PROVIDENCE – Students at Brown University will see higher tuition prices this fall, as the Ivy League school continues to grapple with a structural operating deficit and projected loss for fiscal year 2027.
On Feb. 7, the Corporation of Brown University approved the increase in total undergraduate tuition and fees for the upcoming 2026-2027 academic year. Tuition for most doctoral and master’s degree programs will increase 4%, and medical school tuition will increase 2.75%.
The recommendations came from the University Resources Committee after considering the school’s financial decisions such as expansion of
financial aid initiatives, structural operating deficit and recent budget-reduction measures. Inflation, which is expected to remain higher than pre-pandemic levels, was also a factor.
Though the university’s agreement with the federal government in July 2025 restored federally sponsored medical and health sciences research, it also called for Brown to grant
$3 million to Rhode Island’s workforce development programs.
“While we continue to contend with an uncertain, challenging period of financial decision-making and losses in Brown’s budget from federal impacts, we remain focused on advancing our cutting-edge research and academic innovation,” said Provost Francise Doyle III. “The approved tuition, fees and salary pools prioritize that commitment, support our talented, dedicated employees and keep student costs as manageable as possible through a measured tuition increase and an expanded financial aid budget.”
Last year, Brown reported an “all time high” in
budget contributions from their endowment investments – much of which goes to student aid, which would be a factor in how despite rising tuition costs, the fiscal year 2027 budget includes a $6.5 million projected increase in undergraduate financial aid.
A faculty and staff salary pool of 3% was approved for employees earning up to and including $80,000, with a 2% pool approved for those who earn more. Those pools include both base increases [2.5% and 1.5%, respectively] and funds that are deployed throughout the year for promotions, equity and retention.
For fiscal 2027, employees earning $80,000 or less will receive a flat, across-the-board 2.5% base increase; the additional 0.5% of the salary pool will be available for use in supporting increases related to promotions, equity and retention. Employees earning more than $80,000 receive a flat, across-the-board 1.5% base increase, with an additional 0.5% component available for promotion, retention and equity adjustments.
The corporation approved the following undergraduate tuition and fees for the 2026-27 academic year:
Tuition: $74,568
Standard room rate: $10,710
Standard board: $8,754
Undergraduate student resources fee: $1,136
Health services fee: $1,296
Student activities fee: $442
Student recreation fee: $110
The 4% undergraduate rate increase will raise tuition to $74,568, with the remaining 0.25% coming from higher recreation and student activities fees.
Graduate tuition for most doctoral and on-campus master’s degree programs will increase by 4% to $9,320 per course. Given a shift in the last decade to market-based pricing for some master’s degrees, approximately two dozen university master’s programs have tuition rates that vary from the standard - for many, tuition for 2026-27 will increase by 3.5%, with cost for nine programs decreasing or remaining the same as for 2026-27.
Medical school tuition will increase by 2.57% to $75,162.
Veer Mudambi is the special projects editor for the Providence Business News. He can be reached at mudambi@pbn.com.
