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Brown Is Now Need-Blind for International Applicants
Brown University now admits international undergraduates without looking at whether they can pay, a policy that took effect with the Class of 2029, the students who arrived on campus in autumn 2025. It’s one of only around ten US universities that does this for international applicants, and the practical effect is already showing up in the numbers: financial aid recipients among Brown’s international students have jumped from 15% to 40%.
What changed
Brown announced in January 2024 that it would extend need-blind admission, in place for domestic applicants since 2003, to international undergraduates starting with the Class of 2029. The university met an initial $120 million fundraising goal to launch the policy and is now raising a further $100 million to make it permanent rather than dependent on ongoing donor gifts.
The results so far are concrete rather than promotional. International students made up 14% of the Class of 2026, up from 11% the year before, once the aid expansion began flowing through admissions decisions. And Brown’s own 2026-27 budget documents show a further $6.5 million increase earmarked for undergraduate financial aid, on top of the initial commitment.
Brown joins Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Amherst, Dartmouth, Bowdoin and a handful of others as need-blind for international undergraduates. That list has grown slowly. Most US universities, including many with excellent reputations, still admit international students on a need-aware basis, where the ability to pay can factor into a borderline decision, or cap the aid pool for non-citizens outright.
Who it affects
- International students applying to Brown for undergraduate entry, regardless of family income.
- Applicants weighing Brown against need-aware schools where a strong financial aid case might work against them in admissions.
- Families researching the true cost of living for a US degree, since need-blind admission only helps if the aid package that follows actually closes the gap.
- Anyone comparing institutes on affordability rather than name recognition alone, since a small number of well-funded schools now offer aid that most cannot match.
What you should do
- Apply for financial aid at the same time as admission. Brown’s full-need commitment only applies to students who request aid during the application process, not after acceptance.
- The CSS Profile (Brown’s code is 3189) is the only financial aid form Brown accepts from international applicants. It opens on 1 October 2026 for the current cycle, and Brown does not offer fee waivers for it.
- Note the deadlines for Fall 2027 entry: Early Decision closes 2 November 2026, Regular Decision closes 1 February 2027.
- Expect a follow-up request from IDOC (the College Board’s document service) for tax records or income statements, though not every family receives one.
- Remember that Brown’s aid is need-based only. There are no merit scholarships, so a strong application does not increase the award beyond demonstrated financial need.
What hasn’t changed
Need-blind admission for internationals is still rare. Outside the handful of schools that offer it, most US universities either weigh ability to pay in admissions decisions or set a fixed pool of aid for non-citizens that runs out well before need-based aid for domestic students does. Applicants should keep researching each school’s actual policy rather than assuming a famous name means generous aid, and should budget for the CSS Profile and IDOC paperwork regardless of which universities are on the list.