Brown

Brown University

Brown
#54 / #24
Global Influence / U.S. Influence
#7
Most Desirable School
Private university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States

Brown University Featured Rankings

About Brown University

By James Barham, PhD

Brown began life as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (officially) or Rhode Island College (unofficially). It is the twelfth-oldest institution of higher learning in the US.

Rhode Island College was established in the town of Warren on the eastern shore of Narragansett Bay, a few miles south of the city of Providence. The school moved to Providence in 1770.

The College was established by a group of Baptist ministers (that being the religious affiliation of Rhode Island’s founder, Roger Williams), working in close cooperation with Quakers (Friends), Congregationalists, and Anglicans (Episcopalians). The College’s charter stated that there was to be no religious test for entrance.

A family consisting of four brothers—Nicholas, John, Joseph, and Moses Brown—was heavily involved in the College’s affairs from the beginning. Joseph Brown was a professor of Physics there, and John Brown served as treasurer for some 20 years during the Revolution and after.

In addition, Nicholas’s son, Nicholas Brown, Jr., was a very successful businessmen who made a series of generous gifts to the College to boost its endowment. In 1804, the College expressed its gratitude to the Brown family by changing its name to the present one.

Brown is linked to seven Nobel Prize laureates, namely,:

  • Physicists, Leon Cooper & J. Michael Kosterlitz
  • Chemist, Lars Onsager
  • Physiologists, George Snell & Craig Mello
  • Economists, George Stigler & Vernon Smith

Other notable faculty and alumni include:

  • Early-20th century Japanese scholar, educator, and social reformer, Fukuzawa Yukichi
  • Financier and philanthropist, John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
  • Psychiatrist, Aaron T. Beck
  • Novelists, Jeffrey Eugenides & Edwidge Danticat
  • Singer, Mary Chapin Carpenter
  • Actresses, Laura Linney & Emma Watson
  • Film director, Todd Haynes
  • Radio personality, Ira Glass
  • Media mogul, Ted Turner
  • Entrepreneur and investor; John Scully III
  • Entrepreneur, philanthropist, and 2020 Democratic Party presidential nomination candidate, Andrew Yang
  • Economist and former Federal Reserve Chairwoman, Janet Yellen
  • Former US diplomat, Richard Holbrooke
  • Former World Bank President, Jim Young Kim

According to Wikipedia, Brown University is a private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island. It is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. One of nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution, it was the first college in the United States to codify in its charter that admission and instruction of students was to be equal regardless of their religious affiliation.

Brown University's Online Degrees

Brown University Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information

Annual ApplicationsAcceptanceGraduation RateMedian SAT ScoreMedian ACT Score
50,6495%95%153535

How Much Does Brown University Cost To Attend?

Tuition (in-state)
$65,146
Price by Family Income
IncomeAverage Net Cost
0 - 30K$4,741
30K - 48K$1,199
48K - 75K$8,394
75K - 110K$20,163
110K+$46,032

Source: National Center for Education Statistics

How Much Do Brown University Graduates Make?

If you graduate from Brown University, then you can expect to earn an average of $89,100 per year. You also have a 92% chance of being employed after 10 years.

Brown University's Demographics

Demographic data is for full-time, on-campus students.

Student BodyUnder-GradsGraduates
11,1517,6653,486

Where is Brown University?

Brown University is located at One Prospect Street, Providence RI 02912

How Safe is Brown University?

Brown University has a violent crime rate of less than .01% and a property crime rate of less than .01%.

What Is Brown University Known For?

Brown University is known for it's academic work in the following disciplines:

Brown University's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Literature
#30
World Rank
#55
Historical Rank
#13
USA Rank
literature Degrees
Mathematics
#37
World Rank
#63
Historical Rank
#14
USA Rank
math Degrees
History
#44
World Rank
#52
Historical Rank
#16
USA Rank
history Degrees
Education
#50
World Rank
#48
Historical Rank
#19
USA Rank
education Degrees
Computer Science
#38
World Rank
#37
Historical Rank
#20
USA Rank
computer-science Degrees
Economics
#48
World Rank
#53
Historical Rank
#21
USA Rank
economics Degrees
Communications
#63
World Rank
#74
Historical Rank
#22
USA Rank
communications Degrees
Political Science
#67
World Rank
#76
Historical Rank
#23
USA Rank
political-science Degrees
Philosophy
#75
World Rank
#108
Historical Rank
#24
USA Rank
philosophy Degrees
Engineering
#75
World Rank
#88
Historical Rank
#25
USA Rank
engineering Degrees
Sociology
#71
World Rank
#66
Historical Rank
#25
USA Rank
sociology Degrees
Physics
#99
World Rank
#128
Historical Rank
#27
USA Rank
physics Degrees
Business
#60
World Rank
#59
Historical Rank
#28
USA Rank
business Degrees
Anthropology
#69
World Rank
#84
Historical Rank
#28
USA Rank
anthropology Degrees
Earth Sciences
#108
World Rank
#134
Historical Rank
#28
USA Rank
earth-science Degrees
Medical
#78
World Rank
#83
Historical Rank
#33
USA Rank
medicine Degrees
Biology
#112
World Rank
#129
Historical Rank
#36
USA Rank
biology Degrees
Chemistry
#160
World Rank
#177
Historical Rank
#40
USA Rank
chemistry Degrees
Religious Studies
#180
World Rank
#184
Historical Rank
#43
USA Rank
religious-studies-hub Degrees
Psychology
#83
World Rank
#103
Historical Rank
#49
USA Rank
psychology Degrees
Criminal Justice
#78
World Rank
#84
Historical Rank
#60
USA Rank
criminal-justice Degrees

Who Are Brown University's Most Influential Alumni?

Brown University's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Computer Science, Education, and History. Here are some of Brown University's most famous alumni:

Janet Yellen
Janet Yellen
A 78th United States secretary of the treasury.
John Tukey
An American mathematician .
Peter Norvig
Peter Norvig
An American computer scientist.
Aaron Beck
Aaron Beck
An American psychiatrist.
Richard Holbrooke
An American diplomat .
Andy Hertzfeld
Andy Hertzfeld
An American computer scientist and inventor.
Jacob M. Appel
Jacob M. Appel
An American author, bioethicist, physician, lawyer and social critic.
S. T. Joshi
S. T. Joshi
An American writer.
Lester Frank Ward
Lester Frank Ward
An American sociologist and paleontologist .
Randy Pausch
Randy Pausch
An American professor of computer science, human-computer interaction and design.
Jeffrey Eugenides
Jeffrey Eugenides
A Novelist, short story writer, academic.
David Lodge
An English author and literary critic.

Who Are Brown University's Most Influential Faculty?

Brown University's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Computer Science, Education, and History. Here are some of Brown University's most famous alumni:

Jacob M. Appel
Jacob M. Appel
An American author, bioethicist, physician, lawyer and social critic.
Robert M. Gagné
An American psychologist .
Ibram X. Kendi
Ibram X. Kendi
An American author and historian.
Jason Brennan
Jason Brennan
An American philosopher and business professor.
Jesse Shapiro
An American economist.
Steven K. Feiner
An American computer scientist.
Pardis Sabeti
Pardis Sabeti
An Iranian-American biologist, Harvard University.
Emily Oster
An American economist.
Ashish Jha
An Indian-American physician.
Jeremy Kahn
Jeremy Kahn
An American mathematician.
Alissa Quart
Alissa Quart
An American writer.
Alexander Braverman
A Mathematician.