3,289 New Students Joined Brown University This Fall

A total of 3,289 new students joined Brown University this fall.

This figure includes 1,725 new, incoming freshmen who began their studies at the Ivy League institution, in addition to undergraduate transfer students and those pursuing master’s, doctoral, and medical degrees, Erudera.com reports.

Among the new students starting their first year of studies, 18 percent are from groups historically underrepresented in the US higher education. The share has declined from 27 percent in 2023.

According to a statement from the university on September 6, the number of new undergraduates choosing not to report their race has nearly doubled at Brown.

“Even with a significant number of measures in place to ensure a diverse, talented applicant pool and enrolled class, we recognized the likelihood that declines in the number of students of color at Brown and other selective universities were widely anticipated across the country,”  Associate Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Undergraduate Admission Logan Powell said.

Black freshman enrollment at Brown dropped by 40 percent, Brown Daily Herald, the university’s student newspaper reported. The representation of Black undergraduate students in the Class of 2028 is down from 15 percent in fall 2023 to 9 percent in fall 2024. 

According to the school's demographic data, 10 percent of undergraduate students in the Class of 2028 are Hispanic in the 2024/25 academic year, down from 14 percent the previous year. At the same time, the share of White students has decreased from 46 percent to 43 percent while Asian representation is up from 29 percent to 33 percent.

Powell said the university will continue its commitment to racial diversity and that "race-neutral strategies" remain a priority. 

“Expanding race-neutral strategies to encourage outstanding and increasingly diverse incoming classes will remain our priority moving forward," Powell said.

“When our student body is both exceptionally talented and representative of a broad array of experiences and perspectives, the Brown educational experience is enriched for all students, and we can make an even greater impact through our scholarship," he added.

As per the graduate students, nearly 1,420 have enrolled in 45 doctoral and 37 master and executive master programs this fall. International students make up 48 percent of all new graduate students, mostly from China, India, Canada, South Korea, and Brazil.

In fall 2023/24, Brown University welcomed 3,165 new students. Over 63 percent or 1,699 new first-year students and 1,235 incoming graduate students enrolled last fall.