upside scenario.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $9,246. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $18,869.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $5,983. Computer Science is the largest program, with 250 degrees awarded and median earnings of $214,479 four years after completion.

Applied Mathematics recorded 178 degrees awarded and median earnings of $157,822. Biology had 111 degrees awarded and median earnings of $60,508; Azimuth ranks it #116 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The program figures vary across these fields, so the school-level median does not describe each program equally.

Within the program mix, lower- and higher-earning paths sit far apart at Brown University. The downside earnings scenario is $57,488, and the upside scenario is $186,240 four years after completion.

These are scenarios built from the program mix, not observed groups of graduates. Published program medians four years after completion are $214,479 in Computer Science, $157,822 in Applied Mathematics, and $125,955 in Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations.

The field medians place concrete examples at different points in that modeled span.

For borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt at Brown University is $11,428. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $24,199, and the university is below it by $12,771.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $130 a month if repaid over ten years. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $25,184.

Aid covers about 71% of the published cost for the average aid recipient; that is an average, not a promise for any family. The published cost of attendance is $87,648 (an average across living arrangements), which sets the before-aid reference for that average.

Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, offer a separate check. Graduates earn about $9,623 less than the model expects for similar students. The lower debt figure and the model result pull in different directions.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$9,246
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$18,869
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$9,623

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Brown University briefing

Brown University acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Brown University admitted 5.4% of applicants in the reported entering-class pool, a rate well below the median of 71.2% for comparable institutions (same type and size). This rate describes the share of that year’s applicants who were admitted, rather than a prediction for an individual applicant.

Applicants should place Brown University on an application list only after comparing their academic record with its published score ranges. The admission figure summarizes the reported pool and does not establish any one applicant’s odds.

SAT: reported composite scores
Admission rate
5.4%
25th percentile
1510
Median
1540
75th percentile
1560

CDS 2024-25 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Brown University briefing

What are the largest majors at Brown University?[12]

At Brown University, program-level earnings differ sharply four years after completion. Computer Science sits at the higher-earning end, with median earnings of $214,479 and 250 degrees awarded.

Applied Mathematics also reports $157,822 in median earnings across 178 degrees awarded. Economics falls between those fields, at $124,508 with 215 degrees awarded.

At a more moderate earnings level, Biology has median earnings of $60,508 four years after completion and 111 degrees awarded. Azimuth ranks the field #116 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

The contrast between the higher-earning technical and quantitative fields and this moderate-earning field shows why the school-wide earnings figure can conceal substantial variation by program.

Computer Science is the largest listed program and has the highest cited earnings among these fields. Brown University has 16 ranked program among nonprofit four-year institutions. The fields show a wide earnings range even among the larger programs.

Social Sciences accounts for 20.3% of bachelor's degrees awarded at Brown University, with Computer & Information Sciences next at 13.7% and Biological Sciences at 9.3%. The university has 16 program with an Azimuth national rank and 18 with published four-year earnings data.

The largest programs are Computer Science at 250 degrees awarded, Economics at 215, and Applied Mathematics at 178. Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations is the highest-ranked program, earning a state rank of #1 in Rhode Island.

It awards 51 degrees a year, and graduates earn a median of $125,955 four years after completion. The highest-earning program is Computer Science, the largest program on campus, where graduates earn $214,479.

Applied Mathematics follows at $157,822. Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations is a much smaller program, awarding 51 degrees a year.

Its graduates earn a median of $125,955, a benchmark ratio of 2.06x against the national median for its field. The pattern is one of concentrated strength in quantitative fields.

46.2% of degrees awarded are in STEM, and the three largest programs all sit in computing, economics, and applied math. Four-year earnings understate later trajectories for fields that commonly require graduate study.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Computer Science 250 degrees awarded
$214,479
Economics 215 degrees awarded
$124,508
Applied Mathematics 178 degrees awarded
$157,822
Biology, General 111 degrees awarded
$60,508
International Relations and National Security Studies 100 degrees awarded
$86,780
History 83 degrees awarded
$85,520

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Brown University briefing

How does Brown University serve students from different backgrounds?

Brown University’s mobility picture combines a high completion rate with modeled earnings that fall short of expectations. Azimuth places its mobility pillar in the 83rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For the first-time full-time cohort, the six-year graduation rate is 95.7%, while Pell recipients complete within six years at 92.3%, below the overall rate by 3.4 percentage points. Earnings beyond expectations compares graduate earnings with the model’s expectation for similar students and sits in the 20th percentile.

Graduates earn about $9,623 less than the model expects for similar students. Completion is high, but the modeled earnings comparison points the other way.

Brown University admits a narrow share of applicants, with an admission rate of 5.4%. Undergraduate enrollment is 7,226; 13.8% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, and an estimated 8.2% enter as transfers or part-time students.

Azimuth places the access pillar in the 78th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The selective entry rate sits alongside Pell participation and transfer entry within a sizable undergraduate population.

06 / Brown University briefing

What colleges are similar to Brown University?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Brown University.

Admissions peerHarvard University3.7% admitted
Comparison with Brown University
MeasureBrown UniversityHarvard University
Peer earnings · 4 years$94,678$134,794+$40,116 vs Brown University
Average annual net price$25,184$19,066-$6,118 vs Brown University · lower cost
Admission rate5.4%3.7%
Explore Harvard University →
Higher-admission alternativeWentworth Institute of Technology91.2% admitted
Comparison with Brown University
MeasureBrown UniversityWentworth Institute of Technology
Peer earnings · 4 years$94,678$95,027+$349 vs Brown University
Average annual net price$25,184$34,170+$8,986 vs Brown University · higher cost
Admission rate5.4%91.2%
Explore Wentworth Institute of Technology →
Nearby alternativeTufts UniversityNearby option · MA
Comparison with Brown University
MeasureBrown UniversityTufts University
Peer earnings · 4 years$94,678$97,474+$2,796 vs Brown University
Average annual net price$25,184$39,998+$14,814 vs Brown University · higher cost
Admission rate5.4%11.5%
Explore Tufts University →
Higher-earnings alternativeYale University$112,971 earnings
Comparison with Brown University
MeasureBrown UniversityYale University
Peer earnings · 4 years$94,678$112,971+$18,293 vs Brown University
Average annual net price$25,184$23,777-$1,407 vs Brown University · lower cost
Admission rate5.4%3.9%
Explore Yale University →
Lower-cost alternativeUniversity of Massachusetts-Lowell$17,163 average net price
Comparison with Brown University
MeasureBrown UniversityUniversity of Massachusetts-Lowell
Peer earnings · 4 years$94,678$81,163-$13,515 vs Brown University
Average annual net price$25,184$17,163-$8,021 vs Brown University · lower cost
Admission rate5.4%83.0%
Explore University of Massachusetts-Lowell →
Similar profileTufts UniversityMatched across several measures
Comparison with Brown University
MeasureBrown UniversityTufts University
Peer earnings · 4 years$94,678$97,474+$2,796 vs Brown University
Average annual net price$25,184$39,998+$14,814 vs Brown University · higher cost
Admission rate5.4%11.5%
Explore Tufts University →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance is 150% of the federal poverty guideline for one person, for the year the API serves. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. The parent table is the 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS as a share of household income above 200% of the guideline for a household of three: under 6% Safe, 6–10% Caution, over 10% High pressure. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings