Consistent with the trend across highly selective universities this year, total applications to Brown University’s Class of 2025 — a figure that includes Early Decision and Regular Decision applications — surged this year. In fact, total applications were up by a margin of 26%. In all, 46,469 students applied to the Providence, Rhode Island-based institution this year. This figure compares to 36,794 for the Class of 2024, 38,674 for the Class of 2023 (the prior record), and 35,438 for the Class of 2022. Prior to the Class of 2022, the total application tally to Brown never surpassed 33,000. But have a look at the figures for yourself in our comprehensive collection of Brown’s admissions statistics through the years.

A Banner Year for Brown University

As Will Kubzansky reports for The Brown Daily Herald in a piece entitled “University sees record-high number of applicants for Class of 2025,” “Applications to the University reached an all-time high for the class of 2025, exceeding last year’s total by nearly 10,000 students, Dean of Admission Logan Powell told The Herald…Powell attributed the sharp jump to the many changes to the application process that stemmed from the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that the unpredictability of admissions decisions this season possibly led students to apply to more schools in an effort to bolster their chances of being accepted. Students who could not take a standardized test, Powell noted, also had additional uncertainty in their process and may have cast a wider net that included the University, which maintained a test-optional policy this cycle.”

3 Reasons Why Applications to Elite Universities Surged This Year

Loyal readers of Ivy Coach’s college admissions blog know what we attribute the surge in applications to our nation’s elite universities like Brown to: (1) “squeakers” — students without test scores filled with a new sense of confidence due to “test-optional” policies who figured they’d roll the dice, (2) the temporary suspension of Early Action at Princeton University, which led to their typical Early applicant pool spreading out across highly selective universities (explaining some Early pool surges), and (3) stay at home orders — students couldn’t be lazy or procrastinate this year as they’re stuck at home with their annoying parents so they had the time to apply to more schools than they do in a typical admissions cycle.