Nearly 70% of students admitted to the University’s class of 2026 accepted a spot last spring, a record-high that slightly surpasses the previous rate set by the class of 2025, Dean of Admission Logan Powell wrote in an email to The Herald.
The University removed home equity as an asset when calculating financial need last October, which may have contributed to the high yield rate, Powell added.
“This led to substantial and positive changes in the financial aid awards for many of our admitted students,” he said.
Powell further attributed the yield to the return of three in-person “A Day on College Hill” events in April, which were “enormously popular” and allowed the University to “showcase the beauty of the campus” and the “strength of our community,” he wrote.
The University also admitted 11 students off of the waitlist, 23 fewer than the previous class year, Powell wrote. In recent years, it has accepted between two and 300 students off of the waitlist, The Herald previously reported.
The Herald spoke to multiple admitted students about their reasons for committing to Brown and their experiences so far as first years. Apart from praising the Open Curriculum’s flexibility and diverse offerings, the students cited a sense of community as a major draw to enroll.
Akshay Mehta ’26, from Omaha, Nebraska, said he “genuinely felt a connection” to the campus and appreciated having an “amazing Indian tour guide” who he felt could understand his culture as someone coming from a “predominantly white state.”
He described getting lost on campus and having students try to help, explaining that he “toured about 15 colleges” but could feel the University’s “presence” and “community.”
“I’ve low-key been in love with the school since freshman year” of high school, he explained.
Levi Neuwirth ’26, from Wallkill, NY, recalled “dancing around the room” when he was accepted to Brown, his top choice school.
In addition to enjoying the Open Curriculum and how “all of the programs seem to value that freedom,” he noted that the location of the campus is extremely convenient.
“It’s within distance to a lot of awesome things,” he said. “People are saying, ‘we could take a weekend to go up to Boston, or toward New York … Providence is a really good fit, where it’s not so huge but it’s also not rural and there’s enough student life here that it’s a great middle ground.”
Reiterating the sense of community on campus, Mehta appreciated the “collaborative environment” and said that while he has friends at other universities who say “how difficult it is to make friends,” everyone at the University is welcoming and sociable.
Neuwirth, who is planning to concentrate in physics, told The Herald before classes started that his experience so far has been “awesome” as he’s “gotten to meet some faculty” and has liked touring the buildings, especially Barus and Holley.
Mehta, who plans to concentrate in computer science, spoke about the “diversity of education” and was excited about being able to “learn whatever I want, plus CS at the same time.”
He also said he hoped to have a “broad perspective” in the future through the Open Curriculum and has heard positive feedback about professors such as Andy van Dam, professor of computer science.
Powell noted that he had received multiple emails from admitted students and their families expressing their happiness with their decisions to commit.
Powell recalled a specific email in which the parents of a University freshman wrote, “as a parent, you hope your child will be in an environment where they can thrive” and that they know their child will find that at Brown.
Some emails sent to Powell described the University as an “amazing, inclusive and diverse” campus and expressed that students love the environment, he wrote.
Mehta, who participated in the Third World Transition Program, a pre-orientation program, specified that he enjoys “how much Brown embraces culture” and said he “felt very welcomed in a space” he wasn’t used to due to places like the BCSC and the work of the pre-orientation counselors.
All of the students interviewed agreed that they were happy with their decisions to attend the University.
Mehta said he has “no regrets” about committing, while Neuwirth noted that he “definitely” felt like he “made the right call” and is happy to be here.
“I’m super excited to get started,” Neuwirth said. “I almost wish orientation was over.”
Jack Tajmajer is a Metro editor who oversees the Beyond Brown beat. He is a Senior from Bethany, Connecticut and Bethlehem, New Hampshire studying Political Science and Economics. His mother operates an alpaca farm and he tried a blueberry for the first time at age 17.
