Brown University vs Columbia University in the City of New York

Providence, RI · New York, NY · largest Scorecard gap: median debt at graduation

Scorecard match plate

Pair RI:NY

PRIVATE-NP-PAIR · CROSS-STATE · ACCEPT-TIGHT · NET-SPLIT · EARN-SPLIT · DEBT-SPLIT · COMPLETE-HIGH · GAP-DEBT

  • PRIVATE-NP-PAIR Private nonprofit pair
  • CROSS-STATE RI × NY
  • ACCEPT-TIGHT Tight admission
  • NET-SPLIT Net-price split
  • EARN-SPLIT Earnings split
  • DEBT-SPLIT Debt split
  • COMPLETE-HIGH High completion
  • GAP-DEBT Largest gap · Median Debt at Graduation

Instrument codes from this pair's College Scorecard ownership, geography, acceptance, net price, earnings, debt, and completion, plus the ENROLL-RACE · narrow · 2013–2023 decade-path stamp below, not a ranking or recommendation.

Decade path · College Scorecard

Nearly parallel enrollment growth

ENROLL-RACE · narrow · 2013–2023

Undergraduate headcount rose at both Brown University and Columbia University in the City of New York across 2013–2023 on similar paces, while acceptance rates tightened on both sides, a growth-under-squeeze pattern rather than a pure size race.

  • Brown University: enrollment grew +17.6% over 2013–2023; fitted +109 students/yr fitted, r² 0.92.
  • Columbia University in the City of New York: enrollment grew +11.7% over 2013–2023; fitted +92 students/yr fitted, r² 0.74.
  • Brown University: acceptance rate tightened -43.0% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.85).
  • Columbia University in the City of New York: acceptance rate tightened -43.0% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.79).

College Scorecard institution series; dollars are nominal. Direction claims require r² ≥ 0.40 on the fitted annual slope, otherwise the page reports the observed range. Descriptive history, not a recommendation.

Scorecard metrics

Cards ordered by relative gap on this pair. Teal = better side.

Largest gaps: Brown University vs Columbia University in the City of New York

  1. MEDIAN-DEBT-AT-GRA Brown University leads on median debt at graduation ($11,428 vs $21,500 at Columbia University in the City of New York)
  2. ACCEPTANCE-RATE Columbia University in the City of New York leads on acceptance rate (4.0% vs 5.4% at Brown University)
  3. AVG-NET-PRICE Columbia University in the City of New York leads on avg net price ($21,590 vs $25,184 at Brown University)

Brown University profile · Columbia University in the City of New York profile · Compare other colleges

Median Debt at Graduation and other Scorecard questions

On median debt at graduation, who leads between Brown University and Columbia University in the City of New York?▼
Brown University leads on median debt at graduation at $11,428 versus $21,500 at Columbia University in the City of New York. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On acceptance rate, who leads between Brown University and Columbia University in the City of New York?▼
Columbia University in the City of New York leads on acceptance rate at 4.0% versus 5.4% at Brown University. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On avg net price, who leads between Brown University and Columbia University in the City of New York?▼
Columbia University in the City of New York leads on avg net price at $21,590 versus $25,184 at Brown University. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard College Scorecard institution outcomes (earnings, completion, debt); median debt at graduation focus for this pair · 2025