HighSchoolOS How to Get Into Brown University
Providence, RI · Private nonprofit · 2025-2026 cycle · Verified data
Brown University Admissions Statistics
How to Actually Get Into Brown University
Understand what 5.4% really means
Below roughly a 15% admit rate, admissions stops being something you earn cleanly and becomes probabilistic. Nearly everyone who applies to Brown University has strong stats, so strong stats get you into contention, not into the class. Treat Brown University as a reach no matter your profile, and build real targets and a real safety underneath it. If your list is all schools like this one, your expected outcome is mostly rejections, regardless of how strong you are.
Position your scores against the real bands
The middle 50% of enrolled students sits around 1510-1580 combined SAT or 34-35 ACT. Above the 75th percentile, scores work for you, though at this tier they only buy you a ticket. Below the 25th percentile, the rest of your application has to carry the file, treat it as a reach. Scores are required here, so plan your testing calendar early enough to retake once.
Use the Early Decision round deliberately
Brown University offers Early Decision, which is binding. The early bump is real but overstated (hooked applicants cluster early and inflate it). Spend ED once, on the school where it actually moves you a tier, and only if the money works without comparing aid offers. If that school is Brown University, the deadline table below is your calendar.
The supplements are where files separate
Brown University asks 10 supplemental questions (the exact prompts are below). At this tier, essays decide between equally qualified contenders, generic answers read as generic everywhere, so specificity about Brown University is the whole game. Answer why THIS school, with details that could not be pasted into another application.
The bigger picture: no single school decides your outcome, the shape of your whole list does. Read how top counselors build a college list before you finalize where Brown University fits.
Brown University Application Deadlines (2025-2026)
| Round | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Early Decision (ED) | November 1, 2025 |
| Regular Decision (RD) | January 5, 2026 |
Deadlines verified from official sources for the 2025-2026 cycle. Rounds change year to year, always confirm on the school's site before submitting.
Brown University Supplemental Essay Prompts
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1. In order to be considered for the The Brown | RISD Dual Degree Program (BRDD), applicants must apply to both Brown and RISD. You must submit the same BRDD supplemental essay with both applications. 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 and engage with diverse spheres of academic and creative inquiry. Considering your understanding of the academic programs at Brown and RISD, describe how and why the specific blend of RISD's experimental, immersive art and design program and Brown's wide-ranging courses and curricula could constitute an optimal undergraduate education for you. Reflect on how you might integrate or synthesize content, approaches, and methods from these two distinct learning experiences. Additionally, how might you contribute to the Dual Degree community and its commitment to interdisciplinary work?
650 words
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2. Committing to a future career as a physician while in high school requires careful consideration and self-reflection. Explain your personal motivation to pursue a career in medicine, and why the Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME) will best meet your professional and personal goals.
500 words
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3. Write your response (250 words or fewer)
250 words
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4. Please inform us of the exams and scores you find most meaningful.
250 words
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5. 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 pursue them at Brown.
250 words
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6. Students entering Brown often find that making their home on College Hill naturally invites reflection on where they came from. Share how an aspect of your growing up has inspired or challenged you, and what unique contributions this might allow you to make to the Brown community.
250 words
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7. 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.
250 words
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8. If you could teach a class on any one thing, whether academic or otherwise, what would it be?
100 words
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9. In one sentence, why Brown?
50 words
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10. Who will you ask for recommendation letters? Teachers: 2 required. Other recommenders: up to 1 optional. List only.
50 words
Application Requirements & Costs
| Application platform | Common App |
| Application fee | $80 |
| Test scores | Required |
| Writing supplement | Required |
| Counselor recommendation | Required |
| Teacher evaluations | 2 |
Brown University Cost & Financial Aid
| Total cost of attendance (sticker, per year) | $87,648 |
| Tuition & fees | $71,412 |
| Room & board (on campus) | $17,444 |
| Average net price (aid-receiving families) | $25,184 |
What You'd Actually Pay, by Family Income
Average net price per year (after grants and scholarships) for aid-receiving families, from federal College Scorecard data:
| Family income | Average net price / year |
|---|---|
| $0-30k | $-420 |
| $30-48k | $2,031 |
| $48-75k | $5,858 |
| $75-110k | $16,219 |
| $110k+ | $44,937 |
These are averages, not your number. Get your family's actual price in about 10 minutes:
Use Brown University's Official Net Price Calculator →More Brown University Data, Coming Soon
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