Nick Dentamaro / Brown University

Date March 28, 2018
Media Contact

With record applications, Brown admits 2,566 to Class of 2022

The University made offers of admission to next year’s incoming undergraduate class, the first to be admitted under the Brown Promise initiative, which will eliminate loans from University undergraduate aid packages.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — On Wednesday, March 28, the Office of College Admission at Brown University made 1,829 offers of admission to next year’s incoming class. Admitted students for the Class of 2022 include these students from Brown’s regular decision pool combined with the students offered admission in the University’s early decision program, for a total of 2,566 admitted students.

The offers represent 7.2 percent of the 35,438 students who applied, the largest applicant pool in the University’s history. The Class of 2021, admitted in March 2017, had established the previous high mark for Brown, with 32,724 applicants.

This is the first class of students admitted under the Brown Promise initiative, which will replace student loans with scholarship funds in University financial aid packages for newly admitted and returning students beginning in the 2018-19 academic year.

“Each year, we embrace the challenge of admitting an undergraduate class from among tens of thousands of outstanding candidates to build a well-rounded class that is both academically talented and diverse,” said Logan Powell, Brown’s dean of admission. “With a nearly 8 percent increase in applications and the largest pool of prospective students in Brown history, our decisions were more difficult than ever.” 

Applicants began logging on to a secure website at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 28, to learn the status of their applications. Admitted students have until May 1 to accept the University’s offer of admission. Brown anticipates an incoming class of approximately 1,665.

“We are incredibly honored that so many talented and interesting students chose to apply to Brown, and we took great pride in reading their applications,” Powell added. “The Brown Promise initiative amplified our commitment to attracting the best and brightest students to Brown regardless of socioeconomic background, and we certainly saw that reflected in this year’s applicant pool.”

This month, Brown will hold two admitted student weekends instead of one as in previous years, offering a higher number of prospective students the opportunity to experience Brown firsthand before making their decision, said Powell.

Highlights from the admitted Class of 2022 include:

The pool: The applicant pool of 35,438 is the largest in Brown’s history.

Admission rate: The University admitted 7 percent of applicants to the Class of 2022.

Academic standing: Ninety-six percent of admitted students are in the top 10 percent of their high school classes.

Diversity: Forty-nine percent identify as students of color.

Financial aid: Sixty-four percent of admitted students intend to apply for financial aid.

United States: Students have been admitted from 48 states. The top five states are California, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Texas.

International: Students from 76 nations are represented in the admitted class. The top five countries are China, India, the United Kingdom, Canada and Singapore.

High schools: Admitted students come from 1,685 high schools. 60 percent attend public schools, 33 percent attend private schools and 7 percent attend parochial schools.

Academic interests: The top 10 intended concentrations include: engineering, computer science, biology, political science, biochemistry and molecular biology, economics, BEO (business, entrepreneurship and organizations), international relations, neuroscience, and English.

Brown-RISD Dual Degree Program: Of 707 applicants, 19 students were admitted to the Brown-RISD Dual Degree Program, a 3-percent admission rate.

Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME): Of 2,629 applicants, 88 students were admitted to PLME, a 3-percent admission rate. The PLME is an eight-year program leading to both a bachelor’s degree and an M.D. degree from Brown's Warren Alpert Medical School.

Here are a few reactions from members of the admitted Class of 2022: