Brown Merit Aid

1. Applying to Brown hoping a strong academic profile will lower the bill.+

   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.

2. Failing to chase outside scholarships at Brown because 'they'll just be displaced.'+

   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.

3. Comparing Brown's package to a merit school's net price without modeling need-based aid first.+

   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.

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 / cost of attendance: Approximately $99,984 for 2026-27. Direct/billed charges $97,116: tuition $74,568, fees $3,084, housing $10,710, food $8,754. Indirect personal expenses estimated at $2,878. Source

Brown does not adjust its institutional grant when a student wins an outside scholarship. Per the published policy, private outside scholarships reduce the student's expected summer earnings and/or campus employment first — leaving the Brown grant intact up to that cap.

Brown's outside-scholarship treatment is structurally student-favorable: outside awards are encouraged and used to reduce the self-help portion of the package (summer earnings expectation and student employment), not the Brown grant. Practically, a student with a $5,000 outside scholarship typically sees that $5,000 of summer/work expectation removed, with no Brown grant displacement.

Source

Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.

• 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.