The university and Mayor Brett Smiley confirmed the deaths Saturday evening, local time.
"I can confirm that two people have died and another eight have serious injuries," Smiley said during a press conference. He later confirmed that a ninth person had less serious injuries.
The two dead people studied at Brown, says principal Christina H Paxson.
Our focus now is to support those affected by this, the families of the two students who lost their lives today, says Paxson.
No suspects have been arrested and police have set up a cordoned off area around the university. Anyone in the area is advised to stay where they are.
Released surveillance footage
At 11 p.m. local time, police released a clip from a surveillance camera showing a person leaving the area, walking along a street near the university.
"That's who we suspect is the shooter. He's wearing dark clothing. You won't be able to see his face," Timothy O'Hara of Providence Police said of the clip.
It had been about seven hours since the school's alarm system sent out warnings of an ongoing shooting in one of the university's buildings, where exams were taking place.
According to the university, the building has 117 laboratories, 150 offices, three auditoriums, and over 40 classrooms.
US President Donald Trump writes on Truth Social that he has been informed of the situation.
"The terrible thing is that all we can do is pray for the victims and those who were injured," the president writes.
11,000 students
Initially, there were reports that a suspected perpetrator had been arrested, but this turned out to be untrue.
About 11,000 students attend Brown, which is located in the state of Rhode Island and is one of the so-called Ivy League universities in the United States. Right now, the so-called "final" week is underway, where many of the university's courses end with exams.
