Brown University

About

Founded in 1764, Brown University is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States. It offers a distinctive undergraduate experience characterized by the Open Curriculum, allowing students to design their own academic paths. Brown is renowned for its rigorous scholarship, diverse community, and commitment to addressing complex global challenges.

Main Academic Divisions (Faculties)

1. The College (Undergraduate Education)
2. Graduate School
3. Alpert Medical School
4. School of Engineering
5. School of Public Health
6. School of Professional Studies

Reasons to Study at Brown University

1. Solutions to Critical, Complex Problems

   Brown students and faculty are tackling the nation’s opioid crisis. Planning the next Mars landing site. Uncovering the locations of ancient civilizations. Advising world leaders on new political models. Exploring new frontiers in multimedia arts. In each of their intellectual endeavors, our scholars and researchers are uncommonly driven by the belief that their work must — and will — have an impact in their communities, in society and the world.

   
    

2. Innovative, Student-Centered Learning

   Brown’s academic excellence is built on a student-centered learning model. Its Open Curriculum offers a flexible yet rigorous education that encourages creativity, intellectual risk-taking, and innovation. Students have the freedom to explore their interests and discover their passions, graduating as independent, innovative leaders prepared to succeed in any path they choose.

   
    

3. Scholarship that Transcends Boundaries

   Brown brings people together in creative, unexpected ways. By transcending boundaries between fields of study, scholars are better equipped to create opportunities, address challenges and explore areas of inquiry ripe for discovery. This intensely collaborative culture infuses all of the University’s endeavors.

   
    

4. Research at Brown

   Brown is a leading research university, where stellar faculty and student researchers deploy deep content knowledge to generate new discoveries on those issues and many more. What sets their work apart? Collectively, Brown's researchers are driven by the idea that their work will have a positive impact in the world.

   
    

Fees

Admission

Undergraduate Admission Requirement

Entry requirements vary by program and course. Check the program page for requirements.

International Applicants:

View the international applicants page for requirements.

Postgraduate Admission Requirments

Entry requirements vary by program and course. Check the program page for requirements.

International Applicants:

View the international applicants page for requirements.

Supporting Documents

• Transcripts
• Three Letters of Recommendation
• Personal Statement and/or Short Answer Questions
• Resume/CV
• GRE - Requirement varies by program. Please refer to the specific program (Graduate School Code: 3094; School of Public Health Code: 7765)
• TOEFL/IELTS - Required for any non-native English speaker who does not have a degree from an English language institution

How To Apply For Admission

UNDERGRADUATE:

• Apply with the common application.

POSTGRADUATE:

• Apply Online

Admission Contacts

Email: [email protected],[email protected]
Phone : (401) 863-2378, 401-863-2600

Gallery

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  Athletics

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  Library

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  Laboratory

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  Lecture Hall

Campus Tour

Facilities

• Sports: At Brown, student-athletes compete on 34 varsity and 37 club sports teams, and Brown teams routinely are among the nation's leaders in NCAA honors for academic achievement. A wide variety of club sports, intramural sports, physical education courses, fitness programs and recreational opportunities abound across Brown's athletics offerings. Brown is home to a state-of-the-art, 10,000-square-foot fitness center, located alongside an expansive athletics complex.

• Hospital: Student Health Services provides holistic care that is respectful of students' personal, cultural and social identities. Health professionals offer visits for urgent and routine care, 24/7 nursing advice, and on-site lab, pharmacy and X-ray services.

• Accommodation: Brown is a place where students gather in dorm common rooms, in on-campus cafes and in their favorite lounges to talk passionately about what they've learned, what they've experienced and what they love. We know that life outside the classroom is just as important for a full and rich educational experience as what our students learn in seminar rooms and labs.

• Dining/ Cafeteria: A focus on fresh, sustainable foods. Serving stations offering made-to-order dishes. An expanding array of green dining initiatives. Brown Dining offers more than just nourishment — its team provides a student-first approach to campus dining with a range of eateries to relax, meet with friends, study and socialize.

Accreditations

New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)

Vice Chancellor

Academic Staff

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  Matthew A Kraft

  Professor of Education Dr. Matthew Kraft is a Professor of Education and Economics at Brown University, a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, a Research Fellow with IZA – Institute of Labor Eco... read more

  nomics, and an Invited Researcher at J-PAL North America. His research focuses on two primary areas: improving the effectiveness of K-12 educators and schools, and examining how education systems can adapt to and mitigate climate change. He has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles in leading education, economics, and public policy journals on topics such as teacher hiring, professional development, evaluation, and working conditions; new approaches to interpreting effect sizes in education research; and efforts to scale school-based tutoring and mentoring programs. His research has received over $5.8 million in grant funding from a range of federal agencies and private foundations and has been cited over 14,000 times. In 2024-2025, he served on the White House Council of Economic Advisers as a Senior Economist.
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  James M Russell

  Deputy Dean of Dean of the Faculty, Professor of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences I received my Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of MN in 2004, completed a PostDoc at the Large Lakes Observataory, and started at Brown in 2006. I am a geochemist, paleoecologist, and climate scie... read more

  ntist with broad interest in climate and environmental change in the tropics. My research group uses lipid biomarkers – organic compounds preserved in sediments – to reconstruct temperature, rainfall, and ecological change in tropical Africa, southeast Asia, and South America. We have pioneered techniques to reconstruct continental temperature, and use a variety of stable isotope methods, alongside climate models, to reconstruct spatiotemporal variations in rainfall. Our current projects include analyses of the Plio-Pleistocene evolution of the North African monsoon and ecological impacts of Pleistocene and Holocene climate change in tropical Africa and South America.
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  Esther Jones

  Associate Dean for Faculty Development, Associate Professor of Africana Studies (Research)
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  Leah K VanWey

  Dean of the Faculty, Professor of Environment and Society and Sociology Leah VanWey currently serves as Dean of the Faculty. By training, she is a social demographer and environmental social scientist. Her most recent research focused on household responses to a payment f... read more

  or reforestation program in the Atlantic Forest in Brazil, together with the social and environmental impacts of the program. She is committed to interdisciplinary research, and has worked with anthropologists, geographers, demographers, sociologists, urban planners, historians, geoscientists and ecologists at various times. On the administrative side, Professor VanWey has previously served as Senior Deputy Director of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Associate Director of the Population Studies and Training Center, Associate Provost for Academic Space, and Dean of the School of Professional Studies. Leah received her PhD from the University of North Carolina, where she was a trainee in the Carolina Population Center, and has previously taught at Indiana University.

Notable Alumni

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  Emma Watson Model, Activist, and Actress
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  John Krasinski Actor, Film Director, Producer, and Screenwriter
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  Julie Bowen Actress
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  Akash Ambani Businessman

History

The university was one of the early doctoral-granting U.S. institutions in the late 19th century, adding masters and doctoral studies in 1887.