Brown University to Become Need-Blind for International Students Starting Fall 2025

Brown University on Thursday announced plans to become need-blind for all undergraduate international students, starting in the fall of 2025 with the Class of 2029.

According to a press release issued by the Ivy League school, the undergraduate policy, in effect since 2003, will be extended to allow the university to further enroll talents from different backgrounds, Erudera.com reports.

Before implementing this policy, Brown plans to secure financial support through donations, aiming to raise an additional $100 million to make the move a lasting one.

Among the most significant donations that Brown University has received is the one from siblings Aysha and Omar Shoman, both Brown graduates, who in 2022 awarded the school a total of $25 million.

Commenting on the initiative, Brown President Christina H. Paxson said it is part of the university’s efforts to admit students despite their ability to pay for education and to ensure the unsupportable financial aid initiatives for the next generations.

“Making Brown an affordable choice for extraordinarily talented international students from every income level is nothing short of transformational. The university is at its very best when we welcome and support students from the widest possible range of backgrounds, experiences and viewpoints, who learn from each other on campus and generate new understandings and insights in an increasingly complex world,” President Paxson stressed.

Logan Powell, associate provost for enrollment and dean of undergraduate admission, said that after officially introducing the policy, Brown will become one of the eight colleges in the United States adopting such an approach for international undergraduates.

According to Powell, this shift will significantly impact the university and pave the way for Brown to fulfill commitments around the world that are essential to the perspectives and academic strength of the community.

“Expanding opportunities to talented and deserving students from around the world will add to one of Brown’s greatest strengths: its people,” Powell added.

Brown University has over 2,700 international students, scholars, and dependents from over 100 countries.

For the Class of 2026 and 2027, international undergraduate students at Brown hailed from 98 countries. That was a 12 percent increase in the number of countries of origin of international students at the university.

Brown admitted 898 prospective students to its undergraduate Class of 2028 from a total of 6,244 applications.

Need-blind admission means a university will not consider during the admission process students’ ability to pay for their tuition.