Brown University Early Acceptance Rate: What It Means for Your Admissions Chances

Brown University, an Ivy League institution in Providence, Rhode Island, admitted 890 of 5,406 Early Decision applicants to the Class of 2030 for an acceptance rate of 16.5%, according to the Brown Daily Herald. This rate marks a decrease from last year’s 17.9%, though it remains above the historic low of 13% set by the Class of 2027.

Brown University Early Acceptance Rate

Early Decision applications increased by nearly 400 this cycle, while the number of admits decreased slightly from 906 to 890. The rebound in applications suggests that prospective students have adjusted to Brown’s testing requirements, now in their second year. Brown reinstated mandatory SAT or ACT scores for the Class of 2029 after several years of test-optional admissions.

Class	ED Applications	ED Admits	ED Rate	Overall Rate
2030	5,406	890	16.5%	TBD
2029	5,048	906	17.9%	5.65%
2028	6,244	898	14.4%	5.16%
2027	6,770	879	13.0%	5.23%

While Early Decision rates have fluctuated with application volume, Brown has admitted a consistent number of ED students each year—between 879 and 906. Overall acceptance rates, by contrast, have remained stable in a narrow band between 5% and 6%. If these patterns hold, we expect the Class of 2030 overall rate to fall within a similar range when Regular Decision results are announced in the spring.

The university did not release deferral statistics for the Class of 2030. For context, 17.8% of Class of 2029 Early Decision applicants were deferred to the Regular Decision pool, continuing a trend of declining deferral rates over recent years.

According to a university press release, this year’s admitted students demonstrated “a commitment to collaboration, the self-motivation to be architects of their own education, and a desire to solve problems and make a difference in the world.” These qualities align with Brown’s distinctive Open Curriculum, which empowers undergraduates to design their own course of study without distribution requirements. The university also admitted 23 students to the Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME), the highly competitive eight-year combined undergraduate and medical degree program, and continues to offer the five-year Brown-RISD Dual Degree program for students seeking to integrate liberal arts with studio art and design.

TTA Top Tip: In 1969, Brown University eliminated distribution requirements and established the Open Curriculum, allowing students to become “architects of their own education.” This progressive approach has long distinguished Brown from its Ivy League peers. However, this flexibility does not make the college less selective. Brown seeks applicants with a rigorous, well-rounded academic background across all four years of high school. We recommend starting curriculum planning early if Brown is on your student’s shortlist.

At Top Tier Admissions, we are committed to making the college admissions process more transparent. Easy access to clear data helps families understand trends in college admissions to make more informed decisions. This year we’re once again collecting early acceptance rate data at selective schools and providing insight and analysis of our own.

Want To Read More?

Are you thinking about applying to Brown University? Curious about admissions trends and strategies to improve your odds? Contact us to discuss our Application Boot Camp® or Private Counseling program—we look forward to supporting you!

• Get Into Brown: 5 Insider Tips
• Brown University: Supplemental Essays 2025-2026
• Brown University: Class of 2029 Acceptance Rate
• Brown University: Acceptance Rates & Statistics
• Average GPA and Class Rank at Top Colleges

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