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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Brown University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

[Overview](/school/brown-university/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/brown-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/brown-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/brown-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/brown-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Brown University cost after financial aid?

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), 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.

The published cost of attendance is $87,648 (an average across living arrangements), but aid covers about 71% of that for the average aid recipient. That average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $25,184, which is $2,187 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The spread between the lowest and highest income bands is $45,357: aid recipients in the lowest band average -$420, while those in the highest average $44,937. A negative figure means aid exceeds billed costs and covers some living expenses.

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $11,428 in federal student loans, $12,771 below the peer median. Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 54th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Prices after aid vary sharply by family income: the lowest income band averages -$420, followed by $2,031 in the next band, $5,858 in the middle band, $16,219 in the next-highest band, and $44,937 in the highest band. Pell Grants reach 13.8% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $45,357.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
\-$420

**$30–48K**
$2,031

**$48–75K**
$5,858

**$75–110K**
$16,219

**$110K+**
$44,937

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.

Overall average annual net price: **$25,184**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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 price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), 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, average net price 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$48,245

**Estimated parent payment**
$613/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=brown-university#parent-tool). [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## 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

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  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.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

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](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=brown-university#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).

**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](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

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.