Grinnell College vs Brown University

Grinnell College and Brown University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Grinnell, a liberal arts college in Iowa, boasts a tight-knit community and a focus on undergraduate teaching, while Brown, an Ivy League university in Rhode Island, is renowned for its research opportunities and interdisciplinary approach. With Grinnell's acceptance rate hovering around 18% and Brown's at 7%, both institutions are highly selective. Grinnell's student body is more diverse, with international students comprising 13% of the population compared to Brown's 10%. While Grinnell excels in the social sciences and humanities, Brown offers a wider range of majors, including engineering and applied mathematics. Both institutions boast impressive graduation rates, with Grinnell's at 88% and Brown's at 96%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more distinctions and determine which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Brown University logo

Brown University

Grinnell College logo

Grinnell College

Overview

Location Providence, Rhode Island Grinnell, Iowa
Campus setting City: Midsize Town: Remote
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate
Students retention rate 98.0% 93.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 5.5% 10.5%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $75

Graduate: $75
SAT range 1460 - 1570 1370 - 1530
ACT range 33 - 35 30 - 34
Students submitting SAT score 51.0% 29.0%
Students submitting ACT score 30.0% 33.0%
Total number of applicants 46,568 10,513
Total number of admissions given out 2,568 1,108
Admitted students who chose to enroll 1,705 471
Yield rate 66.4% 42.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Not required Not required
Recommendation letters Required Required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Not required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $82,570 $76,098
Average net price $25,028 $37,423
Tuition $60,944 $58,156
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $10,054

Meal plan: $6,292
Room/dormitory: $6,779

Meal plan: $7,572
Available payment plans
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

46.0%
Average amount $55,420
100.0%
Average amount $35,821
Students receiving federal student loan 9.0%
Average amount $5,159
36.0%
Average amount $3,952
Students taking out private loans 2.0%
Average amount $27,008
12.0%
Average amount $5,903

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 7,349
Men 48.1% Women 51.9%
1,748
Men 47.5% Women 52.5%
Graduate students 3,347
Men 50.0% Women 50.0%
N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Low
Out-of-state students 96.5% 91.5%
International students 18.6% 19.4%
Campus local/setting City: Midsize Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity 5,013 1,450
First year students are required to live on campus? Yes Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from New York California Mississippi New Jersey Texas California Illinois Iowa Minnesota Texas

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Health Professions
  • Social Sciences
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Engineering
  • Social Sciences
  • Foreign Languages and Literatures
  • Physical Science
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio 6:1 9:1
Institutional accreditation New England Commission on Higher Education Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 95.8% 86.9%
Dropout rate 3.7% 12.9%
Transferred out N/A N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $130,101
  • Year 2: $153,718
  • Year 3: $184,762
Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $105,532
  • Year 2: $88,506
  • Year 3: $97,037
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $66,171
  • Year 2: $73,769
  • Year 3: $91,029
Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $70,583
  • Year 2: $75,921
  • Year 3: $80,783
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $64,028
  • Year 2: $63,302
  • Year 3: $78,949
Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $59,505
  • Year 2: $61,020
  • Year 3: $74,894
Medicine (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $60,843
  • Year 2: $61,294
  • Year 3: $73,224
International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $37,882
  • Year 2: $50,105
  • Year 3: $65,953
Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,247
  • Year 2: $58,673
  • Year 3: $63,507
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $50,186
  • Year 2: $53,108
  • Year 3: $62,581
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,661
  • Year 2: $52,941
  • Year 3: $55,487
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $31,893
  • Year 2: $34,704
  • Year 3: $49,481
English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $20,499
  • Year 2: $29,141
  • Year 3: $41,882
Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $27,517
  • Year 2: $33,993
  • Year 3: $40,572
Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $26,353
  • Year 3: $37,882
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $21,508
  • Year 3: $37,613
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $23,718
  • Year 2: $19,227
  • Year 3: $29,237
Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $20,140
  • Year 3: $28,680
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $70,658
  • Year 2: $91,744
  • Year 3: N/A
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $29,239
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: N/A

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