Global Education

Brown’s mission makes clear the University’s dedication not only to serving the community and the nation, but also the world. We recognize that understanding global issues is essential to citizenship in a changing world.

The Brown experience is inherently global in nature. Students and scholars from Brown routinely advance knowledge and understanding on issues of global significance. Members of the Brown community travel across the world for research and educational experiences. And international perspectives infuse academic life on campus every day, in classrooms, laboratories, events and activities.

International Students at Brown

More than 1,800 of Brown’s students come to College Hill from countries beyond the United States. The Global Brown Center for International Students offers orientation programs, community-building opportunities and many other initiatives, empowering international students to thrive in all aspects of their lives at Brown.

Through initiatives such as the peer-based International Mentoring Program, the center creates a home away from home for international students, ensuring the opportunity to embrace and celebrate international identities, while also recognizing and appreciating the diversity of students’ experiences.

Study Abroad

Each year, more than 450 undergraduates at Brown study in more than 75 countries. Among the many opportunities:

  • Brown’s semester abroad programs offer a variety of experiences — from full immersion in Argentine culture and the Spanish language in Buenos Aires to an engineering program in Gif-sur-Yvette, France, to a semester focused on the social sciences, arts and the humanities in Cuba.
  • Students can pursue opportunities through the Consortium for Advanced Studies Abroad, a collaborative of 11 leading global research universities, and through a wide range of approved programs run by other institutions.
  • Undergraduates can conduct research internationally through a Global Independent Study Project, or enroll in Brown courses that include short-term travel components through the Global Experiential Learning and Teaching program.

Global Partnerships

Brown maintains strong partnerships with universities across the globe, from Brazil and Cuba to United Kingdom and Japan. These relationships provide opportunities for undergraduates to study abroad, graduate students to engage with peers and mentors, and faculty and staff to conduct individual or collaborative research with colleagues.

International collaborations also allow students, visiting scholars and faculty from partner universities to participate in teaching, research and community activities at Brown. Some of these scholars have been displaced by war, political persecution or other threats. Visiting scholars have come to Brown through programs such as the Institute of International Education’s Artist Protection Fund and the International Writers Project at Brown.