In the wake of the horrific mass shooting on Brown’s campus last Saturday, which left students, faculty, and community members alike reeling from the loss of two student lives, Brown opted to delay its release of Early Decision decisions for the Class of 2030. And who could blame them for hitting pause during this moment of tragedy? After a few days elapsed, the university announced that 16.5% of Early Decision applicants were granted admission to the Class of 2030.

As the campus “works to heal,” Brown reported that admissions officials “delayed the release of the decisions by two days following a tragic act of violence that devastated the campus community. While Brown continues to mourn the loss of two beloved students and support the healthy recovery of other community members impacted, University leaders said they recognize that admission decisions mark a very important day for the many talented applicants to Brown.”

When the data finally did arrive, it revealed that out of a pool of 5,406 Early Decision applicants (up roughly 400 applicants compared to last year), Brown admitted 890 students, for an acceptance rate of 16.5%. The university did not share the number of applicants that were deferred, rejected or who withdrew their applications.

As Brown continues to mourn and grieve, we don’t blame anyone for the relative brevity of this year’s admission announced for the ED round. Still, we owe it to the students left wondering what to do after receiving news of a Brown deferral or rejection for the Class of 2030. You’ve come to the right place for just that.

Contextualizing Brown’s Early Decision Admission Rates

Last year, for the Class of 2029, Brown admitted 17.94% of its Early Decision applicants. For the Class of 2028, 14.37% were admitted via ED. For the Class of 2027, Brown admitted 12.98%, and for the Class of 2026, Brown admitted 14.6%. These historically low ED acceptance rates in previous years are reflected in increased applicant pools caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and its attendant changes in admissions processes, such as Brown’s short-lived decision to transition to test-optional admissions (at Ivy Coach, we term students who attempt to get into elite colleges without test scores “squeakers“!). 

Last year, Brown announced that they would be reinstating standardized testing requirements for the Class of 2029, and the ripple effect of this decision can continue to be seen this year in the slightly diminished applicant pool compared to the cohorts admitted a few years ago. But another mediating factor this year was Brown’s brawl with the Trump administration over federal funding, which most recently resulted in a provisional agreement to restore federal funding. Applicants on both sides of the aisle may have been alienated by this turn of events, which might have impacted the total applicant pool as well.

Brown University’s Early Decision Statistics Over the Last 24 Years

So, without further ado, here’s a breakdown of Brown’s Early Decision admissions statistics over the last 24 years:

Brown’s Early Decision Acceptance Rates

Admissions Cycle	Brown University Class Year	Brown’s Early Decision Admission Rate
2025-2026	Class of 2030	16.46%
2024-2025	Class of 2029	17.95%
2023-2024	Class of 2028	14.38%
2022-2023	Class of 2027	12.98%
2021-2022	Class of 2026	14.60%
2020-2021	Class of 2025	15.90%
2019-2020	Class of 2024	17.50%
2018-2019	Class of 2023	18.20%
2017-2018	Class of 2022	21%
2016-2017	Class of 2021	21.90%
2015-2016	Class of 2020	22.10%
2014-2015	Class of 2019	20%
2013-2014	Class of 2018	18.90%
2012-2013	Class of 2017	18.50%
2011-2012	Class of 2016	19%
2010-2011	Class of 2015	20.60%
2009-2010	Class of 2014	19.90%
2008-2009	Class of 2013	23.70%
2007-2008	Class of 2012	22.70%
2006-2007	Class of 2011	22.70%
2005-2006	Class of 2010	22.80%
2004-2005	Class of 2009	28%
2003-2004	Class of 2008	28.30%
2002-2003	Class of 2007	25.80%

Brown’s Early Decision Deferral Rates

Below is a breakdown of the percentage of Early Decision candidates Brown has chosen to defer to the Regular Decision pool over the last five cycles. Note the trend that Brown has been deferring a smaller and smaller percentage of applicants each year, although there is no data yet for us to chew on regarding deferrals this year.

Admissions Cycle	Brown Graduating Class	Brown’s Early Decision Deferral Rate
2025-2026	Class of 2030	Not Yet Reported
2024-2025	Class of 2029	17.8%
2023-2024	Class of 2028	16.8%
2022-2023	Class of 2027	19%
2021-2022	Class of 2026	25%
2020-2021	Class of 2025	30%

Brown’s Early Decision Rejection Rates

Below is a breakdown of the percentage of Early Decision candidates that Brown has chosen to reject outright over the last four cycles:

Admissions Cycle	Brown Graduating Class	Brown’s Early Decision Deferral Rate
2025-2026	Class of 2030	Not Yet Reported
2024-2025	Class of 2029	61.80%
2023-2024	Class of 2028	67.60%
2022-2023	Class of 2027	68%
2021-2022	Class of 2026	60.25%
2020-2021	Class of 2025	54.10%

Breakdown of the Brown University’s Class of 2030 Early Decision Admits

Unlike many of its Ivy League counterparts, Brown shared plenty of data about this incoming cohort of students. 52 applicants were admitted through the QuestBridge program for low-income and first-generation students. 23 of the students were admitted to the highly competitive Program in Liberal Medical Education, which is an eight-year program that allows undergrads to enter immediately into their medical school coursework.

51% of the admitted students attended public schools, 37% attended private schools, and 11% attended parochial (e.g., religious) schools. 

16% of this year’s Early Decision pool will be the first in their families to graduate from college, a figure that declined by three percentage points relative to last year’s tally for the Class of 2029.

The admitted students hail from 46 States, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico. The university did not share the number of countries students were admitted from, or the most common home countries for accepted international students.

Ivy Coach’s Assistance with Brown Deferral or Rejection

Congratulations to Ivy Coach’s students who applied Early Decision to Brown this year. We’re very proud of you.

If Brown deferred you from its Class of 2030, the fight for your admission is only beginning. A Brown deferral is meaningful — more so than at other elite universities — but only if you play your cards right from now on. And if you were rejected by Brown, rest assured that you haven’t yet exhausted your options for maximizing your chances for elite college admission in the Regular Decision round.

If you’re interested in optimizing your case for admission to Brown post-deferral or post-rejection with the help of our team of former elite college admissions officers, fill out Ivy Coach’s complimentary consultation form, and we’ll be in touch to outline our go-forward services for deferred and rejected candidates, which includes our PostMortem for rejected candidates and PostMortem followed by help crafting a powerful Letter of Continued Interest for deferred candidates.