Undergraduate Financial Aid

Other Grants and Scholarships

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Other Grants and Scholarships

Brown University does not offer aid based on academic achievement, athletic ability or any other form of merit. Eligibility is determined solely on financial need. Assistance from outside sources, however, may be based on a variety of criteria including merit and/or financial need.

It is the student's responsibility to notify the Office of Financial Aid in writing of the receipt of any outside funding throughout the academic year. Please note that student athletes are also required to notify the Department of Athletics of any outside funding. This can be accomplished by completing the Outside Scholarship Reporting Form for incoming students, or the Supplemental Funding Form for returning students.

Outside Funding and Scholarships

Private outside scholarships and employee tuition benefits are encouraged and can be used to reduce the student’s expected summer earnings, and/or student employment. If the amount of outside assistance a student receives exceeds the total amount of these two components, then University Scholarship will be reduced, dollar for dollar. (In this case students may want to learn more about buying a computer.) Government-based entitlement offers (e.g. state scholarships and federal grants) will also result in a dollar-for-dollar reduction to University Scholarship and do not impact the student contribution.

Tuition Benefits

Tuition Benefits are treated as an outside resource and will reduce the financial aid offer dollar for dollar. Tuition Benefits can be used to reduce the student's summer earnings expectation, loan, and work offer. If your Tuition Benefits exceed the total of your loan and work offer, your Brown University Scholarship will be reduced.

United World College - Davis Scholarship

Davis United World College (UWC) Scholars are exceptional young people who have graduated from a UWC school and then matriculated at selected U.S. colleges or universities. The UWC experience—which brings students from around the world to live and learn together in one of 17 locations on five continents—has challenged them academically and personally, expanded their horizons exponentially, and shown them how to build understanding from diversity.

Once UWC graduates enroll in one of our partner U.S. colleges or universities, our program provides financial support for their undergraduate educations through institutional grants that support need-based scholarships for Davis UWC Scholars.

Visit Davis United World College Scholars

The Gates Scholarship

The Gates Scholarship (TGS) is a highly selective, last-dollar scholarship for outstanding, minority, high school seniors from low-income households. Each year, the scholarship is awarded to 300 of these student leaders, with the intent of helping them realize their maximum potential. 

Visit the Gates Scholars Program

Additional Information

If you receive an outside scholarship that exceeds your student effort (summer earnings expectation and work), you may wish to consider one of the following two options. (1) You may consider asking the scholarship agency to defer to a later year the portion of the scholarship that is reducing your Brown University Scholarship. (2) You may consider using a portion of your outside scholarships as an allowance towards funding a one-time purchase of a computer. Outside Scholarship funds may be used to be applied towards reasonable expenses associated with the purchase of a computer. The computer and related accessories must be considered educationally relevant for the academic period the allowance would be applied towards and must be reasonable in cost in order to be covered. For example, a tablet, webcam, digital camera, gaming software, etc. would not be covered. A printer, carrying case and service protection plan are examples of allowable expenses. Any questions regarding what would be considered a reasonable expense for a computer and/or add-ons should be directed to a Financial Aid Counselor prior to purchase. To be considered, any request must be received by the office at least two weeks prior to the end of the academic term for which this adjustment is being requested. 

Information on computer purchases

If the scholarship comes in two separate checks - one for fall, one for spring - the student will not have access to the second half of the scholarship funding until the funds are actually sent to Brown. No advances will be given on scholarship funding. Therefore, students who want to purchase a computer first semester may need to charge the computer or wait until they receive the additional funds second semester before purchasing the computer. (This may also happen to a student whose scholarship arrives late in the fall semester or is applied entirely in the spring semester.) The result may be that your family pays more of its contribution in the fall semester than in the spring. Contact the outside scholarship agency to find out when the funds will be sent to Brown. 

Receiving an endowed scholarship does not affect your financial aid offer. Approximately 25% of University Scholarships are funded by gifts to the University from benefactors. Some benefactors require that the gift beoffered to a student who fulfills specific criteria. If you receive a letter indicating that you have been matched to an endowed scholarship, it simply means your academic and/or personal profile matches the requirements of a benefactor who endowed a University Scholarship. 

Each year, all University Scholarship recipients are asked to fill out a survey that is used to complete the scholarship matching process and share student stories with donors. Survey responses also fit together to form a personal, narrative ‘thank you’ letter to those who support Brown's financial aid.

You can log into the scholarship matching survey with your Brown username and password.

Institutional Scholarships

Brown University Scholarship

The difference between what it costs to attend Brown for one year and what Brown expects a family to contribute is considered financial need. Financial need is first met with a standard amount of student effort (student employment) then with any state and/or federal entitlement grants for which you are eligible. Any remaining need is then met with Brown University Scholarship funds.

Federal and State Grants

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is required to determine a student's eligibility for:

  • All federal grants, including the Pell Grant and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)*
  • most state grants
  • federal loans, including the Direct Loan and Perkins Loans

To ensure Brown receives the information you provided on this federal application, please list Brown's Federal Code (003401) on your FAFSA.