PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — On Tuesday, Dec. 20, Brown University invited 879 prospective students who applied through its early decision program to become the first members of its undergraduate Class of 2027.

The pool of 6,770 early decision applicants, which increased 10% compared to the Class of 2026, reflected the University’s sustained commitment to making a Brown education more accessible to students from every socioeconomic and geographic background with a broad array of talents and experiences, according to Associate Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Admission Logan Powell.

“This is the foundation of the Class of 2027 and the beginning of the next generation of great Brunonians,” Powell said. “They represent a remarkable group of academically superlative students with a wide array of perspectives.”

For the fifth consecutive year, applications increased for the early decision program, which is intended for prospective students who express a commitment to attend Brown if accepted.

Powell said that the trend coincides with dedicated outreach to prospective students who come from rural, first-generation and low-income backgrounds. Brown has also strengthened its financial aid packages and introduced new access initiatives — replacing loans with grants in initial University financial aid packages, eliminating consideration of a family’s home equity as an asset when calculating available financial resources, and working toward becoming fully need-blind for international students starting with the graduating Class of 2029.

“We’ve made incredible strides in making Brown accessible and affordable for students from all backgrounds, and our work on this will continue,” Powell said. “We do everything we can to make sure that students from all socioeconomic backgrounds with a high level of academic success know that they should never discount the opportunity because they think Brown is not affordable.”

Among the admitted students, Powell said flexibility in challenging circumstances and a determination to seek and build community support were some of the characteristics that stood out most — in part, in reaction to impact of COVID-19 on their high school experiences, in which remote learning, time spent away from friends or family, and health and financial hardships were realities for many.

“These students were incredibly adaptive to all of the changes that were forced upon them as a result of the pandemic,” Powell said. “We are impressed by the ways they sought to overcome the challenges that were placed in their way and how they continued to try to find opportunities for joy — both for themselves, and to share joy with others.”

Among this year’s diverse cohort of admitted early decision students, 62% will apply for financial aid and 15% of students will be first in their family to attend college. Geographically, they represent 50 nations, 44 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The top countries represented outside the United States are Brazil, Canada, China, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Turkey and Ukraine.

Among the 879 accepted students are 62 admitted through Brown’s partnership with QuestBridge, a national nonprofit that works to equalize access to top colleges and universities for high school students from low-income families. That number continues to grow each year and is up from just three students as recently as seven years ago.

Powell, who is leading a new Enrollment Division that includes the offices of College Admission, Financial Aid and the Registrar, said an increasingly integrated approach across those University functions will support the newest class of admitted students all the way through their Brown experience to graduation.

“Everything we do is driven by individuals — the individuals who apply and the individuals here on the Brown campus who support the application process,” Powell said. “That’s the heart of everything we do, and as I reflect on this talented cohort of students who will begin to form the Class of 2027, it’s just an incredible honor to help build a class of individuals who will contribute to the Brown community and support each other.”

Applicants were able to learn their application status beginning at 7 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Dec. 20, via a secure website. All early decision applicants indicated that Brown was their first-choice college and agreed to accept an offer of admission if the University extended one.

The deadline for regular decision applications for Brown’s undergraduate Class of 2027 is Jan. 5, 2023.