As the Trump administration’s efforts to overhaul higher education put Brown under a national spotlight, The Herald polled 1,392 undergraduates on topics ranging from political censorship to their approval of campus institutions.
Students were polled between Oct. 6 and Oct. 8 — one week before President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 rejected the Trump administration’s Oct. 1 invitation to sign a compact offering Brown federal funding benefits in exchange for adopting various policies favored by the White House.
Here are five key takeaways from The Herald’s fall 2025 poll.
Access and explore all the data on The Herald’s interactive dashboard.
Paxson’s approval rating hits a five-year high
Roughly one-third of poll respondents reported that they approve or strongly approve of Paxson, marking her highest approval rating since spring 2020. Still, about one-quarter of students indicated that they disapprove or strongly disapprove of Paxson. Over 40% said they neither approve nor disapprove of Paxson.
First- and second-year students, as well as male and politically moderate students, were the most likely to approve of Paxson. Conservative students, which comprised around 6% of poll respondents, were the most likely to report disapproval with over 40% saying they strongly disapprove of the University president.
Paxson’s approval rating took a notable hit in spring 2024, amid calls for the University to divest from companies affiliated with Israel, falling from 32% in spring 2023 to just 17% a year later with a disapproval rating of nearly 60%. Paxson’s approval among students peaked in fall 2017, coming after her support for two new admissions policies backed by student activists. Paxson’s average approval rating since fall 2012 sits at 39.3%.
Athletes, first-years and conservative students reported higher levels of school spirit
When asked to rate their level of school spirit for Brown sports on a scale from “1” to “5” — with “5” representing the highest level of school spirit — only 6% of students ranked their enthusiasm at a “5.”
Nearly 40% of respondents rated their school spirit for sports at one of the lowest two levels, compared to 31% of students who ranked their school spirit at one of the highest two levels.
First-years were more likely to rate their school spirit at a “5,” and seniors were the most likely to rate their enthusiasm at a “1.”
Student-athletes were more than twice as likely to rate their enthusiasm at a “4” relative to non-athletes, and almost five times more likely to rate their enthusiasm at a “5.” Overall, nearly 75% of student-athletes rated their school spirit as a “4” or “5.”
Last semester’s poll found that 24% of students have never attended a Brown Athletics match, whereas 4% attend an event at least once per week.
Over 60% of students are optimistic about their job prospects post-graduation
Despite labor market woes, mass layoffs and economic uncertainty, the poll suggests that Brown students maintain a positive outlook about their plans after graduation. Nearly two-thirds of respondents were optimistic that they will find a job in their chosen field immediately after graduating. Seniors were slightly more likely to report an extreme — either very optimistic or very pessimistic — whereas younger students were most likely to report they were “somewhat optimistic.”
While some students pursuing computer science degrees have expressed concerns about artificial intelligence and club leaders have noted that first-year students are eager to start building their resumes, only 4% of students reported feeling “very pessimistic” about entering the labor market.
These numbers have remained consistent with poll results from fall 2017, when The Herald asked students a similar question. Almost three-quarters of students said they were very or somewhat confident in landing a job in their chosen field, and just 4% said they were very concerned.
Legacy and student-athlete respondents are disproportionately white, compared to their peers
Just under half of total poll respondents identified as white, but over 60% of student-athletes and 73% of undergraduates whose parents attended Brown said they were white.
This is consistent with The Herald’s spring 2023 poll and mirrors demographics at other elite universities: About 70% of legacy students at Harvard are white.
Following the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision restricting the use of race in college admissions, Paxson appointed an Ad Hoc Committee on Admissions Policies to review Brown’s use of early decision and legacy preference policies. In a February 2024 report, the Committee declined to make a recommendation on whether the University should continue preferencing applicants with familial connections to Brown.
And in 2020, Brown faced criticism for proposing to reclassify the men’s track and field team from varsity to club status. Critics noted how the men’s track and field team consisted of more Black student-athletes compared to other varsity teams that were not facing cuts.
More than two-thirds of conservative students have felt uncomfortable expressing their political opinions in social settings
Around 40% of poll respondents noted having felt uncomfortable expressing their political views in a social setting, and more than one-quarter reported having felt uncomfortable expressing their political views in the classroom.
At Brown, students who identify as conservative are far more likely to have felt uncomfortable sharing their perspectives with others. Seventy-two percent said they have felt uncomfortable expressing their views in a social setting, and 58% said they have felt uncomfortable doing so in the classroom.
Less than than 40% of students who identify as “very liberal or progressive” have also felt uncomfortable sharing their political views socially, while 26% have felt uncomfortable voicing their perspectives in the classroom.
Among students, reported discomfort sharing political opinions with others has increased compared to a decade ago. According to data from The Herald’s spring 2015 poll, just 23% of students responded that they felt uncomfortable expressing their political views at Brown, with around 70% saying they felt somewhat or very comfortable.
Editors’ Note: The Herald’s semesterly poll was conducted between Oct. 6 and Oct. 8, 2025. All responses were analyzed and weighted by class year using R Version 4.4.1. Polls were conducted at three locations around campus: Wriston Quadrangle, Sciences Quadrangle and outside the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center. The poll was analyzed by Ciara Meyer, Kate Butts, Caleb Ellenberg, Manav Musunuru, Kenna Lee, Jasper Perlis, Shreya Karthik, Emma Phan, Emily Feil and May Fujita. It received 1,392 responses.
Kate Butts is a university news editor covering admissions & financial aid as well as the career and alumni beat. She previously was a senior staff writer covering University Hall. Outside of The Herald, she loves running, board games and Trader Joe's snacks.
Ciara Meyer is a section editor from Saratoga Springs, New York. She plans on concentrating in Statistics and English Nonfiction. In her free time, she loves scrapbooking and building lego flowers.
