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Summary
Brown University is a private institution that was founded in 1764. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 6,318, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 146 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Brown University's ranking in the 2012 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 15. Its tuition and fees are $42,230 (2011-12).
Located atop College Hill in Providence, R.I., Brown University has a college-town feel with Thayer Street serving as a center of activity for shopping and dining. The Brown Bears have about 35 NCAA Division I athletic teams and compete in the Ivy League. The Bears are well known for their men’s soccer team, which consistently ranks among the top 25 teams in the nation. All students at Brown are required to live on campus for their first six semesters, and housing options include traditional singles, doubles, and suites. With more than 200 student organizations on campus ranging from the Brown Space Club to Brown Ballroom Dance, students can find a way to pursue their interests. Brown also has a small but vibrant Greek community with approximately 10 chapters, including a few co-ed Greek organizations.
Brown offers a number of a graduate studies through its Graduate School, which offers well-regarded programs in English and history, and the highly ranked Warren Alpert Medical School. The center section of the Van Wickle Gates on Brown’s campus opens only twice a year: once to let incoming students onto campus and once to let recent graduates exit after commencement. Brown hosts an annual celebratory "Spring Weekend" with athletic events, concerts, and free food. Notable alumni include John D. Rockefeller Jr., John F. Kennedy Jr., and CNN founder and media mogul Ted Turner.
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Brown is the only major research university in the nation where undergraduates are the architects of their own course of study. The University's signature academic program for undergraduates encourages intellectual exploration and risk-taking and fosters rigorous multidisciplinary study in areas ranging from Brain Sciences and Planetary Geology to Creative Writing and Modern Culture and Media. Its unique, highly competitive Program in Liberal Medical Education provides the opportunity to receive an undergraduate degree and a Medical degree in an eight-year continuum. Brown students are distinguished by their academic excellence, creativity, self-direction, leadership, and collaborative style of learning, while Brown's outstanding faculty is known for its singular dedication to teaching. |
General Information
| School type | private, coed college |
| Year founded | 1764 |
| Religious affiliation | N/A |
| Academic calendar | semester |
| Setting | urban |
| 2010 Endowment | $2,178,837,000 |
Applying
When applying to Brown University, it's important to note the application deadline is January 1, and the early decision deadline is November 1. Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due February 1. The application fee at Brown University is $75. It is most selective, with an acceptance rate of 9.3 percent.
For more information about the tests, essays, interviews, and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.
| Selectivity | most selective |
| Fall 2010 acceptance rate | 9% |
| Application deadline | January 1 |
| SAT/ACT scores must be received by | February 1 |
Academic Life
The student-faculty ratio at Brown University is 9:1, and the school has 68.3 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at Brown University include: Biology/Biological Sciences, General; Economics, General; International Relations and Affairs; History, General; and Political Science and Government, General. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 97.5 percent.
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| Student-faculty ratio | 9:1 | ||||||||||
| 4-year graduation rate | 86% - High | ||||||||||
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Student Life
Brown University has a total undergraduate enrollment of 6,318, with a gender distribution of 47.3 percent male students and 52.7 percent female students. 79.0 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing and 21.0 percent of students live off campus. Brown University is part of the NCAA I athletic conference.
See what students are saying about life at Brown University.
| Total enrollment | 8,695 |
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| Collegiate athletic association | NCAA I |
Campus Info & Services
Brown University offers a number of student services including nonremedial tutoring, women's center, placement service, health service, and health insurance. Brown University also offers campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transport/escort service, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, student patrols, and controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc). Of the students at Brown University, 10 percent have cars on campus. Alcohol is permitted for students of legal age at Brown University.
| Students who have cars on campus | 10% - Low |
| Health insurance offered | Yes |
| Students required to own/lease a computer | No |
More About Campus Info & Services
Paying for School
At Brown University, 45.5 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $33,861.
Paying for college doesn't have to be difficult or devastating. Go to the Paying for College knowledge center to get advice on raising cash and reducing costs.
| Tuition and fees | $42,230 (2011-12) |
| Room and board | $10,906 (2011-12) - High |
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* Overview details based on 2010 data
