PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — In its latest campus climate survey of student experiences, Brown University found that a substantial majority of students reported feeling a sense of belonging and that they can fulfill the requirements of their coursework while being themselves, without suppressing aspects of who they are. A majority of students also reported they can freely express their political or social views on campus, but that majority had a smaller margin, prompting University leaders to commit to take action to strengthen those numbers.
The University shared findings with its campus community on Tuesday, Jan. 27, along with a plan of action to strengthen campus climate, after analyzing results of a survey of all enrolled students conducted Oct. 28 to Nov. 21. The 2025-26 Campus Climate Student Survey Report noted that Brown is largely achieving its goal to provide an inclusive environment that is free of harassment and discrimination.
“A set of very positive takeaways is worth acknowledging,” the report states. “Brown students reported they feel free to speak their minds in the classroom and would encourage someone like themselves to come to Brown. A large majority of students — 88.7% of undergraduates and 86.5% of graduate and medical students — believe they can fulfill the requirements of their coursework while being themselves, and without suppressing their identities, backgrounds or experiences.”
In a message to the Brown community sharing the findings and plan of action, Matthew Guterl, Brown’s vice president for diversity and inclusion, acknowledged that the survey was conducted prior to the devastating events of Dec. 13, which could influence students’ feelings about campus climate for weeks, months or years.
“Understanding that a sense of security is important for a thriving campus, we plan to supplement the results of the fall survey by asking our community questions about their sense of campus safety and security in the coming months,” Guterl said. He added that “for now, these findings serve as an important resource for helping us understand what is important to help our students thrive.”
The survey invited all undergraduate, graduate and medical students to share perspectives on five themes: the general environment of Brown, including the expression of political, social and religious beliefs; the impact of social media on the Brown experience; personal experiences with discrimination and harassment; the reporting of and Brown’s response to discrimination and harassment; and the impact of University actions taken since October 2023 to address harassment. It was conducted by an external vendor selected in accordance with the requirements of Brown’s July 2025 agreement with the federal government. As also required by the agreement, the survey included questions on social media harassment and the climate for students with shared Jewish ancestry. According to the report, the questions aligned “with plans of the University’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion to assess overall campus climate for individuals of every race, color or national origin, and builds on campus climate surveys Brown has conducted in the past.”
Extensive efforts to ensure participation yielded a response rate well above previous climate surveys, including the broader surveys for the entire community Brown conducts every three to four years. The response rate was 57.3% — 6,484 out of 11,316 total students completed the survey.
Positive experiences, with a commitment to address exceptions
The University learned a great deal that is affirming, Guterl said. A substantial majority of students reported feeling a sense of belonging and being satisfied with their decision to come to Brown, including nearly 85% of undergraduates and 76% of graduate and medical students. More than 90% of undergraduates and nearly 84% of graduate and medical students would recommend Brown to “students like me.” A large majority of students believe they can fulfill the requirements of their coursework while being themselves, and 67.3% of undergraduates and 59.5% of graduate and medical students believe that they can freely express their political or social views on campus.
Few students reported experiencing discrimination and harassment on campus. Most students indicated they feel comfortable reporting discrimination and harassment and expect Brown to take reports seriously — the majority agreed that Brown takes seriously various forms of discrimination including antisemitism, Islamophobia and racism.
“All together, this confirms that our commitments to openness and fairness and our faith in a diversity of ideas, perspectives and experiences are reflected in the student experience, and it illuminates areas for potential improvement and follow-up study,” Guterl said.
Still, the survey results reflect notable and sobering exceptions, he added.
Elevated rates of various forms of harassment and discrimination were reported by students who are Black/African American, Jewish (for undergraduates), LGBTQ, multiracial, Muslim, and transgender/nonbinary. Some of those groups reported they did not have a strong belief that Brown takes seriously the form of discrimination that impacts them most directly. For instance, Muslim students are less comfortable reporting Islamophobia or other forms of religious discrimination than students overall. Jewish undergraduates were modestly less likely than others to report feeling comfortable reporting antisemitism, while Black/African American students were less comfortable reporting racism.
“We take these exceptions very seriously, and we have established a plan of action,” Guterl said.
That action plan outlines five immediate steps to address areas where the University can do more to ensure a fully inclusive campus community, aligned with Brown’s unwavering goals to cultivate and sustain a campus that is free from discrimination and harassment.
Leaning into practices that have proved to be effective, Brown will expand the University’s commitment to open dialogue in the curriculum and on campus, fostering the free and fair exchange of ideas within Brown’s diverse community that is the wellspring of learning, discovery and invention. Acknowledging that new resources are needed, the University will expand the Office of Equity Compliance and Reporting, hiring new staff and continuing to educate its community about the work of that office. To ensure community members understand the law and policy regarding discrimination and harassment, Brown will also expand its required nondiscrimination training for the campus. And to address community concerns about a challenging phenomenon that extends far beyond Brown’s campus, it will expand training on social media harassment and discrimination.
The findings in the Jan. 27 report represent Brown’s summary of the student survey results as the University awaits a comprehensive data analysis from Rankin Climate, the external vendor contracted to administer the survey. A more detailed report will be available late in the Spring 2026 semester following Rankin’s analysis. It will include detailed findings on a broad range of measures of campus climate and will be accompanied by interactive features on Brown’s website that members of the community can use to explore the data.
Brown will also conduct a faculty and staff survey in the coming months — the original plan was to do so in Spring 2026, but the tragic shooting on Brown’s campus in December compelled University leaders to defer the employee survey and to focus instead on the repair and recovery of the Brown community. The University expects to conduct the employee survey in Fall 2026. Brown leaders also expect to conduct supplemental surveys that will allow students, faculty and staff to express how the violence of Dec. 13 might have reshaped the Brown campus and community.
“We are building our understanding of the perspectives of our community regarding their Brown experience to help the University move forward on the issues that matter,” Guterl said.
Once the employee climate survey is complete and the University receives Rankin’s analysis of both student and employee data, Brown will expand its plan of action, delivering a plan that is responsive to the experiences and needs of the full campus community.