Brown is an Ivy League university in Providence, Rhode Island with an open curriculum. They challenge students to create their own path, charting a track through the university that takes them where they want to go — on their own terms. It is a unique, highly-respected, and selective education in an urban setting with a strong campus culture and a vibrant creative community for the 7,000 undergraduate students who call it home.
On the field, in the pool, on the court, or wherever else sport is played, Brown is exceptional. They are a member of the competitive NCAA Division I and a founding member of the Ivy League, fielding 34 teams. There are far more students who access to the Brown experience than they can admit, and admissions is very competitive. They receive over 50,000 applications for a class of only about 1,700 students. The acceptance rate is 5%, and 95% of accepted students were in the top 10% of their high school class.
Brown works to nurture and grow the student in you, the innovator in you, the community member in you, and who you are as an athlete. In this post, we’ll break down the athlete side of the equation, whether you want to be in the starting line-up for a varsity squad or are considering a more relaxed approach to collegiate athletics.
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What is Brown looking for in Student Athletes?
Following the rules of the Ivy League (which many don’t realize is an athletic league), athletes have to follow the same admissions process — with the same academic and extracurricular expectations — as other applicants. Coaches can advocate for particular athletes with admissions, sharing why they feel they are strong candidates, but coaches don’t have ‘golden tickets’ to hand out that guarantee admission. There are also no sports-specific scholarships. Athletes have access to the same aid options as anyone else.
This means that Brown is looking for exactly what they are looking for in any applicant. Namely, outstanding academics, exceptional extracurriculars beyond athletics, and strong athletics. We’ve worked with a number of student athletes who went on to compete at Brown, and the commonality across each one is that their athletic skills are a great add-on to their applicant profile, not a defining characteristic.
Recruited Athletes
Brown makes information for athletes seeking out, or simply exploring, recruitment very available. They want you to be empowered to build a future at Brown. So, first you need to spend some time carefully review recruiting definitions and eligibility, as you need to protect your eligibility to even be able to play for Brown at the varsity level. Since you already have high grades, the central piece of this is maintaining your amateur status.
Once you’ve reviewed the NCAA, Ivy League, and Brown-specific expectations and processes, it’s time to initiate contact with the team you’re interested in joining at Brown.
Brown has team-specific recruiting forms available online, and that’s how they’d most like you to reach out. Read the header of the form carefully, as for most sports you will not hear back from them until September 1st at the beginning of your junior year at the earliest. This guide will tell you if your sport adheres to the Sept 1 rule, or has an earlier date for recruitment to begin. Remember, Brown is in Division I, so those are the rules you’ll need to follow.
If the coaches are interested in you as a potential recruit to support through admission, they may invite you to do an official visit. An official visit is like a normal college visit with some additional perks, like time getting to know the athletic program you’re considering. Remember that you are limited in the number of official visits you can do, so you definitely only want to do an official visit if you are seriously considering Brown.
Walk-Ons
Walk-on athletes are talented student athletes who join a team without going through the recruitment process. As schools that offer athletic scholarships, walk-ons don’t have the same perks as recruits, at least initially. However, since Brown doesn’t give athletic scholarships, being a walk-on won’t impact your potential aid package but may impact your initial playing time.
Students who are considering walking one should begin through the same process as recruited athletes, but coaches can only advocate for a limited number of students with admissions, so you may be invited to walk-on, or to try out as a walk-on, if they have hit their quote. So, you should still fill out the online form early in your junior year.
Since Brown doesn’t give athletic scholarships, being a walk-on won’t impact your potential aid package but may impact your initial playing time. In the end, though, skill wins out. If you can play, you’ll play.
Club Sports, Intramurals, and Fitness
Brown has an impressive, and highly competitive, club sports program with more than 40 teams. Club teams regularly receive national recognition, including high national rankings in squash (national champions) and taekwondo (3rd place nationally) in early 2024 alone. They also won or placed in championships in the 2022-23 season in rugby, squash, taekwondo, badminton, volleyball (men’s and women’s), soccer (men’s and women’s), and more. The Club Sports program is student run, and is reliant on student leadership. The teams operate on different “tiers” with Tier A being the most active and competitive, requiring the most from their team members.
If that sounds too intense, Brown also has an intramural sports program open to Brown and RISD students, faculty, and staff. The intramural teams are geared towards those who want to have fun playing a sport they love, or learning a new one, with a low time commitment and a focus on fun.
The dynamic group fitness program at Brown requires even less of a time commitment, and is open to students for no additional cost, including over 60 classes each week in yoga, pilates, high intensity training, and more. Students can also access the TIP Program to become qualified as a personal trainer or group fitness instructor. You can also become certified as a lifeguard. Both programs can lead to employment with Brown so you can make some extra pocket money to spend on Thayer Street.
If you are a top student and an exceptional athlete who is looking for your sport to help pay for your college, Brown may not be the best option as they don’t offer athletic scholarships. However, if you are both those things and rather looking for your sport to help you get into the best school possible, Brown may be a strong option worth pursuing.
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