Brown is a leading research university distinct for its student-centered learning and deep sense of purpose. Our students, faculty and staff are driven by the idea that their work will have an impact in the world.
- #61 Ranking
- 85 Bachelors
- 929 Academic Staff
- 9,851 Students
- 1,970 Students (int'l)
- Private Institution Type
Bachelor's programmes
Social Sciences (37)
- B.A. Africana Studies
- B.A. American Studies
- B.A. Anthropology
- B.A / B.Sc Applied Mathematics - Economics
- B.A / B.Sc Cognitive Neuroscience
- B.A / B.Sc Cognitive Sciences
- B.A / B.Sc Computer Science - Economics
- B.A. Development Studies
- B.A. Early Modern World
- B.A. East Asian Studies
- B.A. Economics
- B.A. Ethnic Studies
- B.A. French Studies
- B.A. German Studies
- B.A. Hispanic Studies
- B.A. Italian Studies
- B.A. Judaic Studies
- Bachelor Medieval Cultures
- B.A. Middle East Studies
- B.A. Political Science
- B.A / B.Sc Psychology
- B.A. Public Policy
- B.A. Slavic Studies
- B.A. Sociology
- B.A. South Asian Studies
Natural Sciences & Mathematics (30)
- B.A / B.Sc Applied Mathematics
- B.A / B.Sc Applied Mathematics - Economics
- B.A. Astronomy
- B.A / B.Sc Biology
- B.Sc. Biomedical Engineering
- B.Sc. Biophysics
- B.Sc. Chemical Physics
- B.A / B.Sc Chemistry
- B.A / B.Sc Cognitive Neuroscience
- B.A / B.Sc Cognitive Sciences
- B.A / B.Sc Computational Biology
- B.A. Economics
- B.Sc. Engineering Physics
- B.A / B.Sc Environmental Studies
- B.A / B.Sc Geological Science
- B.A / B.Sc Geology - Physics, Mathematics
- B.A / B.Sc Geology-Biology
- B.A / B.Sc Geology-Chemistry
- B.A / B.Sc Mathematics
- B.Sc. Neuroscience
- B.Sc. Physics
- B.A / B.Sc Psychology
- B.Sc. Statistics
Humanities (29)
- B.A. Africana Studies
- B.A. Classics
- B.A. Early Cultures
- B.A. Early Modern World
- B.A. English
- B.A. French Studies
- B.A. German Studies
- B.A. Hispanic Studies
- B.A. History
- B.A. Italian Studies
- B.A. Judaic Studies
- B.A / B.Sc Linguistics
- B.A. Literary Arts
- Bachelor Medieval Cultures
- B.A. Medieval Studies
- B.A. Middle East Studies
- B.A. Music
- B.A. Philosophy
- B.A. Religious Studies
- B.A. Slavic Studies
- B.A. South Asian Studies
- B.A. Urban Studies
Arts, Design & Architecture (6)
- B.A. Architecture
- B.A. Music
- B.A. Urban Studies
- B.A. Visual Art
Computer Science & IT (6)
- B.A / B.Sc Computational Biology
- B.Sc. Computer Engineering
- B.A / B.Sc Computer Science
- B.A / B.Sc Computer Science - Economics
- B.Sc. Statistics
Engineering & Technology (6)
- B.Sc. Biomedical Engineering
- B.A / B.Sc Chemistry
- B.A / B.Sc Engineering
- B.Sc. Engineering Physics
- B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering
Environmental Studies & Earth Sciences (6)
- B.A. Development Studies
- B.A / B.Sc Environmental Studies
- B.A / B.Sc Geological Science
- B.A / B.Sc Geology - Physics, Mathematics
- B.A / B.Sc Geology-Biology
- B.A / B.Sc Geology-Chemistry
Business & Management (4)
- B.A / B.Sc Applied Mathematics
- B.A / B.Sc Mathematics
- B.A. Public Policy
Education & Training (2)
- B.A. Education Studies
- B.A / B.Sc Independent Concentration
Journalism & Media (2)
Medicine & Health (2)
- B.A. Public Health
About
History
In late 1762, a group of Baptist leaders met in Philadelphia and made a motion for the establishment of a Baptist college in New England.
The charter was approved by the Rhode Island legislature in the Spring of 1764. The new “Rhode Island College” was the third college in New England and only the seventh in America.
Education
- 80+ undergraduate concentrations
- 33 master’s degree programs
- 2,000+ undergraduate courses offered each year
- 51 doctoral programs
Research
From brain science to biomedical engineering to the arts and humanities, Brown researchers fuel discovery, solve global problems and confront complex 21st century challenges with a relentless focus on the greater good.
Brown is a leading research university, where stellar faculty and student researchers deploy deep content knowledge to generate new discoveries on those issues and many more. They generate scientific breakthroughs, shed light on social and cultural phenomena and conduct the basic research that sets the stage for future discovery.
Career
- 93% of 2018 graduates went on to employment or graduate/professional school at or within six months of graduation
- 110,166 Brown alumni around the world
- CareerLAB is the Center for Careers and Life after Brown. Whether you're a first-year student unsure of what questions to ask, a senior or graduate student who knows what you want to do but don't know how to get there, or somewhere in between, we've got the advising, programs, and resources to help you.
Global Student Satisfaction Awards 2021
GSSA 2021
The Global Student Satisfaction Awards empower students across the globe to determine the best universities of 2021. Universities with a score above 4.0 (out of 5) in any of the 8 award categories, receive Badges of Excellence. Congratulations!
University Ranking
World University Rankings by Times Higher Education
2023
61 3
2022
64 -3
2021
61
World University Rankings is a vital resource that provides the definitive list of the world's best universities. They look at how often they're producing new ideas, what their reputation is around the world, and how much they're contributing to science and academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, THE ranks the universities accordingly.
QS World University Rankings by TopUniversities
2023
63 -3
2022
60
2021
60
QS World University Rankings is one of the top international rankings measuring the popularity and performance of universities all over the world. They measure university reputation based on the impressions of higher education experts, companies who hire graduates, and teaching quality. QS also considers the ratio of international teachers and students present at universities, as well as the times research papers were mentioned by researchers. After calculating and comparing these criteria, QS ranks the universities accordingly.
Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai Jiao Tong University
2022
99 2
2021
101
2020
101
ARWU World University rankings is the first world university ranking. It ranks the world's top 1000 colleges and universities based on objective indicator. They look at the number of award-winning (Fields Medals and Nobel Prize) scientists who are located there, how much of their research is cited and referenced around the world, and how much they've contributed to different academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, ARWU ranks the universities accordingly.
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report
2023
129
2022
-
2021
101
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report presents all the top universities from the U.S. and 60 other countries around the world. They measure the rate of students going to their second year of studies, as well as the rate of students who graduate. It also asks university representatives on the performance of universities, and evaluates university resources, teacher salaries, graduation rates, student academic achievements and satisfaction. After calculating and comparing these criteria, U.S. News ranks the top international universities accordingly.
Services
Student services
The Student Support Services staff is available to assist students with a wide-range of issues and concerns that might arise during their time at Brown. The Student Support Services Deans provide 24-hour crisis services for undergraduate, graduate, and medical students with personal or family emergencies, and are available by appointment to consult with individual students about their personal questions/concerns, thus allowing students to succeed and thrive in their academic pursuits.
Housing services
- All first-year students and 74 percent of all undergraduates live on campus. First-year undergrads live with roommates in close-knit residence hall communities of 50 to 60 students.
- A network of program houses — with options like Casa Machado (Spanish language, Hispanic culture), Environmental House (sustainability, social action) and St. Anthony Hall (literary society — offer the chance to live and learn with others who share your interests.
- And some of the University’s Greek letter organizations — in which more than 1,100 students participate — also offer on-campus housing.
Library services
- Brown University has 6 libraries
- The library ensures access to hundreds of online databases and tens of thousands of journals, newspapers and e-books, available to members of the Brown community from anywhere in the world at any time
- The Brown Library holds more than 250 special collections, each home to rare, primary-source materials that enable rich, high-impact research. Major collections include
ICT services
IT at Brown consists of:
- a centralized IT department, Computing & Information Services (CIS)
- several larger departments with their own IT groups
- distributed IT professionals in academic and administrative departments
Medical services
- Health Services provides holistic care that is respectful of students' personal, cultural and social identities. Health professionals offer visits for urgent and routine care, 24/7 nursing advice, and on-site lab, pharmacy and X-ray services.
- Brown Emergency Medical Services - Launched as a student club in 1978, the student-staffed Brown EMS offers 24/7 emergency care to the campus community.
Student Life
Campus life
Brown is a place where students gather in dorm common rooms, in on-campus cafes and in their favorite lounges to talk passionately about what they've learned, what they've experienced and what they love. We know that life outside the classroom is just as important for a full and rich educational experience as what our students learn in seminar rooms and labs.
On campus, students are immersed in a classic New England college experience among brick quadrangles, scenic greens, soaring modern architecture and centuries-old structures. Many faculty and staff live near campus, often in historic residences updated and sold through the Brown-to-Brown home ownership program.
Sports facilities
Brown hosts the nation's fourth largest varsity athletics program and is home to a state-of-the-art, 10,000-square-foot fitness center, located alongside an expansive athletics complex.
A wide variety of club sports, intramural sports, physical education courses, fitness programs and recreational opportunities abound across Brown's athletics offerings.
Student clubs
- Whether your extracurricular interests are new endeavors or lifelong pursuits — whether related to your studies or in another universe altogether — you’ll be able to dive right in at Brown.
- Studying engineering but have a serious passion for improv? Never spent a night in a tent but long to trek through the backcountry?
- Brown's 400+ student organizations — from a capella groups and ultimate frisbee to student government and community service — reflect the student community’s diversity of interests. Students who can't find the club or group they want can invent one of their own.
Accreditation
Every 10 years, Brown undergoes a process of reaccreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), one of six geographically based non-governmental, non-profit organizations recognized by the US Department of Education as a reliable authority on the quality of educational institutions and programs. Brown’s next accreditation review will occur in 2018, and requires extensive preparation. This site will capture the reaccreditation process.
Student Reviews
A Ray Of Sun In Cloudy Rhode Island
Anonymous rated 5 out of 5 stars
It was a very welcoming community, i felt very supported while I was there. The campus was very overwhelming but many of the teachers were very kind to me even when I was struggling.
Navigating a Campus at a Thousand Miles Per Hour
Anonymous rated 5 out of 5 stars
People from all different backgrounds study at the university. The open curriculum allowed me to explore different subjects and study my major without the requirement of generals. The open curriculum provided me a lot of freedom but made it difficult at times to be decisive about my professional path.
Departments matter
Anonymous rated 5 out of 5 stars
I loved Brown. It took me some time to learn how to love Brown. The student body is an excellent community to be a part of. The quality of study ranges between pretty good and excellent, depending on your department. Applied math, computer science, literary arts, east asian studies, and comparative literature were excellent. Physics and engineering were pretty good.
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