Brown is the artsy Ivy. This isn’t because it is an arts school, but rather because the culture of the university embodies the ethos of the arts. This is amplified by where Brown is located, in the creative hub of Providence, Rhode Island, and who it has as a neighbor: RISD, one of the most famous creative schools in the world. Brown takes bits and pieces from the communities around it, adding exceptional research opportunities and unique educational approaches to the mix. They have an open curriculum that encourages exploration and discovery, which is very much on theme. Brown receives well over 40,000 applications each year and aim to admit about 2,400. The acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 was 5.65%. Then, it dropped. For the Class of 2030, the acceptance rate went down .3% to 5.35%.

Brown is a famous Ivy League university that offers one of the most prestigious undergraduate experiences in the world. It is known as the creative Ivy, offering an academic experience that melds exceptional academics with a way of viewing the world that is grounded in an artistic mindset and approach to life. Lots of artists go to Brown, but far more students are drawn then because of the wide-ranging way of thinking that Brown teaches through their Open Curriculum. Brown receives over 40,000 applications for the first-year class annually, and admits under 2,500. The acceptance rate was just under 6% for the Class of 2029. It’s important to note, too, that Brown heavily prioritizes Early Decision applicants. For the Class of 2029, over 50% of the class was admitted Early Decision.

Maybe you haven’t even arrived on campus yet. Maybe you’ve been there for a few weeks. Either way, the thought has already crossed your mind: Should I try to transfer?

For the 2024–2025 cycle, Brown University reported an overall acceptance rate of 5.38%, in line with peers such as Dartmouth and Penn, which both reported around 5.4%. On its own, that figure doesn’t tell us much beyond the obvious: admission to schools at this level is brutally competitive. When you’re dealing with ultra‑selective institutions, surface-level stats only scratch the surface. To actually understand what’s happening, you have to look at patterns over time, shifts in applicant pools, and how different parts of the process interact with one another. And that’s exactly why we dig into this data every year, to help students approach the admissions process with smarter, more informed strategies.