PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Based on recommendations from a committee of faculty, staff, students and administrators, the Corporation of Brown University approved undergraduate, graduate and medical school tuition and fees for 2026-27 and an employee salary pool for Fiscal Year 2027.

The Corporation approved a 4.25% increase in total undergraduate tuition and fees, which includes a 4% undergraduate tuition rate increase to $74,568 and other fee increases, effective July 1, 2026. Tuition for most doctoral and master’s degree programs will increase 4%, and medical school tuition will increase 2.75%.

As the University continues to invest in its employees amid budget constraints, a faculty and staff salary pool of 3% was approved for employees earning up to and including $80,000, with a 2% pool approved for those who earn more. Those pools include both base increases (2.5% and 1.5%, respectively) and funds that are deployed throughout the year for promotions, equity and retention.

The University’s highest governing board approved the measures on Saturday, Feb. 7. The Corporation also elected Brown alumnus Dr. Jeffrey F. Hines, a trustee since 2015, as the Corporation’s new secretary, effective July 1, 2026.

The approvals of tuition, fees and the employee salary pool were based on the recommendations of the University Resources Committee (URC), which leads the development of Brown’s budget, and mark the first step toward formalizing Brown’s full FY27 operating budget. The URC will recommend a full budget for Corporation review in May.

In developing its recommendations, the URC considered factors including financial trends, Brown’s continued expansion of financial aid initiatives in recent years, the University’s structural operating deficit and recent budget-reduction measures, according to Provost Francis J. Doyle III. The committee also considered external drivers such as inflation, which is expected to remain higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Brown’s July 2025 agreement with the federal government restored funding for the University’s federally sponsored medical and health sciences research; however, Brown is managing a projected negative impact of $29 million for FY26 due in part to federal actions, with those impacts expected to deepen in FY27. Academic and administrative department leaders at Brown continue to advance expense reductions to offset expected losses and reduce a longer-term structural budget deficit.

“While we continue to contend with an uncertain, challenging period of financial decision-making and losses in Brown’s budget from federal impacts, we remain focused on advancing our cutting-edge research and academic innovation,” Doyle said. “The approved tuition, fees and salary pools prioritize that commitment, support our talented, dedicated employees and keep student costs as manageable as possible through a measured tuition increase and an expanded financial aid budget.”

A $6.5 million projected increase in undergraduate financial aid in the FY27 budget continues Brown’s efforts to enroll and support promising students from a wide range of socioeconomic groups, while reducing financial obstacles for low- and moderate-income families. Brown meets 100% of each student’s demonstrated financial need and covers full tuition for families earning $125,000 or less with typical assets, while students from families making less than $60,000 a year with typical assets receive scholarships that cover all expenses — tuition, room, board, books and other costs. Other new and expanded initiatives over the past several years include replacing loans with grants in University financial aid awards, eliminating consideration of home equity for a family’s primary residence in making aid awards, reducing summer earnings expectations for high-need students, and becoming need-blind for all undergraduate international students starting with the Class of 2029.

Student fees for 2026-27 reflect modest increases such as a $10 adjustment to the recreation fee, which will eliminate direct charges for group fitness and intramural sports participation and thereby expand overall student access to health and well-being resources. There will also be a $14 increase to the student activities fee to keep large student events, such as Senior Week, free of charge.

“To advance Brown’s mission of research and teaching, and to sustain our world-class faculty and staff and robust student experience, these adjustments will generate the revenue necessary to support our key strategic priorities while ensuring that we continue to enroll exceptional students from around the globe regardless of their financial need,” Doyle said.

Investing in employees

In the context of challenging financial headwinds, Doyle noted that the University remains committed to paying competitive wages to faculty and staff across campus, all of whom play instrumental roles in supporting Brown’s mission. The salary pool structure approved by the Corporation emphasizes support for employees at the lower end of the salary scale while also recognizing the constraints of the current fiscal climate.

“To sustain the academic excellence and community support that defines Brown, we must prioritize investing in the faculty and staff whose talents make the University’s success and impact possible,” Doyle said. “This salary pool demonstrates our commitment to fair and competitive compensation and ensures we remain a top employer in the region even as we navigate the challenges of the current fiscal climate.”

For FY27, employees earning $80,000 or less will receive a flat, across-the-board 2.5% base increase; the additional 0.5% of the salary pool will be available for use in supporting increases related to promotions, equity and retention. Employees earning more than $80,000 receive a flat, across-the-board 1.5% base increase, with an additional 0.5% component available for promotion, retention and equity adjustments.

The URC’s salary pool recommendation was informed by multiple analyses, including data on faculty hiring and retention across all faculty ranks and disciplines, an overview of the University’s compensation philosophy, and significant market data and information on hiring and retention trends at Brown in all staff employment categories. The trends showed a meaningful decrease in voluntary staff turnover since the COVID-19 pandemic. The committee also reviewed peer data that reflected budget challenges across U.S. higher education, including on the salary freezes and reductions implemented for staff on many other campuses.

The committee’s recommendation also considered the positive impact of recent investments in faculty salaries outside of the annually budgeted salary pools. This included a $2.5 million faculty market adjustment fund allocated in FY26, and important staff compensation initiatives such as targeted and proactive salary reviews to ensure external competitiveness and internal equity.

The Brown Corporation’s next secretary

With his election as secretary effective July 1, 2026, Dr. Jeffrey F. Hines will succeed Richard A. Friedman, who has served in the role since 2017. Hines will join a leadership team that includes Chancellor Brian T. Moynihan, who began as chancellor on July 1, 2024; Vice Chancellor Pamela R. Reeves, who has served as vice chancellor since July 1, 2022; and Treasurer Earl E. Hunt II, who became treasurer on July 1, 2025.

Hines, who earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Brown in 1983 and his medical degree from Brown in 1986, has led an accomplished career in medicine, research and public service.

He currently serves as vice president for the Office of Inclusion and Civil Rights at the University of Connecticut and UConn Health, and he was previously the lead gynecologic oncologist with WellStar Health System in Atlanta. He also served the nation in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm as a battalion surgeon with the First Cavalry Division of the U.S. Army Medical Corps. Hines’ extensive research portfolio includes work in human papillomaviruses, clinical cancer trials, health disparities and health equity.

A member of the Brown Corporation since 2015 and the Board of Fellows since 2020, Hines served as chair of the campus life committee from 2019 to 2022 and currently serves on the committees for campus life; equity, diversity and inclusion; and governance and nominating. Among his wide-ranging volunteer contributions to the University, he co-chaired the Brown Annual Fund from 2019 to 2022 and has served on the Brown Engagement and Alumni Community Outreach Network, the Black Alumni Reunion Planning Committee and the Brown Medical Alumni Association. Hines has also provided support to the Office of Military-Affiliated Students.

Beyond his service to the University, Hines serves on the board of directors for the Urban League of Greater Hartford, the State of Connecticut Comptroller’s Health Equity Committee, and the Amistad Center for Art and Culture at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. He is also a member of the Connecticut Hospital Association Community Health and Equity Committee.

“It is a profound honor to serve the Brown community in this capacity and to work alongside such a dedicated, values-driven leadership team,” Hines said. “I look forward to partnering with President Paxson and my colleagues on the Corporation to support our talented faculty, students and staff as we advance the University’s bold vision and continue to elevate its impact on the world.”

Hines was elected to a three-year term as secretary through June 30, 2029.

Additional detail on tuition and fees

The Corporation approved the following undergraduate tuition and fees for the 2026-27 academic year:

Tuition: $74,568
Standard room rate: $10,710
Standard board: $8,754
Undergraduate student resources fee: $1,136
Health services fee: $1,296
Student activities fee: $442
Student recreation fee: $110

Graduate tuition for most doctoral and on-campus master’s degree programs will increase by 4% to $9,320 per course. Given a shift in the last decade to market-based pricing for some master’s degrees, approximately two dozen University master’s programs have tuition rates that vary from the standard — for many, tuition for 2026-27 will increase by 3.5%, with cost for nine programs decreasing or remaining the same as for 2026-27.

Medical school tuition will increase by 2.57% to $75,162.