Dear Members of the Brown Community,

I write to share exciting news about a major step toward making a Brown education more accessible to students from all income levels. Starting with the Class of 2029, which will arrive on campus in Fall 2025, the University plans to become need-blind for all undergraduate international students. In implementing this initiative, Brown will become one of only eight U.S. colleges that is need-blind for international undergraduates.

Brown has sustained a need-blind admission policy for domestic undergraduates since 2003, eliminating from the admission process the consideration of each applicant’s ability to pay tuition. Extending the policy to international undergraduates will broaden our ability to enroll and educate international students in expanded ways. Making Brown an affordable choice for exceptionally talented international students from every income level is nothing short of transformational. We are at our very best as a university community when we welcome and support students from the widest possible range of backgrounds, experiences and viewpoints, who learn from each other on campus and generate new understandings and insights in an increasingly complex world.

To launch need-blind admission for international undergraduates, Brown met an ambitious $120 million fundraising goal. In an overwhelming show of support, generous donors to the initiative came from six continents, and included parents of current students, parents of alumni, and alumni representing every decade of graduates from the 1950s through the 2010s. We are deeply grateful to everyone who provided support, and after implementing the policy for the Class of 2029, we will rely on the continued generosity of donors to raise an additional $100 million to make the initiative permanent and ensure the sustainability of the international financial aid initiative for generations to come.

This financial aid initiative builds on existing efforts that have progressively enabled a broader range of top students from around the world to choose Brown with the support of robust financial aid. During the last two admission cycles, for the Class of 2026 and the Class of 2027, international undergraduates matriculated from a total of 98 countries, more than a 12% increase in the number of countries students hailed from in the previous two classes. Prior to the launch of the initiative in 2021, 15% of international undergraduates received financial aid; in the Class of 2027, 40% receive financial aid.

I am gratified that we have been able to continually expand our commitment to admit students irrespective of their ability to pay for tuition, thanks in large part to the generosity of our donors. This important step now promises to broaden our ability to recruit academically talented students from around the world and support their educational journeys.

For all who wish to read more, Brown’s news website will publish a detailed news story later this morning.

Sincerely,

Christina H. Paxson
President