“Brown students are defined by talent and promise ... not by financial resources.”

So says the homepage at the Office of Financial Aid. Two Brown students — Jo’Nella Queen Ellerbe ’15 and Ryan Gourley ’17 — talk about their paths to Brown, the certainty that that there would be no resources for college, and the life-changing moment when they learned Brown would be possible.

Since the matriculation of the Class of 2007, all domestic undergraduates admitted as freshmen have been admitted under the University's need-blind admission policy — and Brown is committed to meeting 100 percent of demonstrated financial need for admitted undergraduates.

For the 2014-15 academic year, the University's undergraduate financial aid budget will grow to $104.1 million — 9.3 percent higher than the current budget. Students from families earning less than $100,000 do not have loans in their financial aid packages, and most families earning less than $60,000 are not required to make a parental contribution toward the cost of education.

Listen to the stories at the Office of Financial Aid.