Cost & financial aid brief
Brown University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Brown University cost after financial aid?
Brown's aid pattern leaves lower-income aid recipients with far lower average prices than families in the highest income band. Aid covers about 71% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, with a sticker-to-net reduction of $62,464.
Average net prices run from -$420 in the lowest income band to $44,937 in the highest, with $2,031, $5,858, and $16,219 across the intervening bands. This progression shows aid concentrated more heavily in the lower-income bands, as a pattern in average prices rather than a promise for any family.
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.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
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 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.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $48,245
- Estimated parent payment
- $613/mo
| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 36.1% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 16.2% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 7.7% | Caution |
| $200,000 | 5.1% | Safe |
The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. Open the parent tool for your own numbers. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
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
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $743/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $94,678, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
2.2% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $23,940, uses the published framework’s 2026 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
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.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
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. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.