Non-Profit Private
Accredited · New England Commission on Higher Education
Providence, Rhode Island
5.2% Acceptance Rate
Brown University — Admission Snapshot 2026
A complete at-a-glance picture of every metric that matters for your 2026 application
5.2%Acceptance Rate
3.94Avg GPA
1546Avg SAT
35Avg ACT
$84,986Annual Cost
$93,487Grad Salary
13.3%Pell Grant
Acceptance Rate
5.2%
Avg GPA
3.94
Avg SAT
1546
Avg ACT
35
Selectivity
Extremely Competitive
Institution Type
Non-Profit Private
Campus
Main Campus
Accredited By
New England Commission on Higher Education
SAT Middle 50%
1500–1570
ACT Middle 50%
34–35
Need-Based Aid
13.3% receive Pell
Brown University, founded in 1764, is a leading Ivy League institution known for its innovative Open Curriculum and vibrant intellectual community. Located in Providence, Rhode Island, Brown encourages students to design their own academic paths, fostering creativity and interdisciplinary exploration. The university's faculty includes renowned scholars and researchers who mentor students in small, engaging classes. Brown's campus features a mix of historic and modern buildings, with state-of-the-art labs, libraries, and performance spaces. Ranked among the top universities in the U.S., Brown excels in fields like humanities, life sciences, and international relations.
Brown's commitment to diversity and inclusion is reflected in its student body, which represents over 100 countries. The university's research initiatives address global challenges, from climate change to public health. Brown's location in Providence offers students access to a thriving arts scene and internship opportunities in nearby Boston and New York. The university's emphasis on community engagement is evident in its partnerships with local organizations. Alumni include leaders in academia, business, and the arts, showcasing Brown's broad impact. Its unique educational philosophy continues to attract students seeking a personalized and transformative college experience.
Brown University Acceptance Rate
Brown University is one of the leading universities in the USA. It is extremely competitive to gain admission to. The acceptance rate of Brown University is 5.2%. This means that only 5 out of every 100 applicants get admitted.
Admissions Guidelines
- Elite Standards: Admitted students typically rank in the top 2–5% of their high school class.
- Curriculum Rigor: AP, IB, or Honors courses are essential to validate academic readiness.
- Character & Impact: Beyond grades, leadership, research, and unique 'spikes' in extracurriculars drive decisions.
Selectivity at a Glance
Extremely Competitive
Selectivity scale: Extremely Competitive — 5.2% acceptance rate
Most Selective (0%)Open Enrollment (100%)
At this level of selectivity, meeting average GPA and test scores is considered the 'baseline.' Because Brown University values intellectual curiosity, your supplemental essays and personal recommendations are critical in distinguishing your application from thousands of other high-achieving candidates.
Recommended Academic Profile
Candidate GPA Range
Admission Category
Strategic Requirement
3.94 – 4.00
Target Match
Maintain Rigor & High Testing
3.74 – 3.93
Competitive Reach
Focus on Score Compensation
Below 3.49
Secondary Reach
Requires Contextual Support
Data verified via IPEDS, College Scorecard (Nov 2025) and the Common Data Set (CDS). Expert Review led by Sohaib Khan and Dr. Waseem.
Brown University GPA Requirement
The average GPA of the admitted students at Brown University is 3.94. This indicates extreme selectivity in admissions.
To have strong chances, you must aim for straight A's in all courses.
Note: This is an unweighted GPA on a 4.0 scale. Students with AP or IB courses will typically have a weighted GPA of 4.14-4.34 for this same academic profile.If your GPA is between 3.64 and 3.94, then you need a high SAT or ACT score to compensate.
Brown University GPA & Admission Outlook
Assessment: Extreme selectivity; requires elite academic standing.
Recommended Strategy: High Course Rigor (AP/IB/Honors) to validate the grade.
Admissions at Brown University utilize a Holistic Review process. With an average admitted GPA of 3.94, the following table illustrates how your specific academic profile aligns with institutional expectations.
Candidate GPA Range
Admission Category
Strategic Requirement
3.94 – 4.00
Academic Target
Maintain Rigor & High Testing
3.74 – 3.93
Competitive Match
Focus on SAT/ACT Compensation
3.54 – 3.73
Secondary Reach
Personal Statement & Impact
Below 3.53
Institutional Reach
Requires Significant Contextual Factors
Expert Insight: 2026 Evaluation Metrics
- Brown's Open Curriculum is not a marketing tagline - it is a fundamentally different academic contract than what any Ivy League peer offers; at Harvard, Yale, or Columbia, distribution and core requirements structure a significant portion of your undergraduate experience, while at Brown, you and your academic advisor are genuinely responsible for every course selection from day one, meaning students who flourish at Brown are those who arrive with a clear sense of what they want to explore and the self-discipline to pursue it without institutional guardrails.
- Brown's Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME) is one of the most coveted combined BA/MD programs in the country - an 8-year guaranteed medical school track for students who apply as freshmen and are evaluated on a separate, exceptionally competitive admissions pathway - and applicants who are interested in medicine should research PLME explicitly before applying, as the application strategy for PLME differs meaningfully from standard Brown undergraduate admission and requires even stronger demonstrated commitment to both liberal arts breadth and medicine.
- Brown does not publish the average GPA of its incoming class, but given that it lists all academic factors as "very important" in its Common Data Set and that the middle 50% SAT range now sits at 1510-1580, the committee is clearly operating with an extremely high academic baseline - meaning applicants whose academic profiles are borderline should focus their available application energy disproportionately on the essay suite and extracurricular narrative, where Brown's holistic process gives the most room for differentiation.
- The Rigor Metric: At Brown University, a slightly lower GPA (e.g., 3.8) in a transcript featuring multiple AP or IB courses is often prioritized over a 4.0 in a standard curriculum.
- The Upward Trend: If your early high school grades were lower, an upward trajectory in 11th and 12th grade demonstrates Academic Resilience.
Data Source: Verified via IPEDS and latest Common Data Set (CDS). Reviewed by our academic board led by Sohaib Khan and Dr. Waseem.
Check Your Admission Chances at Brown University
Admission Chance Predictor
Real-Time Sensitive Analysis — based on Brown University's verified institutional data
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Calculating Profile...
Adjust the sliders to see how every decimal point affects your outcome.
Your SAT Score 1200
Your Unweighted GPA 3.00
✅ Verified Data: Institutional records for 2026.
Calculated via College Portal's Human-Intelligence (HI) Methodology & Editorial Standards. Verified by Sohaib Ahmad Khan.
Brown University Test Requirements
In this competitive environment, standardized scores are no longer elective; they serve as a critical standardized benchmark to validate high school GPA and course rigor. Applicants should aim for scores within or above the middle 50% range of the 2026 admitted class to remain viable in the Holistic Review process. At institutions that remain test-optional, submitting a high-percentile score is still the primary strategy for securing merit-based scholarships and distinguishing one's profile in a high-volume applicant pool.
Can I Get Into Brown University Without SAT or ACT?
Brown University considers admission test scores (SAT/ACT) during the application process but does not require them. Although it is not strictly a requirement, the test scores are considered for admission decisions. Hence, it is advisable to prepare well for the test and submit the best scores. Normally, students may appear in the test 2 to 3 times to improve their scores.
Brown University Average SAT Score: 1546
The average SAT score of the admitted students at Brown University is 1546 on the 1600 SAT scale.
SAT Competitiveness
SAT 1546 — Extremely Competitive
This score makes it Extremely Competitive for SAT test scores. You need to do extremely well to score 1546 on the SAT.
Key Insight: Aim for the 75th percentile (1570 SAT or 35 ACT) to stand out. If your scores are below average, consider retaking the test. Brown University allows Score Choice for the SAT and Superscoring for the ACT, giving you flexibility to submit your best scores.
If your score is below 1500, retaking the SAT is strongly recommended to improve your chances at Brown University. Retaking the test multiple times is completely normal — most competitive applicants take the SAT two or three times to achieve their best score. There is no official limit on attempts.
SAT Scores Breakdown by Sections
| Section | Average | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Math | 780 | 760 | 800 |
| SAT Reading | 755 | 740 | 770 |
| SAT Composite | 1546 | 1500 | 1570 |
It means that if you have scored less than 1500 then you are below most of the admitted students at Brown University and your chances of admission are very few. But if you have scored 1570 or more, your chances of admission are higher. 25th percentile means that only 25% of the admitted students have fewer scores than this score. 75th percentile marks the score of the upper 25% of the students.
View list of all colleges with average SAT score of 1550
Can I get into Brown University with a 1550 SAT?
With a 1550 SAT Score, your chances of admission at Brown University are good but the admission staff at Brown University tests your all-around personality and your academics. Your GPA, Class performance, SAT/ACT/Test scores, and AP or IB Courses can help your application stand out. Co-curricular and extra-curricular activities and interpersonal communication skills are very important. Additionally, if you cannot perform well in one area, you have a chance to showcase your strengths and abilities in other areas, improving other areas will help you secure admission. You need to show better performance in all areas. An equally high GPA, taking IB or AP Courses and your role in leadership activities will increase your chances of admission. However, if you equally compete well in all other areas, your chances of admission are high.
Brown University ACT Requirements
The average ACT Score at Brown University is 35.
ACT Competitiveness
ACT 35 — Extremely Competitive
This score makes Brown University Extremely Competitive for ACT scores. You need to do extremely well to score 35 on the ACT.
ACT Scores Breakdown by Sections
| Section | Average | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACT Math | 34 | 32 | 35 |
| ACT English | 36 | 35 | 36 |
| ACT Composite | 35 | 34 | 35 |
Can I get into Brown University with a 35 ACT?
A 35 ACT places you at the 75th percentile of admitted students at Brown University — meaning you score higher than 75% of students who were accepted. This is a strong position, but the ACT is just one dimension of your application. Admissions officers at Brown University use the ACT as a benchmark to validate your academic readiness, not as a standalone admission ticket.
Unlike the SAT, the ACT measures four distinct subject areas — English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science — each scored on a 1–36 scale. If one of your section scores is significantly lower than the others, admissions staff will notice the imbalance. For example, a weak ACT Science score at a STEM-focused institution carries more weight than the same weakness at a liberal arts college. It is worth reviewing your section-level scores and addressing any outliers before applying.
One important advantage the ACT has over the SAT is that Brown University — like most US universities — accepts Superscoring for the ACT, meaning they take your highest section scores across multiple test attempts and combine them into a new composite. If you have taken the ACT more than once, confirm whether Brown University uses Superscoring, as this could meaningfully improve your effective composite beyond what any single sitting shows.
Beyond your score, what ultimately determines admission at this level is the strength of your overall profile. Your unweighted GPA, course rigor (AP, IB, or dual enrollment), extracurricular depth, letters of recommendation, and personal essays all carry significant weight. A 35 ACT gets your application through the first filter — but your essays and activities are what move it forward from there.
Your 2026 Admissions Roadmap for Brown University
Elite Strategy: The 'Spike' Approach
To be successful at a world-class institution like Brown University, you must move beyond being 'well-rounded' and demonstrate that you are institutionally necessary.
Master the Open Curriculum Essay - It Is the Heart of Every Brown Application
Brown's defining academic feature is its Open Curriculum, under which students face no distribution requirements beyond their major - giving undergraduates complete freedom to design their own education. The first supplemental essay (250 words) directly asks how you would pursue your academic interests through this structure, and it is the most carefully read and most differentiating document in the Brown application. The committee's own former admissions officers are explicit: avoid clich?s like calling yourself the "architect of your own education" or comparing the Open Curriculum to a buffet - these phrases appear so frequently they have become signals of an underprepared application. Instead, identify two genuinely intersecting academic interests you hold, name specific Brown courses from the actual catalog that serve each one, and articulate how Brown's freedom - uniquely - allows you to pursue the intellectual combination that no other university's curriculum structure would accommodate as cleanly. The essay should demonstrate academic vitality: the committee wants to feel your excitement jump off the page.
Brown accepts Early Decision applications with a November 1 deadline and mid-December notification. Admitted ED students must enroll and withdraw all other applications. Brown's ED acceptance rate is consistently and meaningfully higher than its Regular Decision rate - in a pool where the overall acceptance rate is approximately 5%, the ED rate is roughly double. Beyond the statistical advantage, ED signals to Brown's committee that the Open Curriculum and Brown's particular intellectual culture are not just appealing to you among several alternatives, but that they represent your specific first-choice academic environment. Given that Brown's Open Curriculum is genuinely different from every peer institution's structure, a student who has thought carefully enough to conclude that Brown specifically is their first choice carries a credibility in the ED process that is evident in their essays and strengthens the entire application.
Write All Six Supplemental Prompts With Strategic Non-Redundancy and Intellectual Honesty
Brown's 2025-26 supplemental package is among the most demanding in the Ivy League: three essays of 200-250 words each, one 3-word response, one 100-word response, and one 50-word response. Every prompt is designed to reveal a different facet of your identity, intellectual character, and community contribution - and the most common strategic failure is redundancy, where applicants tell the same story or highlight the same traits across multiple responses. Before writing, map each prompt to a distinct dimension of yourself that hasn't been covered in the Common App essay. The community prompt asks how your background has inspired or challenged you and what you'd contribute to Brown's College Hill community. The third longer prompt asks what brings you genuine joy. The shorter prompts test specificity and creative self-awareness. Use each as an opportunity to present a new angle, not a rephrased version of material already in your file.
Standardized Tests Are Now Required - and Your Extracurricular Depth Must Demonstrate Self-Direction
Brown reinstated mandatory standardized testing beginning with the Class of 2029 admissions cycle, after an extensive internal review of testing data. The middle 50% of admitted students scores approximately 1510-1580 on the SAT and 34-36 on the ACT - among the highest ranges at any American university. Submit your strongest scores and, where possible, superscore. Beyond test scores, Brown's holistic review places heavy emphasis on extracurricular depth and self-direction - qualities that align with the Open Curriculum's demand for internally motivated learners. Brown's committee actively prefers a student with a B in an AP course who demonstrated genuine intellectual initiative outside the classroom over a student with an A who played it safe. Sustained research, community leadership, artistic creation, or entrepreneurial work with documented outcomes will consistently outperform a scattered list of clubs and honors societies in Brown's holistic evaluation.
Expert Insight: Submitting a Brown application in which the Open Curriculum essay uses generic language - praising Brown's flexibility without naming specific courses, explaining how your particular interdisciplinary interests cannot be accommodated at peer institutions, or demonstrating that you have actually read Brown's course catalog - is the most common and most damaging strategic error Brown applicants make; the committee reads thousands of Open Curriculum essays each year and can identify in the first two sentences whether an applicant has genuinely engaged with the academic freedom Brown offers or is simply repackaging a standard "why this college" essay with Brown's name inserted.
Brown University Profile
Full Name
Brown University
City
Providence
State
Rhode Island
ZIP Code
2912
Type
Non-Profit Private
Campus
Main Campus
Official Website
Accredited By
New England Commission on Higher Education (NECHE)
Is a Brown University Degree Worth It?
Getting into Brown University can be a great opportunity for many students. It is a prestigious institution known for its strong programs. However, whether it is worth it depends on your personal and academic goals, as well as your financial situation. Brown University offers a rigorous academic environment and access to cutting-edge research, but it may not be the best fit for everyone. It's important to consider factors such as cost, location, and specific academic programs when making this decision.
Please note that the average household income of the admitted students at Brown University is $79,000 and the graduate unemployment rate is 3.28%.
How much does a degree from Brown University Cost?
The average annual cost of the degree at Brown University is $84,986. As most of the students receive Pell Grants and Federal Grants the average annual net price a student has to pay at Brown University is much less than this.
13.3% of the students are receiving Pell Grant and 9.2 percent are receiving Federal Grants. So it is a better choice to go to Brown University and apply for PELL or federal loan grants.
At Brown University, you will have no problem receiving any scholarship from the federal government. Fill in the FAFSA application form at the earliest and enlist Brown University as your choice in the form.
How much does a Brown University Graduate earn?
The average annual salary of the graduate after 4–6 years of graduation is $93,487. An average Brown University graduate makes this much after 10 years of enrollment (4–6 years after graduation).
The average annual income of a graduate in the United States is $40,595.
Compare Similar Colleges
Less Competitive Schools
These schools have lower average SAT or ACT scores than Brown University. If your SAT or ACT score is slightly lower, you'll be competitive for these schools.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claremont McKenna College | Claremont, CA | 1514 | 34 |
| Pomona College | Claremont, CA | 1520 | 34 |
| University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA | 1501 | 34 |
| Wesleyan University | Middletown, CT | 1513 | 34 |
| Yale University | New Haven, CT | 1534 | 34 |
| Emory University | Atlanta, GA | 1507 | 33 |
| Northwestern University | Evanston, IL | 1526 | 34 |
| University of Notre Dame | Notre Dame, IN | 1510 | 34 |
| Bowdoin College | Brunswick, ME | 1514 | 34 |
| Colby College | Waterville, ME | 1500 | 33 |
Equally Competitive Schools
These schools have the same range of average SAT or ACT scores as Brown University. If your SAT or ACT score is competitive, you'll be competitive for these schools also.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey Mudd College | Claremont, CA | 1537 | 35 |
| University of Chicago | Chicago, IL | 1554 | 35 |
| Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, MD | 1553 | 35 |
| Harvard University | Cambridge, MA | 1553 | 35 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge, MA | 1553 | 35 |
Degree Programs at Brown University
Bachelor Degree Programs
Full list of all degree programs offered by Brown University →
Frequently Asked Questions About Brown University Admissions
Graduates of this university typically earn a high salary, $93,487 annually, depending on the industry.
The tuition fee at this university is quite high, approximately $84,986 or more per year, so it is important to consider additional funding options.
13.3% of students receive a Pell Grant here, which is below the national average of around 35%. This institution serves a higher proportion of higher-income students. Merit-based scholarships may still be available regardless of financial need — check the official financial aid page of the institute for details.
The acceptance rate of Brown University is 5.2% which is extremely low. Admission is highly competitive, and only the top candidates are accepted.
The average GPA of admitted students is 3.94. This reflects the competitive academic profile expected from applicants.
While there is no single cutoff that guarantees a rejection, admission staff uses your GPA to determine if you are a best fit. If you have at least a 3.64, you are in the standard pool. If you are below a 3.64, we need to focus on your personal essay and letters of recommendation to explain the context behind your grades.
If your GPA is 3.54 or less, it may make admission difficult. However, your chances may improve if you have strong test scores, extracurricular activities, and essays. But this does not mean that you must not apply, or you do not have any chances. With additional AP courses, you can increase your chances even with this GPA.
While the average GPA of admitted students is 3.94, applicants with lower GPAs can still be considered if they have strong test scores, extracurriculars, and compelling personal essays that demonstrate resilience and potential.
Admission to Brown University is based on SAT, and a strong SAT score is essential. Aim for scores above 1546 for the best chances, although the overall application strength also matters. Your SAT must be in the range of 1500–1570.
Yes, many students successfully transfer each year. Be prepared with your academic transcripts, recommendation letters, and a solid personal statement to make your application competitive.
To improve your chances, focus on excelling academically, building a strong extracurricular profile, and submitting standout essays. High SAT/ACT scores are also crucial for competitive admissions.
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