Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island is widely known as the ‘artsy Ivy’. It is the only Ivy League school with an open curriculum, and is known for seeking out and embracing students who aren’t simply brilliant — but also who are committed to thinking differently, living impactful lives, and lifting others up. Providence offers the perfect backdrop for the Brown experience, a small city with a strong creative ethos (it doesn’t hurt that the city is also home to RISD, an iconic school of art and design). Given the nontraditional open curriculum, we aren’t surprised the Brown receives fewer applications than most of the other Ivy League school: just under 48,000 for the Class for 2030. The acceptance rate, however, is still precipitously low. Brown of first-year applicants in the 2025-2026 application cycle.
When students come to us with Brown at the top of their list, they also have one question at the tip of their tongue: “Can I get in?” With Brown, more so than nearly any other hyper-selective university, the answer isn’t simple. Having the grades and the scores, which we’ll break down in this post, isn’t enough. Being creative and driven isn’t enough. Doing awesome things outside of the classroom isn’t enough. Loving what Brown offers, also, isn’t enough. So, can you get into Brown? Maybe — if you take the right next steps.
Now, ideally, we have a year or more to work with our students to craft acceptance-earning Brown applications, but there are still things that you can do between today and when you press submit that will make a difference for your application. In this post, we will break down the actions you need to take and the key strategy steps you need to be implementing to increase your chances of getting into Brown. And, if it starts to get overwhelming, get in touch. We can help.
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Getting into any Ivy means meeting an incredibly high bar academically, but as we’ve said it is so much more than that. We break the big picture process down into five steps, and actually writing the application is step 5. Most of the work happens before you write an essay, fill out an activities section, or send a transcript. So, let’s dive into it.
Step 1: Polish Up your Grades and Scores
You’ve been working hard getting great grades in hard classes, and that is awesome because it is the baseline the Brown expects to see. Brown does also have for applicants. This is not standard of most undergraduate programs, which recommend a certain number of history, science, math (and more) courses, but Brown actually requires that you have fully diversified transcript. If you have not compared your courses in high school against the Brown distribution requirements, now is the moment to do this. Senior year is your last chance to become eligible for Brown admission, as submitting an application that doesn’t meet their requirements will not be considered.
Strong applicants to Brown when compared against their peers, too.
| Class Rank | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Top 10th of HS graduating class | 93.00% |
| Top Quarter of HS graduating class | 98.00% |
| Top Half of HS graduating class | 100.00% |
| Bottom Half of HS graduating class | 0% |
| Total submitting class rank | 29.00% |
In addition to your top-notch transcript, Brown requires that all applicants submit an SAT or ACT score as part of their application. This is non-negotiable, and submitting super high scores is necessary to increase your chances of admission. This is because strong scores underline a strong transcript, while low scores cause them to question how rigorous your high school academic program actually was.
The university does not express a preference for either the SAT or ACT, but like most top schools far more students () submit the SAT versus the ACT (28%). Our advice is to try taking both tests and then double-down on the one you perform best at. But what does ‘best’ look like? This is how the scores break down for recently accepted and enrolled students.
| Test | 25th Percentile | 50th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Composite | 1470 | 1,520 | 1,550 |
| ACT Composite | 33 | 35 | 35 |
What these scores tell us is that Brown cares about the SAT or ACT — that is why they require standardized test scores — but they don’t put so much weight on the scores that simply having high scores gets you in. Don’t take the score range above, however, as a reason to stop studying. Strong applicants need to be submitting scores above the 50th percentile.
But, again, scores aren’t everything for Brown. Grades ultimately matter more, and who you are may well matter most.
Step 2: Pinpoint a Passion
What Brown wants to see just as much as your stellar transcript is a specific passion tied to a sense of purpose. Purpose doesn’t only refer to giving back, although it can. Rather, purpose means that internal tug that pulls you towards a particular path. This could be a career, a field, a problem you want to solve, or a solution you want to create.
When we work with our students, pinpointing a passion is a profoundly important first step. This passion will serve as the frame from your entire application. So, we help our students confirm a passion they already have, or to identify and develop an interest into a passion that can become that strong scaffolding for an impressive Brown application.
Ultimately, what matters most isn’t what your passion is (as long as there is some sort of academic tie-in). Rather, it is specificity as that is where we find your niche.
Step 3: Niche Down
Big passions are cool, and Brown knows that your specific interest within your passion may change once you get onto campus. You’ll take courses that inspire new avenues and create new opportunities, and they are excited for you to do that. In the application, though, it is extremely important that find focus. We call this your niche.
When we help our students to identify their niche within their passion, it is often rooted in what they see as their most likely prospective concentration (what Brown calls a major). Again, concentrations can change, but for the purpose of the Brown application you need to be confident in your path.
To play out an example, let’s say that you love writing and foreign language, and books in translation are your passion. Then maybe you have your eyes set on a Comparative Literature concentration — but Comparative Literature wouldn’t be your niche, because that is dry and boring and not inspiring for anyone. Instead, your niche may be literature in a particular language that isn’t English, or the work of a specific author.
Everything on your application should not be oriented towards your niche, but the niche does provide a further lens through which to assess you for application readers.
Step 4: Edit your Extracurriculars
It is almost certain that you live a pretty packed life. You have a lot going on, a long list of responsibilities, leadership roles that take up a lot of your time. It’s also almost certain that, if we were to be working with you, we would advise you not to try to squeeze all of this onto your application. A strong Brown application isn’t about sounding the busiest, but instead being focused.
We work with our students to edit how their extracurriculars appear on their application such that they address three key buckets for Brown:
Leadership
Community
Creativity
How you fill these three categories really depends on who you are, but there are certain things that Brown is most interested in seeing:
Research
Internships
Outside classes/coursework
Part-Time/Summer Jobs
Long-term volunteer work
If you haven’t done any of these things, there is still time to add something in before you need to press submit. No, you may not have time to do research. An internship, a part-time job, or committing to a local non-profit is still possible, so don’t let a tight timeline discourage you from making it happen.
Step 5: Apply!
We are finally to the place where you probably thought we were going to start — writing the actual application. But actually, before you even start writing you need to decide what deadline you are aiming for. Brown offers two options for first year admission: Early Decision or Regular Decision. If you want to get into Brown, though, there is only one option.
Brown gives very strong preference to Early Decision applicants. The numbers prove that applying Early Decision offers a 3x chance of acceptance. Even when adjusted for recruited athletes and ‘special consideration’ applicants, like children of faculty, this is a massive improvement of the odds of admission.
| Early Decision (Class of 2029) | Number |
|---|---|
| Applicants | 5,062 |
| Accepted | 907 |
| Acceptance Rate | 17.90% |
| Early Decision (Class of 2030) | Number |
|---|---|
| Applicants | 5,406 |
| Accepted | 890 |
| Acceptance Rate | 16.50% |
Now, that boost is only real if you are an impressive applicant. If you aren’t a strong Brown applicant, the ED boost really is irrelevant. That said, Early Decision is still your best option for getting into Brown.
If you choose to apply Regular Decision, you are looking at a painfully lower rate of acceptance.
| Regular Decision (Class of 2030) | Number |
|---|---|
| RD Applicants | 42,531 |
| RD Accepted | 1,674 |
| RD Acceptance Rate | 4.00% |
Whichever route you choose to take, Early Decision or Regular Decision, it is critically important that you do not lose yourself in the application-writing process. “But how could that happen? I am writing about myself!” you may be insisting. Yes, writing the Brown application does mean you write about yourself, but we are consistently astonished by how many students are encouraged to de-center themselves in their application or to put the emphasis in the wrong places. All of a sudden, an attractive applicant can become unlikeable and misunderstood, simply by picking the wrong topic for a supplement. You have one application and maybe only 5 minutes of an application reader’s time to make an impression, and it needs to be a good one.
To help guide you on the unquantifiable pieces of the application, remember to keep in mind . After your grades and scores, who you are is the most important thing they are looking to learn. Your character and your drive must be communicated clearly for any piece of your application to be successful.
| Nonacademic Factors | Very Important | Important | Considered | Not Considered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interview | X | |||
| Extracurricular activities | X | |||
| Talent/ability | X | |||
| Character/personal qualities | X | |||
| First generation | X | |||
| Alumni/ae relation | X | |||
| Geographical residence | X | |||
| State residency | X | |||
| Religious affiliation/commitment | X | |||
| Volunteer work | X | |||
| Work experience | X | |||
| Level of applicant’s interest | X |
This, of course, comes out most strongly in the Brown supplement. Brown has not released their 2026-2027 supplement yet, and we will have a post specifically dedicated to how to best approach it as soon as it comes out. In the meantime, practice writing responses to the questions , most of which will probably be on the 26-27 application.
Conclusion
Applying to Brown is more an art than it is a science. Having the best grades won’t get you in. Having exceptional scores also won’t get you in. What Brown is looking for, ultimately, is for students who have the numbers but who stand out beyond them. You have to be more than great on paper for Brown to give your application serious consideration.
If you are considering either of the Brown undergraduate degree programs that require a special application, the Brown|RISD Dual Degree or the PLME program, you are facing odds that make regular brown admissions look like a gentle weekend hike. We highly recommend seeking expert guidance on how to craft your application for either application, and for an assessment of whether you are even a strong candidate before you even start writing.
If you want to craft the perfect application for Brown, reach out to us today.