Welcome to College Hill!: The extraordinary members of the Class of 2022 make their way through the Van Wickle Gates to officially join the Brown community. All Photos: Nicholas Dentamaro / Brown University

Date September 10, 2018
Media Contact

Meet Brown’s newest undergraduates

As classes begin, this year’s first-year, transfer and Resumed Undergraduate Education students are settling into living and learning on College Hill.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — It’s been a busy couple of weeks for Brown’s newest students. Arriving on College Hill from 47 states and 64 countries, Brown’s 1,723 incoming undergraduates (see more demographic info) have said goodbye to loved ones, moved into residence halls, traveled through the Van Wickle Gates, attended Convocation and navigated a busy schedule of Orientation events. And now, they’re in the throes of shopping classes as they begin their journey through the Open Curriculum.

It’s a lot to take in — but these are not your average students. This year’s cohort of first-year and transfer students have invented life-saving medical devices and logged thousands of hours volunteering in their communities. They’ve advocated for political change and overcome daunting obstacles. They’ve lived in mountain yurts and worked in the commercial fishing industry. They’ve won numerous athletic competitions and given hundreds of valedictorian speeches. And these are just a few of their many accomplishments. 

While each new Brown student has their own unique story and successes, some common inspirations connect them: a fierce intellectual curiosity, a commitment to changing the world for the better and a desire to give back to the people and communities who’ve helped them along the way.

Here are a few of their stories — profiles of six students who are sure to each make an indelible mark on Brown’s unique academic community.

The Class of 2022: A Snapshot

A total of 35,437 students applied for admission to Brown’s undergraduate Class of 2022. The University admitted 2,718 students (7.7 percent), yielding a matriculating class of 1,657. (The addition of 10 incoming Resuming Undergraduate Education students and 56 transfers makes for the total of 1,723 first-year students.) Here's a breakdown of the new class:

Gender

868 women (52 percent) and 789 men (48 percent)

Diversity

  • 42 percent of the class are students of color
  • 10 percent of students are first-generation college students 

Financial aid 

  • 43 percent of the class will receive need-based scholarship or grant aid

Academic interests

Among the most popular intended areas of concentration are engineering; business; entrepreneurship and organizations; computer science; biology; biochemistry and molecular biology; political science; economics; English; applied mathematics; and history.

Geography

  • Members of the class come from 47 U.S. states and 64 countries
  • 15 percent of students were educated abroad
  • After the U.S., the top countries represented are China, India, Canada, the United Kingdom and South Korea