Nestled in the vibrant city of Providence, Rhode Island, Brown University has established itself as a renowned institution since its inception in 1764. With a rich history and a commitment to intellectual exploration, Brown stands as a beacon of academic excellence. Known especially for its unique Open Curriculum, Brown University offers a distinctive educational experience that fosters independent thinking and interdisciplinary studies.
It goes without saying that prospective applicants have long wondered about how to successfully navigate the Admission Requirements of Brown. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to get into Brown University.
A quick note on college rankings: we think they’re generally a bad way to think about where you should go to college. We talk about why rankings are bad in greater detail here, but essentially, a lot of college rankings don’t actually tell you whether you and the school would fit well together, or that the school is someplace you’ll thrive. That said, we also understand that many students/families are confused regarding and have questions about aspects of the application process, so we’ve built the post below to hopefully clarify things, so students/families can make informed decisions.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(click to skip ahead)- How hard is it to get into Brown University?
- Brown University Acceptance Rate
- GPA Requirements to get into Brown
- SAT Requirements to get into Brown
- ACT Requirements to get into Brown
- What does Brown University look for in students?
- Brown University Application Deadlines
- Brown University Supplemental Essay Prompts
- How to get into Brown University—Essay Tips
- Brown University Major-specific Supplemental Essays
How hard is it to get into Brown University?
It is extremely difficult to get accepted to Brown University. The grade point averages of people who get accepted to Brown are in the top tenth of their class. People who successfully get into Brown also tend to have impressive extracurricular activities and college applications essays.
Brown University Acceptance Rate
The Brown acceptance rate is 5%, making it one of the most competitive universities in the world. Acceptance rate is an indication of how competitive a school is, but it is also an indication of how popular a school is. To get into a school like Brown, you will need to excel in almost every major college application factor.
Brown’s Early Decision, Early Action, Regular Decision, and Transfer Acceptance Rate
Brown’s early decision acceptance rate is 13% because it received 6,770 applications and accepted 879 students. Brown received a record number of early decision applicants in the 2023-24 admissions cycle.
Brown’s regular decision acceptance rate is 3.8% because it received 43,879 applications and accepted 1,683 students. Over the past few years, Brown University has seen a growing number of applicants, decreasing admissions rates, resulting in a more competitive admissions process.
Brown’s transfer acceptance rate is 5.4% because it received 2,836 applications and accepted 152 students.
GPA Requirements to get into Brown
The recommended GPA requirements to get into Brown University are between 3.9 and 4.0. You will need an incredibly high GPA and will likely be graduating in the top tenth of your class in order to get into Brown. If your GPA is lower than suggested at the time you apply, you may have to perform above average on your standardized tests. If your grades aren’t as high as they could have been due to life experiences or hardship, you should consider writing about it in your additional information section.
| Class Rank Distribution | Percent Admitted |
|---|---|
| Percent in top tenth of high school graduating class | 93% |
| Percent in top quarter of high school graduating class | 97% |
| Percent in top half of high school graduating class | 100% |
| Percent in bottom half of high school graduating class | 0% |
| Percent in bottom quarter of high school graduating class | 0% |
What GPA is required for Brown University?
Applicants’ GPA when applying to Brown should ideally be between 3.9 and 4.0 to be strong candidates. Though Brown doesn’t publicly list specific information about GPA for admitted students, it’s safe to assume that you’ll want very good grades to stick out in the applicant pool. Having less than this will require compensating by having outstanding extracurricular activities or personal statement.
SAT Requirements to get into Brown
The recommended SAT requirements to get into Brown University are a 1500 to 1560 composite score, combining the reading and writing, and math sections together. You will need an incredibly high SAT score in order to get into Brown. If your SAT is lower than suggested at the time you apply, you may have to perform above average on your other standardized tests or have spectacular extracurricular activities to compensate. If your grades aren’t as high as they could have been due to life experiences or hardship, you should consider writing about it in your additional information section.
Beginning in 2024, Brown University will end its test-optional policy and require test scores.
Brown Average SAT Composite Score: 1530
| SAT Score Distribution | Reading % | Math % |
|---|---|---|
| 700-800 | 91% | 94% |
| 600-699 | 9% | 6% |
| 500-599 | 0% | 0% |
| 400-499 | 0% | 0% |
| 300-399 | 0% | 0% |
| 200-299 | 0% | 0% |
What SAT score is required for Brown University?
Applicants should score between 1500 to 1560 on their SAT to be strong candidates for admission to this school. Having less than this will require compensating by using a substitute ACT score or having an above-average GPA. Although Brown will maintain a test-optional policy for the 2023-2024 admissions cycle, scores that are submitted will be considered during the admissions process.
ACT Requirements to get into Brown University
The recommended ACT requirements for Brown are a 34 to 36 composite score combining all English, mathematics, reading, and science sections. You will need an incredibly high ACT score in order to get into Brown University. If your ACT is not what you’d hoped by the time you apply, you may have to make it up by getting above-average scores on the SAT and having an above-average grade point average. If your ACT wasn’t as high as you’d like because of difficulties or hardship, you should consider writing about it in your additional information section.
Beginning in 2024, Brown University will end its test-optional policy and require test scores.
Brown Average ACT: 35
| Brown University ACT Distribution | Composite Score % |
|---|---|
| 30-36 | 96% |
| 24-29 | 4% |
| 18-23 | 0% |
| 12-17 | 0% |
| 6-11 | 0% |
| Below 6 | 0% |
What ACT score is required for Brown University?
Applicants should score between 34 and 36 on their ACT to be strong candidates for admission to this school. Having less than this will require compensating by using a substitute SAT score or having an above-average GPA. Although Brown will maintain a test-optional policy for the 2023-2024 admissions cycle, scores that are submitted will be considered during the admissions process.
What does Brown University look for in students?
The biggest thing Brown focuses on is a student’s potential to thrive within the unique offerings of the university: they’ve directly stated that they are looking at what you have accomplished with the resources and opportunities available to you in your high school years. Yes, having competitive grades and test scores is important. But most students who get rejected from Brown have those kinds of scores—Brown University seeks students who not only possess exceptional academic achievements but also demonstrate a strong sense of intellectual curiosity and a passion for learning.
How do you know if you will thrive at Brown? And how do you demonstrate to the school that you will thrive once you are there?
Start by exploring Brown’s mission and values, both through its mission statement, through its discussion of its Open Curriculum, and through what it outlines in its discussion of its strategic plan. Notice, for example, how often the focus is on innovative thinking and intellectual curiosity: Brown wants to work with students who want “to think creatively and to develop innovative solutions to critical issues.”
How do you see yourself aligning with this mission and these values? What parts of your story demonstrate that you have already worked toward these things, and that Brown is the place for you to take your next steps? How will you and the Brown community make great partners in serving the community?
How else can you demonstrate that you can thrive at Brown? Think about your answers to these questions:
How have you collaborated with others, and how can you showcase that to the Brown admissions committee?
In what ways have you taken initiative in your education, and how will you continue to do so at Brown?
Share a time when you took risks, developed resilience, and learned from failure. How will this mindset contribute to your experience at Brown?
Where and how have you explored your creativity, and how have you applied innovative thinking to projects or personal endeavors?
Why do you value community, and how have you actively fostered inclusivity? How will you engage with Brown's diverse community?
How do you maintain balance in life, effectively managing time and commitments? How will you prioritize balance while navigating opportunities and demands at Brown?
Brown University Application Deadlines
The Brown University application deadline for regular decision is January 3. Brown also provides an alternative form of application in addition to regular decision: early decision. The application deadline for Brown’s early decision is November 1. Below is a table showing the deadlines for each of the steps of the Brown University admissions process.
| Notification Plan |
Application Material |
Application Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Early Decision |
Submit Application |
November 1 |
| Admissions Decisions Released |
mid-December |
|
| Regular Decision |
Submit Application |
January 3 |
| Admissions Decisions Released |
Early April |
Brown Early Decision Policy
Under Brown University's Early Decision Policy, students who choose to apply early are restricted from applying to any other institution under another early decision, single-choice early action, or restrictive early action plan. This policy ensures that students who apply early to Brown are fully committed to attending if accepted. There are three potential outcomes for students who apply early decision: acceptance, deferral, or denial of their application. If you are admitted under (Brown’s) Early Decision plan, you will be required to withdraw all pending applications—including those you may have already submitted to regular, rolling or (open) early action programs.
Brown University Supplemental Essay Prompts
To complete Brown’s supplemental essay requirements, applicants must answer three Brown University Specific Questions. Their prompts are below and the Brown University supplemental essay guide that they were sourced from can be found here.
PROMPT #1
Brown’s Open Curriculum allows students to explore broadly while also diving deeply into their academic pursuits. Tell us about any academic interests that excite you, and how you might use the Open Curriculum to pursue them while also embracing topics with which you are unfamiliar. (200-250 words)
PROMPT #2
Brown’s culture fosters a community in which students challenge the ideas of others and have their ideas challenged in return, promoting a deeper and clearer understanding of the complex issues confronting society. This active engagement in dialogue is as present outside the classroom as it is in academic spaces. Tell us about a time you were challenged by a perspective that differed from your own. How did you respond? (200-250 words)
PROMPT #3
Brown students care deeply about their work and the world around them. Students find contentment, satisfaction, and meaning in daily interactions and major discoveries. Whether big or small, mundane or spectacular, tell us about something that brings you joy. (200-250 words)
How to get into Brown University—Essay Tips
Let’s look at each prompt separately, going over big-picture guidance for the essays here. If you want more in-depth help with writing your supplemental essays for Brown University, be sure to check out our comprehensive guide.
Okay, let’s dive in.
Prompt #1
At first glance this essay might strike you as being a “Why major” essay—it does focus on classes, after all. But on second glance it’s clear that it’s actually more of a “Why us” essay with some “Why major” elements. Why? Well, consider how core the Open Curriculum is to Brown. Yes, it has to do with how you’ll navigate the selection of courses (and therefore, your concentration), but here they’re less interested in the specific courses you want to take and are more interested in how you’ll find value in combining courses across disciplines. So rather than focusing exclusively on how excited you are about Neuroscience, for example, this is an opportunity to write about how Brown will enable you to explore the intersections of Neuroscience with other things that are of interest to you.
Prompt #2
As we reference in our comprehensive guide to Brown Supplemental essays, the key to this prompt is nuance. They’re not looking for you to have learned the “right” answers to difficult questions, but instead interested in your process of grappling with difficult questions. The writing on the wall here is that they anticipate that, at Brown, students will ideally be in situations where their own perspectives are challenged, and they must challenge the perspectives of others. They want to know that you can navigate that kind of space with maturity and intention.
Prompt #3
This is very similar to a Stanford supplemental essay prompt, and you might check out our guide on that question, too. The key here is authenticity—they really do want you to describe something that brings you joy. Specificity will enable you to sound more genuine, as musing about surface level details regarding a community service trip you went on probably won’t leave readers with much of an impression. Here, you might seize an opportunity to use key details to bring readers more fully into moments of you actually experiencing joy. Trust us, they’ve read enough of these to know when someone’s forcing moments that the writer thinks the readers want to read about.
Brown University Major-specific Supplemental Essays
If you are applying to Brown’s PLME (Program in Liberal Medical Education) or The Brown | RISD Dual Degree Program you will need to answer the additional program specific questions below.
Check here for an in-depth guide to BS/MD program essays.
PLME (Program in Liberal Medical Education)
Committing to a future career as a physician while in high school requires careful consideration and self-reflection. What values and experiences have led you to believe that becoming a doctor in medicine is the right fit for you? (250 word limit)
This might not surprise you: a lot of young people want to be doctors because they think they’ll make a lot of money. Another popular motivation is family pressure. We’re not going to make any judgments about good or bad reasons to become a doctor, but you should be aware that Brown’s admissions panel, too, is aware of these not-surprising compulsions toward careers in Medicine. What this means for you is that you need to be particularly mindful in your response of being a reasoned, mature-sounding individual with an authentic interest in pursuing medicine.
Healthcare is constantly changing, as it is affected by racial and social disparities, economics, politics, and technology, among others. How will you, as a future physician, make a positive impact? (250 word limit)
Have you considered the larger context of a medical worker? That’s what Brown wants to know here. Yes, a doctor should probably be well-versed in the immune response, for example, but Brown doesn’t just want applicants who are able to recite all of the bones in the human body. Here is an opportunity for you to express your awareness of the societal implications of medical work, and how you see yourself navigating those complexities.
How do you envision the Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME) helping you to meet your academic personal and professional goals as a person and as a physician of the future? (250 word limit)
Think of this as a “Why us” essay that’s specifically for the PLME program. The goal here is to make clear how you and the PLME are a great fit for one another. The risk here is sounding like you’re excited about studying medicine in general. That’s not the goal here. Instead, focus on why studying medicine specifically in the PLME will enable you to accomplish your goals.
The Brown | RISD Dual Degree Program
The Brown | RISD Dual Degree Program draws on the complementary strengths of Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) to provide students with the opportunity to explore diverse spheres of academic and creative inquiry, culminating in a capstone project that interrelates the content, approaches, and methods from two distinct learning experiences.
Based on your understanding of the academic programs at Brown and RISD and the possibilities created by the BRDD program's broadened learning community, specifically describe how and why the BRDD program would constitute an optimal undergraduate education for you. As part of your answer, be sure to articulate how you might contribute to the Dual Degree community and its commitment to interdisciplinary work. (650 words)
If you’re considering applying to his dual degree program, you might have heard a thing or two about its selectivity: many people apply, and only about 15-20ish people are admitted. This isn’t meant to intimidate you, but rather to give you a sense of how a strong application essay here will help you stand out.
Think of this prompt as a kind of personal statement + ”Why us?” hybrid. You can pull on many of the brainstorming exercises you may have used for the Common App essay, including the Values exercise, the Essence Objects exercise, and the Feelings and Needs exercise. But in addition to looking inward at your personal motivations for pursuing this dual degree program, be sure to look outward, too. I.e., do your research. It is important that you make clear to readers that you are very well researched regarding what the BRDD program entails, and how you see it as being a perfect fit for you.
Nick Muccio
Rather than candy, Nick (he/him) went searching for people’s vacuum cleaners when trick or treating. He’s since found other ways to help people clean, usually involving their essays (though he has great ideas on carpet maintenance, too). He earned a degree in Psychology from Bates College, where he rowed boats and acted in plays. Teaching high schoolers English for seven years taught him about the importance of presence and knitting sweaters. He sweats a lot, usually on purpose, and usually involving running shoes, a bike, or a rock climbing harness. His greatest fear? Heights. His greatest joys? Numerous, though shared laughter is up there.
