COLLEGES · 30-YEAR ROI · PROVIDENCE, RI

Is Brown University worth the money?

Yes — at resident pricing. A Brown University degree clears +$1.38M in 30-year projected net value over skipping college and investing the difference.

A private nonprofit four-year school in Providence, Rhode Island, priced at its published tuition (identical in-state and out-of-state) — earnings rolled up from 30 FREOPP-reported programs.

IPEDS 2023 cost · FREOPP 2021 earnings · BEA 2023 cost-of-living · same model as /worth-it · this school clears positive net value.

Brown University · Providence, RI

30-year net value · resident pricing
+$1.38M
Median earnings · 10 yrs after entry
$79,915
Breaks even by age
48
Annual tuition · published (in- & out-of-state)
$68,230
Total cost of attendance (4 years, sticker)
$339,312
FREOPP program coverage
30 programs
How this is computed (and what it isn’t)

Brown University runs through the /worth-it model at its published tuition, with the standard loan assumptions, a 30-year horizon, and Rhode Island’s own cost-of-living on the skip-college path. The “30-year net value” is the projected accumulated value of going vs. skipping and investing the difference, in real dollars.

What it isn’t: a verdict on every major. The school-level number averages across 30 FREOPP-reported programs — the field you pick swings it by over a million dollars on its own. We only publish school pages that clear positive net value at resident pricing; earnings roll up from at least three FREOPP programs (ADR-0032), so a single high-earning major can’t fake the number.

Questions

Is Brown University worth the money?
At resident pricing, yes: Brown University clears +$1.38M in 30-year projected net value versus skipping college and investing the difference. That is computed from a total cost of attendance of $339,312 and median earnings of $79,915 ten years after entry (IPEDS 2023 cost, FREOPP 2021 earnings, BEA 2023 cost-of-living — the same model as the LE TEEN calculator).
How much is tuition at Brown University?
Brown University's annual sticker tuition is $68,230, the same in-state and out-of-state, before financial aid. Total cost of attendance over 4 years — tuition plus fees, housing, and living costs — is $339,312 (IPEDS 2023).
What is the total cost of Brown University?
Over 4 years, Brown University's sticker cost of attendance is $339,312 — tuition, fees, housing, and living costs at Rhode Island prices, before financial aid. Median earnings ten years after entry are $79,915.
How long until a Brown University degree pays for itself?
The degree path overtakes the skip-college path around age 48 under our defaults — from there the gap only widens, ending +$1.38M ahead at the 30-year horizon.
What could change the number for Brown University?
Tuition at a private is the same wherever you're from, so the big lever is the major: the field you pick swings lifetime ROI by over a million dollars on its own (see the majors pages). Loan share and time horizon move it too — both are editable on the calculator.

Keep going

Cite this:

LE TEEN (2026). “Is Brown University worth the money? 30-year ROI.” Data: IPEDS 2023 · FREOPP 2021 · BEA 2023. https://le-teen.com/colleges/brown-university