---
title: Brown University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Providence, RI
control: Private nonprofit
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Brown University

Providence, RI · Private nonprofit · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $93,487 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $63,520 – $164,436 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $10,000 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $6,500 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 96% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $87,648 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 87% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.11× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $65,487 | derived |

**96% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $10,000 (≈ 11% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $19,547 to $130,101 across 26 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Computer Science. | Bachelor's Degree | $130,101 | $11,500 |
| Applied Mathematics. | Bachelor's Degree | $105,532 | $10,000 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering. | Master's Degree | $78,859 | not reported |
| Engineering, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $70,583 | $15,000 |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $66,171 | $18,000 |
| Economics. | Bachelor's Degree | $64,028 | $13,000 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision. | Master's Degree | $61,247 | $20,500 |
| Medicine. | First Professional Degree | $60,843 | $146,880 |
| Public Policy Analysis. | Master's Degree | $59,505 | $47,500 |
| Public Health. | Master's Degree | $59,311 | $49,500 |
| Political Science and Government. | Bachelor's Degree | $50,186 | $14,481 |
| Public Policy Analysis. | Bachelor's Degree | $49,331 | $10,000 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Master's Degree | $47,830 | not reported |
| Public Health. | Bachelor's Degree | $42,643 | $11,760 |
| History. | Bachelor's Degree | $42,584 | $13,491 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences. | Bachelor's Degree | $40,809 | $9,250 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,882 | $12,000 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,636 | $15,110 |
| Area Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,471 | $12,000 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,489 | not reported |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,535 | $13,000 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,130 | not reported |
| English Language and Literature, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,046 | $12,974 |
| Urban Studies/Affairs. | Bachelor's Degree | $23,206 | $14,000 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft. | Master's Degree | $22,550 | not reported |
| Sociology. | Bachelor's Degree | $19,547 | not reported |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Brown University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?217156

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/brown-university-ri.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`