Brown University Welcomes 896 Early Decision Applicants to the Class of 2026
On Thursday, December 16, Brown University invited 896 prospective students who applied through its Early Decision program to become the first members of its undergraduate Class of 2026. This year marks the fourth consecutive year that applications have increased, a trend that coincides with the launch of The Brown Promise initiative, which replaced loans with scholarship funds in all University-packaged undergraduate financial aid awards beginning in the 2018-19 academic year. Total applications through the Early Decision program increased 11 percent compared to the Class of 2025.
By applying to Brown’s Early Decision program, applicants indicated that the University was their first-choice college and agreed to accept an offer of admission if the University extended one. Early Decision, unlike Early Action, is binding.
This year’s pool of Early Decision applicants marked the University’s most diverse to date, with record numbers of first-generation college students, students from low-income families, and students of color — reflecting Brown’s sustained commitment to making a Brown education more accessible to students from every socioeconomic and geographic background.
Here are notable numbers on the cohort of admitted Early Decision applicants:
57 percent applied for financial aid.
17 percent of students will be the first in their family to attend college.
51 percent are students of color, defined as those who self-identify as Black, Latinx, Native American, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, or Asian — a 3% increase from last year.
Collectively, the accepted Early Decision students represent 47 nations, 43 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. The top countries represented outside the United States are China, the United Kingdom, Canada, India, Brazil, and Singapore.
The deadline for Regular Decision applications for Brown’s undergraduate Class of 2026 is January 5, 2022. With only a few weeks for students to submit their application or Statement of Persuasion, it’s time to reach out to Ivy Link! If your student is frantically working on completing their application or is unsure of how to proceed with their deferment, Ivy Link experts can help! Our team includes expert college counselors, admissions advisors, and application readers Congratulations to the newest members of Brown’s Class of 2026 and good luck to all those applying via Regular Decision.
