Brown University is not a historically Black college or university (HBCU). It is a private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, founded in 1764. The name “Brown” comes from the Brown family, prominent merchants who helped fund the university, not from any connection to Black heritage or identity. However, the university does have a notable and complex relationship with Black American history, including direct ties to the transatlantic slave trade.
Why Brown Is Not an HBCU
HBCUs are colleges and universities established before 1964 with the principal mission of educating Black Americans. There are roughly 100 HBCUs in the United States, most located in the South and Mid-Atlantic states. Well-known examples include Howard University, Spelman College, and Morehouse College. Brown University was founded as a colonial-era institution primarily serving white men and has never held HBCU designation.
Black Student Enrollment at Brown
As of fall 2024, Brown enrolled 591 Black or African American undergraduates out of 7,226 total undergraduates, roughly 8.2% of the undergraduate student body. Of the incoming first-year class, 119 students identified as Black or African American. That percentage is well below the 75% or higher Black enrollment typical at HBCUs, but it is broadly in line with or slightly above the share at many selective private universities.
Brown’s Historical Ties to Slavery
The university does have a deep, documented connection to the history of Black Americans, though not in the way an HBCU does. Members of the Brown family who funded the university were directly involved in the transatlantic slave trade. In 2006, Brown released its Slavery and Justice Report, becoming one of the first major universities in the country to publicly catalogue its institutional ties to racial slavery. The report documented how the university benefited from slave trading and slave labor, and it called for ongoing accountability.
A second, expanded edition of the report was published in 2021, adding further context and commentary. The university has since committed to active memorialization, community initiatives, and research focused on the legacies of slavery and systemic racism.
Resources for Black Students at Brown
Brown supports Black students and other students of color through several campus institutions. The Brown Center for Students of Color (BCSC), housed in Partridge Hall, serves as a gathering space for community building, programming, and critical dialogue centered on the experiences of people of color. Its events and resources are open to all undergraduate, graduate, and medical students.
The university also has an Africana Studies department, which offers courses and research focused on the history, culture, and politics of the African diaspora. Student organizations such as the Black Student Union and other affinity groups provide additional community for Black students on campus.
Where the Confusion Comes From
The question likely arises from the university’s name. “Brown” as a color is sometimes colloquially associated with people of color, which can create a mistaken assumption. In reality, the university is named after Nicholas Brown Jr., whose 1804 donation led to the school being renamed from the College of Rhode Island. The Brown family’s wealth, ironically, was partly built through the slave trade, a fact the university has formally acknowledged and addressed through its Slavery and Justice initiative.