Brown scholarships and merit aid
The short answer
We did not find a simple published award list to show for Brown. Read our full reasoning before spending more time here.
3 school sources to explore
Published rules, with the school sources close at hand. Confirm the details before you count on an award.
Explore the aid policy
Start with the financial aid office
This research does not list a merit award. Explore the recorded policies below and ask Brown's financial aid office about current options.
Free Merit Check
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“it told me what to ask and what the renewal GPA looked like, which I was not going to find on my own”Melissa
What makes Brown different
Ivy League with a categorical no-merit policy: 'Brown University does not offer aid based on academic achievement, athletic ability or any other form of merit.' All aid is need-based, and outside scholarships only reduce summer earnings or student employment — not Brown grants.
Start with the aid policy
Find the right kind of aid.
This research does not list a merit award. Check the school's financial aid options and application requirements; an empty award list is not proof that no aid is available.
- Read the selection rules
Look for the school's stated criteria and whether an additional application is needed.
- Check the application dates
Confirm the current admission and scholarship deadlines directly with the school.
- Know what happens next year
Check renewal, credit requirements and how other aid affects the award.
The fine print / Three questions to carry forward
Before you count on it.
Does it apply to us? Confirm the entering year, residency and every eligibility condition.
Can we keep it? Check renewal GPA, credits and how long the award lasts.
Can we combine it? Ask how outside scholarships and other school awards change the offer.
A printable research summary, source links and room for your questions.
See what could change an award
Straight from the aid office
What Brown's aid office says
Per the Office of Financial Aid, Brown University, August 2026. How we verify
- Need-based aid only
Is financial aid at Brown based on need or merit?
Financial aid at Brown is strictly need-based, awarded only on demonstrated need, not academic, athletic, or other merit criteria.
“Financial aid is strictly “need-based” at Brown University, meaning that financial aid is awarded based only on demonstrated “need”, not academic, athletic, or any other merit-based criteria.”
- Meeting full need / no loans
Does Brown meet full demonstrated need, and does the package include loans?
Brown meets 100% of every student's demonstrated need with an initial package of scholarship and work only, with no loans.
“We meet 100% of every student’s demonstrated need with an initial package that includes scholarship and work <https://www.brown.edu/about/administration/financial-aid/federal-work-study-and-campus-employment>only — no loans.”
- Net Price Calculator availability
Can families get an early estimate of aid before applying?
Brown's Net Price Calculator provides a good early estimate for domestic applicants, but no other early estimates are offered, and international families with international tax returns cannot use the calculator since it lacks a currency conversion option.
“we believe our Net Price Calculator <https://www.brown.edu/about/administration/financial-aid/cost-estimators> works well for domestic applicants to provide a good estimate in advance of any financial aid application submitted to our office. Unfortunately, aside from this, we do not offer any other early estimates. International families who have international returns would be unable to use the calculator at this time as it does not have a conversion option.”
- CSS Profile fee waiver policy
Does Brown offer CSS Profile fee waivers to prospective applicants?
Brown does not offer fee waivers for the CSS Profile to prospective applicants at this time, and does not accept the ISFAA or a paper CSS Profile instead of the electronic version, except for families in North Korea or Iran.
“Brown University *does not offer fee waivers* for the CSS Profile to prospective applicants at this time, and also does not accept the ISFAA or a paper copy of the CSS Profile in lieu of the electronic CSS Profile*** u*nless you are from the following countries*: *North Korea and Iran,* as these countries are unable to submit a CSS Profile electronically.”
- CSS Profile requirement
Is the CSS Profile required to determine aid eligibility?
The electronic CSS Profile must be received to determine financial aid eligibility.
“In order to determine your eligibility for financial aid, it is imperative that we receive the electronic version of the CSS PROFILE.”
- Delaying CSS Profile submission
Can a family delay submitting the CSS Profile if cost is a barrier?
If the cost is prohibitive, families may delay submitting the CSS Profile and supporting documents until after admission, and should contact the office immediately after receiving an admission decision for instructions on submitting financial information.
“if the cost is prohibitive and you have no means to cover it, you may opt to delay the submission of the application and supporting documentation until you know whether or not you have been admitted to the University. In this case, *you would reach out to our office immediately after receiving an admission acceptance notification**.* At that point, we will provide you with instructions on how to submit the necessary financial information to us.”
- Impact of delayed submission on aid amount
Will delaying the CSS Profile submission reduce the amount of aid awarded?
Delaying submission will cause a delay in the eligibility determination, but since aid is need-based only, the amount of aid eligibility will not be affected by the delay.
“Please be aware that waiting to submit your application materials until after admission decisions are released will cause a delay in your eligibility determination; however, our team will make every effort to provide you with our assessment in a timely manner. Since we provide need-based aid only, the amount of aid you will be eligible to receive will not be impacted by the delayed receipt of your application.”
- Fee waiver option exclusion for transfers
Does the delayed-application/fee-waiver option apply to transfer applicants?
The option to delay application and inquire about a fee waiver is not available to transfer applicants, who are need-aware.
“This option is not available to Transfer applicants who are need-aware.”
What families often miss
Brown is explicit: 'Brown University does not offer aid based on academic achievement, athletic ability or any other form of merit. Eligibility is determined solely on financial need.' A 4.0/1550 student with no demonstrated need pays sticker — about $100,000 per year — exactly like a lower-stat full-pay student.
The opposite is true at Brown. Outside scholarships are explicitly encouraged and used to reduce summer earnings expectations and student employment, not the Brown grant. Every dollar a student wins externally is a dollar that comes off their actual out-of-pocket/work burden.
Brown's sticker is $99,984, but the school meets 100% of demonstrated need with no loans. For a family with sizable demonstrated need, Brown's actual net price can land below many schools that brand themselves as 'merit-heavy.' Run the MyinTuition and Net Price Calculator before drawing conclusions.
See costs and school data
Who this school may work for
Families whose financial profile generates a non-trivial Brown demonstrated need calculation. Students looking for merit-driven discounts on Brown's $99,984 cost of attendance should not apply to Brown for that reason — the school is structurally not the right tool.
- Tuition & fees
- Housing & food
- Personal
Private; single on-campus scenario. Personal expense adjusted by $10 to match the official published total of $99,984. Books covered by BCMS program; transportation varies by home address and is not itemized; health insurance billed separately.
Cost and graduation facts
Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Brown, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.
| Family income | Average net price paid |
|---|---|
| $0–$30,000 | $0 — grants exceeded costs by $420 |
| $30,001–$48,000 | $2,031 |
| $48,001–$75,000 | $5,858 |
| $75,001–$110,000 | $16,219 |
| $110,001+ | $44,937 |
| All income levels (average) | $25,184 |
A net price shown as "$0 — grants exceeded costs" means average grant aid for students in that income bracket was greater than the full cost of attendance that year — a genuine reported outcome, not a data error.
Sticker price vs. what students actually pay
- Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
- $71,412
- Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
- $25,184
That works out to roughly a 71% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $87,648 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).
Outcomes for students who enrolled here
- Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
- 96%
- First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
- 99%
- Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
- $11,428 (~$121/mo on a 10-yr plan)
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
- $93,487
- Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
- 15%
- Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
- 12%
See other scholarships and cost examples
If your student brings another scholarship
Outside scholarships reduce loans and/or work-study first; institutional grants are only reduced if required to prevent an over-award.
Verified policy language (2026-07-02): Private outside scholarships ... can be used to reduce the student's expected summer earnings, and/or student employment ... If the amount of outside assistance a student receives exceeds the total amount of these two components, then University Scholarship will be reduced, dollar for dollar.
Other Brown scholarships worth checking
These awards can be harder to find. Each one has its own rules.
Not a merit award. Included because families often interpret 'The Brown Promise' as a discount program; it is structurally a no-loan need-based policy.
Brown merit aid FAQ
Does Brown University offer merit scholarships?
No. Brown is explicit: 'Brown University does not offer aid based on academic achievement, athletic ability or any other form of merit. Eligibility is determined solely on financial need.' All institutional aid is awarded based on financial need calculated from the FAFSA and CSS Profile.
How does Brown treat outside scholarships?
Outside scholarships are explicitly encouraged. Per Brown's published policy, they 'can be used to reduce the student's expected summer earnings, and/or student employment.' They do not displace Brown's institutional grant — making outside aid genuinely additive at Brown.
How much does Brown cost?
Brown's 2026-27 published cost of attendance is $99,984: $74,568 tuition + $3,084 fees + $10,710 housing + $8,754 food + $2,878 personal expenses. Among the highest sticker prices in US higher education.
What is The Brown Promise?
The Brown Promise eliminates loans from financial aid packages for need-based students. It is NOT a merit scholarship — it's a packaging policy that replaces student loans with additional Brown grant funding for families who qualify on need.
Does Brown meet 100% of demonstrated financial need?
Yes. Brown's published commitment is that 'Brown meets 100% of each student's demonstrated financial need' with 'no loans — only scholarship grants that do not have to be repaid.' Demonstrated need is calculated from FAFSA, CSS Profile, and supporting documents.
See sources and other schools
How Brown compares
- 145 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use loan-first displacement.
Brown is in a recognizable cluster (145 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
Sources used on this page
Every claim is checked against Brown’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
- Policy pageBrown stacking policy
- Cost of attendanceBrown cost-of-attendance worksheet
- Scholarship pageThe Brown Promise (need-based)
Compare with similar schools
- Roger Williams merit aid. Rhode Island private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
- Bryant University merit aid. Rhode Island private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
- JWU merit aid. Rhode Island private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
- Providence merit aid. Rhode Island private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
Keep exploring Brown merit aid
- Brown scholarship stacking. Whether outside awards land as upside or quietly displace institutional aid.
- Does Brown displace outside scholarships?. The dollar math on a $5,000 outside award, plus peer schools that handle it differently.