Student Life

The university is committed to recruiting applicants from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds and who have a range of life and work experiences. Around 30 percent of the Brown University student body is minority and 15 percent are international students. About 55 percent of all students are female and 45 percent are male.

Each year, the Center sponsors a number of lectures, conferences, and luncheon events that are designed to enrich the intellectual lives of students, faculty, and staff. The John Hazen White Lecture Series brings nationally prominent speakers to campus for public lectures. Past speakers have included, among others, MSNBC host Chris Matthews, Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., the late Senator Paul Wellstone, James Carville, and Ted Turner. The Alexander Meiklejohn Lecture features speakers specializing in public law, such as former Attorney General Janet Reno, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, and American Civil Liberties Union President Nadine Strossen. The Noah Krieger Memorial Lecture has featured prominent individuals such as former Senator Carol Moseley-Braun, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, former Securities and Exchange Commissioner Harvey Pitt, and Senator Charles Schumer. The newly created Governor Frank Licht Lecture Series brings a prominent public servant to campus each year for a lecture.

Additionally, the Center undertakes an annual conference devoted to urban affairs. Named for Thomas J. Anton, the founding director of the Center, and Frederick Lippitt, a Rhode Island public servant, the Anton/Lippitt Conference brings a big city mayor to Providence for a keynote lecture and has speaker panels by leading academics and practitioners from around the country. Past mayors who have spoken included Edward Rendell of Philadelphia, Richard Riordan of Los Angeles, Anthony Williams of Washington, D.C., Marc Morial of New Orleans, and Martin O'Malley of Baltimore.

Each month, we sponsor luncheon events featuring a range of local and national speakers. In recent years, this has included Congressman Barney Frank, Congressman Patrick Kennedy, Senator Jack Reed, MSNBC host Bill Press, presidential candidate Howard Dean, Professor Bill Galston of the University of Maryland, and Professors Paul Peterson and Michael Dawson of Harvard University.

International Students

We welcome applications from students graduating from non-American institutions. Application procedures are the same for international students, except they must submit a TOEFL score with their admission package. Brown has a large number of international students on campus. There is an International House for foreign students who want to live with other foreign students. Assistance with student visas is available from the Brown Office of International Programs. Visa requests should be submitted to the relevant government office well in advance of the start of the semester.

Housing and Meals

The university provides dormitory space for graduate students who wish to live on campus. However, if students prefer to reside off-campus, there are apartments, houses, and rental facilities available in the area surrounding the university. Those wishing to live off-campus need to make their own arrangements for apartments and houses. A large number of off-campus living options are listed regularly in local newspapers, as well as maintained by the Brown University Housing office. Depending on their individual needs and preferences, students can sign up for a variety of meal plan options at one of the university's cafeterias or dining halls. These establishments feature a range of food options for students.