How to Get into Brown University

Brown University, located in Providence, RI, is a nonprofit four-year Ivy League school that stakes its claim as the seventh-oldest institution of learning in the country. Brown was founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Since then, it has become a world-renowned research institution.

There are currently 7,043 undergraduate students at Brown and 2,629 graduate students. The university welcomes more than 6,000 visiting, summer, and online students. There are 816 full-time faculty members on staff. Brown’s student-to-faculty ratio is an impressive 6:1, and every faculty member teaches undergraduates.

If you're intent on joining these students at Brown for the upcoming admissions cycle, it's imperative that you learn everything you can about how to get into Brown University — starting with our Providence college counseling team and its unique approach to the college admissions process.

This Ivy League university has a rigorous and flexible strategy when it comes to learning, intending to nurture creative thinkers who are intellectually curious. Brown wants its students to be savvy problem-solvers and entrepreneurial risk-takers — hence, its Open Curriculum policy.

Because of this strategy, Brown is affectionately known as “The Weird Ivy,” and it takes pride in this designation. About 50 years ago, students demanded complete academic reform after becoming tired of the strict educational confines of the Brown curriculum. The result is the student-centric Open Curriculum.

Most other universities require students to complete very specific sets of courses depending on their majors. At Brown, however, students enjoy greater freedom to discover new subjects and topics and choose what they want to study. Brown likes to say that students, therefore, are the architects of their own education.

Brown is consistently ranked among the top universities in the United States and in the world:

• Times Higher Education ranks it #6 among the top universities
• U.S. News ranks it #13
• Niche ranks it #9
• Forbes ranks it #19

There are more than 80 majors available for students to consider, but before they dive in, they can first take courses in a wide range of subjects. They can explore courses in every discipline, making sure that by the time they leave Brown, they are prepared to be innovative leaders with a passion for creative thinking and problem-solving.

When you’re learning how to get into Brown, a great place to start is to look at facts about the most recent incoming class. This will help you get a clear idea of what exactly you’re up against. 

For the class of 2026, Brown University received an enormous number of applications: 50,649, to be exact. The university admitted just 2,560 of them to join the incoming class, giving Brown one of the lowest acceptance rates in the country at just 5.0%. (The Early Decision acceptance rate was 14.6%, and the Regular Decision acceptance rate was 3.6%.)

Of those 2,560 admitted students, 1,723 of them chose to enroll at Brown, and 895 were admitted Early Decision. Brown has a dual degree program for which 838 students applied; just 15 were enrolled. In addition, there were 3,827 applicants for Brown’s PLME (Program in Liberal Medical Education) program, and only 61 students were enrolled.

Within 10 years of graduating from Brown University, 80% of students further their education through professional study or grad school. In addition, Brown admits 81% of applicants to its law school and its medical school, far surpassing the national average.

As you can see, Brown is one of the most selective universities in the U.S. This means that if you want to attend the school, you will need to achieve top marks in all of your classes, earn a near-perfect GPA, rank at the top of your graduating class, and earn high SAT or ACT scores. 

You will also need to write compelling application essays and show leadership and community involvement through extracurricular activities outside the classroom in order to leave a lasting impression on Brown’s admission staff.

Like almost all other top universities, Brown does not disclose the GPAs of its incoming students. However, it’s estimated that the average GPA of applicants to Brown who are admitted is about 4.18 (weighted). 

So although GPA isn’t the only factor the staff considers for admission, you need to ensure your GPA is at the top. You should know that 95% of Brown’s class of 2026 graduated in the top 10% of their high school classes.

For the class of 2026, submitting standardized test scores was optional. Of those students who did submit their scores, 65% of them scored between 750 and 800 on the SAT reading and writing section, and 85% of them scored in that range for the math section.

Just 2% of students who scored below 650 in reading and writing were admitted, and only 1% of students with that same score range in math were admitted. Overall, the middle 50% of admitted students scored between 1500 and 1570 total on their SATs.

Students who submitted ACT scores to Brown for the class of 2026 had similar results. About 60% scored 35 or 36 on the tests, and just 2% scored below 29. The middle 50% of students earned ACT scores between 34 and 36.

The Brown admission staff lists no specific requirements for high school classes. However, since the school does hold true to its Open Curriculum policy, the admission staff looks for students with high school records that display a student’s independence and self-reliance.

Brown does recommend taking the following courses in high school:

• Four years of math through calculus
• Four years of academic writing and literature
• Two years of lab science
• One to two years of chemistry, physics, biology
• Three to four years of history, economics, politics, and government
• At least three but preferably four years of one foreign language

In addition, art and music are strongly encouraged but not officially required.

The rigor of your high school classes must be as high as possible; that is, if your high school offers Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses, you need to take as many as you can. This will show the Brown University admissions staff that you are ready to take college-level courses.

It will also signal that you are willing to accept challenges and eager to learn. They prefer to see a “B” in an IB or AP class than an “A” in a regular class. 

Brown University does not favor International Baccalaureate courses over Advanced Placement courses or vice versa. If you are required to take AP or IB exams in high school and you are accepted to enroll with Brown, you will need to share the results of your exams with the Office of College Admission.

Brown University accepts the Common App, so you need to fill it out completely, along with the included Common App Essay. There are also Brown-specific supplemental essay prompts that are required. 

Your high school will need to send in two letters of recommendation from teachers and one from a counselor, along with your mid-year report, official transcripts, and final school report. 

Some components of the application package are optional yet recommended. The SAT and ACT score submissions were optional for applicants during the 2022–2023 admission cycle. In addition, Brown has done away with the SAT essay and the ACT writing test requirement.

If you are applying during a time when a “test-optional” policy is in place, it’s strongly recommended that you still take the SAT or ACT (or both) more than once. That way, your highest scores can help strengthen your application. 

Another optional (but strongly recommended) part of your application is a supplemental portfolio if you excel in music or art. You can submit a two-minute-long video portfolio or an alumni interview, both of which are optional.

Always keep in mind that, no matter what required or optional materials you submit with your application, you should focus on your intended major and/or area of interest. If you plan to major in a STEM field, for example, at least one of your teacher recommendations should come from a teacher in that field. 

Finally, students who are applying to the PLME program or the Brown-RISD Dual Degree program are required to submit additional essays.

Brown does not award course credit for Advanced Placement exam scores. However, many academic departments recognize AP exams either for placement into a particular course and/or as a way to “test out of” specific requirements. 

The scores a student must earn to qualify for placement or credit vary from one department to another. The college provides additional information about specific policies in place regarding various department requirements. 

In addition, Brown does not grant course credit for college-level or dual-enrollment courses that you may have taken before you enrolled as an undergraduate student. 

For many years, Brown University offered applicants the opportunity to sit with an alumnus for an interview as part of the application process. However, in recent years, Brown has moved away from interviews and now encourages applicants to film a two-minute personal video introducing themselves instead. 

Brown encourages the video introduction because it believes the approach ensures equity across the pool of applicants each year. This video introduction should tell the admissions staff all about you in your voice. 

The video shouldn’t repeat information that is already included elsewhere on your application. Instead, it should be a valuable way of showing the staff why you want to attend Brown and who you are beyond the test scores, GPA, and class rank.

The staff does not look for any specific format or topic for the video; that’s the point — it should be completely all about you. You can take viewers on a tour of your hometown or discuss your favorite things. 

You can tell a story or discuss something that lights you up on the inside. You can talk about a book or other form of media that changed your life or explain how you think your friends see you. 

To help you master how to get into Brown, keep the following video intro guidelines front of mind:

• Don’t go over the two-minute mark
• Make sure the video is in landscape orientation
• Speak directly to the audience; it will not be evaluated for production quality
• Begin your video by saying, “Hi, my name is ___ from ___ High School”

In addition, you should dress as you usually would for a day of school; formal dress is not required. 

Some examples of the previous essay prompts for Brown include:

• Discuss the academic interests that inspire you and how you might use the Open Curriculum to pursue them
• Whether spectacular or mundane, complex or simple, explain something that brings you happiness
• Discuss a time when you were challenged by someone’s perspective different from yours

Generally, the answers to the above essay prompts should be no more than 250 words in length. There are three essay questions that are required for PLME (Program in Liberal Medical Education) applicants:

• How does your personal background give you a unique perspective on medicine?
• As a future doctor, how will you make a positive impact?
• How do you see the PLME helping you meet your goals as a doctor of the future?

There is one essay prompt for RISD Dual Degree program applicants:

• Describe why and how the dual degree program would provide an ideal education for you

When answering the above prompt, limit your essay to 650 words and make sure you clearly express how you would contribute to the dual degree community and interdisciplinary work.