City police say members of Brown's crew team found the body Tuesday afternoon in waters off a city park.
Authorities say the man appeared to be in his 20s. Cmdr. Thomas Oates says there are indications it could be 22-year-old Sunil Tripathi, who disappeared in March. He declined to elaborate.
Relatives of Tripathi, who's from Bryn Mawr, Pa., have been searching for him with help from the FBI and Brown students.
Tripathi's family says he was on leave from the Ivy League school and living with classmates in Providence.
The medical examiner's office was planning an autopsy for Wednesday. Oates said identification wasn't expected until Thursday.
