Brown University tuition for regular full-time students in the 2011-2012 academic year is $41,328. A full-time student is someone registered for three or more courses per semester. The cost for part-time students is based on the number of courses taken; the per-course rate is equal to 1/8 of full tuition, or $5,166. 

Graduate students must fulfill a residency requirement, which varies by degree. During the residency period, a full-time student is someone who is registered for three, four, or five courses, while a part-time student is registered for fewer than three courses. The Dean of the Graduate School defines exceptions on an individual basis.

Two courses per semester is usually enough to maintain eligibility for student loan deferrals, but students with loans should check the fine print on their specific loan agreements before opting out of full-time status. 

Tuition-Unit Requirements for the Master's Degree: Master's degree students must pay tuition for a minimum of one year of full-time study. Some programs require more than the minimum of one year of full-time study. 

Tuition-Unit Requirements for the Ph.D.: Ph.D. students must pay tuition for the equivalent of three years of full-time study. Students who have fulfilled the tuition requirement, but not the academic requirements for their degree, must pay an enrollment fee until their academic work has been completed. The annual enrollment fee is 6.25% of full tuition. After the residency requirement has been met, Ph.D. students may continue to enroll in additional course work and receive academic credit. In these cases, only the enrollment fee is charged.  

Transfer Credit: The University grants a limited amount of tuition credit for related graduate work done at other institutions. For the master's, no more than one of the required eight units can be counted in this manner; for the 5th-Year Master’s program, which is for Brown undergraduates who go on to Brown’s Graduate School, up to two of the required units can be counted in this way. For the doctorate, no more than eight of the required 24 units can be replaced. 

Tuition and Funding: Full-time students holding work appointments such as teaching and research assistants and proctors may take no more than three courses per semester, and are considered full-time students. For more information on tuition regulations, please consult the Office of the Registrar. 

Tuition-Unit Credit versus Academic Credit: In order to receive academic credit, tuition must be paid in full. Tuition credit, however, remains even if the student fails a course or does not register for as many courses as were paid for. Full-time Ph.D. students are billed for four courses per semester, even if they register for fewer, until all course requirements for the Ph.D. have been met. Students who have completed all academic requirements for their degree but have spent less than the equivalent of three years in residence may appeal to the Graduate School for a reduction in tuition requirements. 

Dissertation Filing Fee: Students who are inactive and returning from an approved leave of absence solely for the purpose of defending and filing the dissertation or thesis, and who meet the conditions established by the Graduate School shall, for the semester in which the dissertation or thesis is submitted, be charged a filing fee of $150. This amount does not include the $50 dissertation handling fee. Refer to additional dissertation information for details.

Readmission Fee: Students on leave seeking to return to active status in their program must pay a readmission fee of 3.125% of annual tuition, in addition to the tuition charge appropriate for their status in the program. Students who re-enroll either after a medical leave or after a leave approved by the Dean of the Graduate School for care of a newborn child or a newly adopted child, or for other extraordinary circumstances, will not be charged a reactivation fee.  

Health Services Fee: Students should make every effort to address health problems through University Health Services before consulting with a private physician. Full-time students are billed for a University Health Services fee, which totals $660 and covers usage of this facility and its services during the academic year. Fully supported doctoral students do not need to pay the Health Services Fee for the fall and spring semesters. University Health Services charges a separate fee for summer coverage; all students on campus during the summer are individually responsible for the fee. 

Health Insurance Fee: An insurance fee of $2,695 is charged for annual coverage (student only), beginning on August 15 and ending on the following August 15. 

Late Registration and Course-Change Fees: Consult the Office of the Registrar for course-related information. 

Student Activity Fee: All graduate students are required to pay a student activity fee of $20 per semester. 

Student Recreation Fee: All Brown University students are required to pay a recreation fee of $32 per semester. The fee covers access to all recreational and fitness facilities and entrance to athletic events. It does not cover intramural team participation or physical education classes. 

Billing Policies and Procedures: The University Bursar is responsible for handling all student-billing questions. For information, deadlines, or forms related to tuition, billing, payment plans, and refund policies, refer to the Brown University Student Billing Guide, available on the bursar’s website. University support (fellowships, teaching assistantships, etc.) will appear as a credit on the bills of students receiving such assistance.  

Deadlines: Payment of tuition and fees is due by August 1 for the first semester, and by January 1 for the second semester. Students are responsible for paying their fees on time. The bill for fall semester charges will be mailed during the summer, so students moving to Providence at that time should make sure the bill is sent to an address where they will be sure to receive it in time to make the necessary payments. All accounts must be settled with the bursar before students will receive their degrees.