Brown University
Brown University is an Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, best known for its Open Curriculum, which frees undergraduates from general-education requirements and lets them design their own course of study. Admission is highly selective — about 6.3% of roughly 42,800 applicants are admitted — and Brown again requires SAT or ACT scores, with enrolled first-years posting a middle-50% SAT of 1470–1550. The university is need-blind for domestic applicants and meets 100% of demonstrated financial need. The figures below are drawn directly from Brown's official Common Data Set.
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Brown admissions statistics
Acceptance rate
Total applicants, admitted students, and enrolled students for the most recent admission cycle.
Early decision
Brown offers binding Early Decision. Applying early can meaningfully change your odds — but ED commits you to enroll if admitted.
Admit rate by application plan
% admitted~3.7× higher admit rate applying early.
Standardized tests
Brown requires standardized test scores for all applicants.
SAT Accepted?
ACT Accepted?
Test Optional?
SAT Scores
ACT Scores
Brown supplemental essays — 2026-2027 cycle
"There is something distinctive about Brown students. It is a blend of intellectual curiosity, creativity, and humility. A commitment to collaboration. An openness to new ideas and perspectives. A desire to make the world better. And it is resilience: the ability to recover and thrive after experiencing difficulties." — President Christina Paxson, 2025 Convocation Address
How will you use these characteristics or others to shape your approach to the Open Curriculum? (Suggested 150-250 words)
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. (Suggested 150-250 words)
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. (Suggested 100-150 words)
If you could teach a class on any one thing, whether academic or otherwise, what would it be? (Suggested 100-150 words)
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Class rank
Where Brown's enrolled first-years placed in their high school graduating class.
Based on the 29% of enrolled students who reported a class rank. Brown does not publish an average GPA.
Admissions factors
How Brown weighs each part of your application.
Rigor of High School Record
Academic GPA
Standardized Test Scores
Application Essay
Recommendations
Extracurricular Activities
Character / Personal Qualities
Talent / Ability
First Generation
Level of Applicant's Interest
Class Rank
Volunteer Work
Work Experience
Geographical Residence
State Residency
Alumni Relation
Racial / Ethnic Status
Religious Affiliation
Cost of attendance
Estimated full-time annual cost from Brown's Common Data Set.
Private universities charge the same tuition regardless of state residency.
Financial aid
Need-based aid statistics for full-time first-year students.
Frequently asked questions about Brown admissions
Yes — Brown is one of the most selective universities in the country, admitting about 6.3% of applicants in the most recent cycle. It drew roughly 42,774 applications and enrolled around 1,719 first-year students, so strong grades and test scores are the baseline rather than a differentiator.
Brown does not collect or report an average high school GPA. Among the roughly 29% of enrolled first-years who submitted a class rank, about 93% were in the top tenth of their graduating class and 98% in the top quarter — so admitted students typically earn top grades in the most rigorous courses their school offers. Rigor of secondary record and academic GPA are both rated very important in Brown's review.
A 1500 is in range but on the lower side: the middle 50% of enrolled first-years scored 1470–1550 on the SAT, with a median of 1520. About 89% of enrolled students scored 1400 or above. Brown has reinstated its testing requirement, so first-year applicants must submit SAT or ACT scores.
Yes. Brown is not test-optional — first-year applicants must submit SAT or ACT scores. Among enrolled students the middle 50% scored 1470–1550 on the SAT and 33–35 on the ACT, and standardized test scores are rated a very important factor in admission.
Brown offers a binding Early Decision plan, and applying early carries meaningfully better odds: Brown admitted about 907 of roughly 5,062 Early Decision applicants, an ED admit rate near 18% versus the 6.3% overall rate. ED is binding, so apply early only if Brown is your clear first choice.
The social sciences are the largest area at about 27% of degrees conferred, followed by computer science (about 13%), mathematics and statistics (about 10%), and the biological sciences (about 10%). Brown's Open Curriculum has no general-education requirements, letting students design concentrations across a wide range of humanities and STEM fields.
Tuition and required fees run about $77,552, with on-campus food and housing adding roughly $19,464 more. Brown is need-blind for domestic applicants and meets 100% of demonstrated financial need — about 49% of first-years receive need-based aid, with an average aid package near $72,838.
Yes — the application essay is rated a very important factor in Brown's holistic review, on par with grades, rigor, test scores, and recommendations. Character and personal qualities are weighed as very important too, while level of applicant interest is not considered, so the essays are where you show fit with Brown's Open Curriculum rather than simply declaring interest.
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Popular majors
Bachelor's degrees awarded in the past year by academic major.
Student-faculty ratio
The number of students for every one faculty member, indicating the average level of access students have to instructional staff.
Campus life
On-campus housing and Greek life participation rates.
Enrollment by gender
Student diversity
Racial and ethnic breakdown of enrolled undergraduate students.
Source: Brown University Common Data Set 2025-2026. Figures transcribed 2026-06-07. Esslo aggregates publicly reported data and is not affiliated with Brown. Banner photo by John W. Schulze, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0). Cite this page as: Esslo College Explorer, “Brown University admissions statistics, transcribed from the 2025-2026 Common Data Set,” https://www.esslo.org/colleges/brown (retrieved 2026-06-07).