The University admitted 1,674 applicants to the class of 2030 on Thursday evening, bringing the overall acceptance rate to 5.35%. A total of 47,937 prospective students applied to join the incoming first-year class — 42,531 during regular decision and 5,406 during early decision.
With 3.94% of regular decision applicants admitted to Brown’s incoming class, the University saw a slight decrease from last year’s 4% regular decision acceptance rate. In December, the University admitted 16.5% of early decision applicants — a slight dip from the class of 2029, but the second-highest rate in the last five years.
Explore all the available data on The Herald's interactive dashboard.
Early decision notifications were postponed two days following the Dec. 13 mass shooting. Admitted students told The Herald that the tragedy did not change their feelings about attending Brown.
“This group of admitted students represents a breathtaking spectrum of experiences and backgrounds, and yet they are united by a commitment to carving their own academic path and making a meaningful impact within the Brown community and the world beyond,” Associate Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Undergraduate Admission Logan Powell said in a University press release.
Powell added that the admitted students “have demonstrated a tremendous spirit of collaboration and community engagement as high schoolers” and recognize “that these are also important characteristics of the Brown experience.”
This year’s decisions come amid increased federal interest in Brown’s admissions practices. In July, the University reached a deal with the Trump Administration that stipulated Brown would provide its admissions data to the government and would not racially discriminate in its admissions processes. The agreement came after President Trump threatened to pause $510 million in federal funding to the University.
The class of 2030 is the second class to apply with mandatory standardized test scores after a four-year period where test score submission was optional, and the third to apply since the Supreme Court’s decision that universities could no longer consider race in admissions.
Starting with the class of 2029, the University expanded its practice of need-blind admissions to international students. About 73% of admits intend to apply for financial aid, which is on par with last year’s admitted class.
“Talented students exist everywhere, and we’re committed to expanding our outreach every year to help more students learn about Brown and the incredible opportunities a Brown education can ignite,” Powell said in the release.
The number of first-generation students admitted to the University remained consistent with the class of 2029, with 19% of admitted students being the first in their families to attend college. There was a 15% increase in applicants who will be the first in their families to graduate.
Of the students accepted to the class of 2030, 60% attended a public high school, 30% went to a private school and 10% attended a religious school. Six stuDents were homeschooled. This breakdown reflects last year’s admitted class.
The University saw a 16% increase in applicants from rural backgrounds, and 8% of admitted students come from rural communities. In 2023, Brown became a founding member of the Small Town and Rural Students College Network, which provides rural students with college admissions support. The University has since created an orientation group targeted at rural students and has expanded its no-cost fly-in program.
The admitted students represent all fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Mariana Islands. California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Texas were the most represented states among the accepted class. There was also a 16% increase in international applicants. The University did not release data on which countries admits come from.
Fifty two Brunonians were admitted through QuestBridge, an organization that matches students from low-income backgrounds with top universities.
Just 64 students were accepted to the Program in Liberal Medical Education, a combined eight-year program that guarantees direct admission to the Warren Alpert Medical School upon completion of their undergraduate degree in the College.
The Brown-RISD Dual Degree Program, a five-year program that allows students to integrate their academic and artistic pursuits through an education at both Brown and the Rhode Island School of Design, accepted 25 students.
Both highly selective programs accepted a similar number of students as the previous class, with a slight increase from last year’s 21 students to this year’s 25 for the Brown-RISD Dual Degree Program.
The University did not release data on the number of waitlisted students. Depending on how many accepted students decide to attend, students placed on the waitlist may be able to join the class of 2030 over the coming months. In recent years, anywhere from two to 300 students from the waitlist have been admitted to the University.
Applicants accepted during the regular decision round have until May 1 to either accept or decline their admissions offers. About 70% of students accepted to the class of 2029 made their status as a Brunonian official this past fall.
Roma Shah is a section editor covering University Hall & Higher Education and Admissions & Financial Aid. She's a sophomore from Morgan Hill, CA studying neuroscience. In her free time, she can be found doing puzzles, hiking or curled up with a book.
Ali Schapiro is a senior staff writer for University News, covering admissions and financial aid. She is a freshman from New York City and plans to concentrate in English. In her free time, she enjoys vintage shopping, playing tennis, and doing New York Times crossword puzzles.
