Brown University, a private university in Providence in Rhode Island, has shown a great position in BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF (IBIT), according to today’s new SEC filing, as market analyst MacRoscope first reported. The position shows that as of March 31, 2025, Brown held $4,915,050 in Ibit, making the school the third U.S. university, publicly announced a bitcoin purchase following Emory and the University of Austin (UATX) (UATX).
“In this morning’s 13F filing, Brown University reported that as of March 31, the IBIT Bitcoin ETF owned 105,000 shares worth $4.9 million,” Macroscope published on X. “This is a new position, which means it is obtained in February, March or March. The total value of all 14 positions in the document is $216 million.
More and more American universities demonstrate confidence in Bitcoin’s long-term potential by adding digital assets to their donation portfolios or academic programs. Previously, Emory University and the University of Austin (UATX) each disclosed plans related to Bitcoin, further validating institutional appeals for cryptocurrencies.
Emory University is the first to disclose its Bitcoin holdings in an Oct. 25 application, which owns nearly 2.7 million shares of the meter-type Bitcoin Mini Trust ETF, initially worth $15.1 million.
Emory’s holdings may now exceed $21 million as Bitcoin hits record highs since its purchase. Emory Investment Management (EIM) CIO Srinivas Pulavarti pointed out that the conversion of ETFs has led to public disclosure of its position.
“The risk of doing it yourself,” said Matthew Lyle, an associate professor of accounting at Emory, when buying Bitcoin ETFs versus buying Bitcoin itself. “While you use a company like Grayscale or BlackRock to do it for you… they are unlikely to steal your money because they are known to do it.”
In May 2024, the University of Austin also partnered with Bitcoin Financial Services to gain contact with Bitcoin to raise $5 million in Bitcoin. “I have seen the values of organizations in freedom of speech and building modern academic institutions…I am very excited to play a role in helping universities make Bitcoin a part of their long-term strategy,” said Unchained Ceo CEO Joseph Kelly, who donated 2 BTC to the event.
“The university’s donation is about serving students,” added Thomas Hogan, associate professor at UATX. “And Bitcoin provides a unique opportunity to promote UATX’s commitment to fostering leaders and innovators who will come to the future generations.”
