Brown University - IVY League

Admission Counselling :

Written by UnivAdmitHelp
Category: Insights & Information
Published on 28 Jan 2017

Brown is most known for its open curriculum, which allows undergraduate students to design their own academic program, and their commitment to diversity and inclusion makes them unique. Open curriculum help students become intellectual risk-takers, deeply creative thinkers and entrepreneurial problem-solvers.

What would get me admitted to the Brown University?

At Brown University, in the admission process for undergraduate students, the most important consideration is your high school performance and preparedness.

When it comes to assessing performance, they look beyond your grades to also consider how well you have mastered certain skills associated with learning. They review your teacher recommendations to get a sense of your curiosity, problem-solving abilities, and openness to different points of view, ability to express yourself orally and in writing, work ethic, etc. In order to assess preparedness, they review the depth and breadth of the academic learning you have undertaken thus far. They want to know whether you have taken advantage of the courses available to you in your school, and whether you have challenged yourself in advanced classes, and whether you have stretched yourself with outside-of-school educational opportunities.

Brown University is a private university located in Providence, Rhode Island and is a private Ivy League research university. It was founded in 1764 and is the seventh oldest university in the United States. It was named Brown in 1804 after the son of merchant and college co-founder Nicholas Brown Sr. It's setting is city, and the campus size is 146 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Brown was the first college in the United States to codify in its charter that admission and instruction of students was to be equal regardless of their religious affiliation.

Early Decision Results

Brown University reported its Early Admission results for the Class of 2027 in December 2022. According to Associate Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Admission Logan Powell, in pool of 6,770 early decision applications for Class 2027, there was an increase of 10% applications for ED as compared to the last year. The university accepted 879 applications which is 13% acceptance rate of ED for Class 2027. To increase your chances, one should apply early.

Need Blind for International Students

Brown has started few financial aid initiatives for international undergraduates. It is also looking to become fully need-blind for international students by 2025.

Important Facts for Class 2026 (as per Brown Facts)

Total number of applications to the undergraduate - 50,649

Total number of Undergraduates admitted – 2,560

Acceptance Rate – 5.0% for Class 2026

Need-based Scholarship – 50% of the Class 2026

Average SAT Score – 1440 - 1550

Average ACT Score – 32 – 36

Average GPA – 3.6 – 4.0

Brown’s Student Faculty Ratio – 6:1

According to US News Brown University is #13 in the national Universities. It’s a private university.

*Popular majors of Brown University are

Computer Science – 10.8%

It is a critical tool for pursuing an ever-broadening range of topics, from outer space to the workings of the human mind. In most areas of science and in many liberal arts fields, cutting-edge work depends increasingly on computational approaches.

Econometrics and quantitative economics – 8.9%

Economics is one of the most popular major in Brown and it has much broader scope than many students realize. Economics offers joint concentrations with Applied Math, Computer Science, and Mathematics. Students with challenging courses will train them for any future they desire be it in the economy, government, or academia.

Mathematics and Applied Mathematics – 6%

The mathematics program is designed to present students with challenging courses that will train them for any future. Applied Mathematics allows students to use mathematics in problems arising in the physical, social sciences, life and engineering.

Biology/biological sciences – 5.9%

Brown’s program helps students with the knowledge, skills, and collaborative spirit required to tackle some of society’s more pressing issues – from disease prevention to preserving Earth’s natural heritage. Supports students to do lot of research work and place students in the role of scientists. They allow students to engage with learning material in innovative ways that promote independent thinking.

Political science and government – 3.9%

The Political Science department has a great reputation for intellectual pluralism, creativity and research productivity. It is one of the largest and most dynamic concentrations at Brown. Undergraduates gain skill in critical thinking, empirical analysis, and normative inquiry, preparing them for leadership careers in the public, nonprofit and private sectors.

Engineering (General) – 3.5%

Brown Engineering is unique place to lean as it emphasizes on interdisciplinary education and recognizes engineering is intertwined with every aspect of our lives. Most important thing it enable to combine their engineering programs to with Brown’s rich offerings with arts and humanities.

* From US Dept. of Education (IPEDS)

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Acceptance rate

In Brown University the acceptance rate is ~9% for undergraduate programs for class 2020, wherein 3015 students got accepted out of 32,390 applications.

Now, the number of the applications brown received for class 2026 has increased to 50,649 which can be due to it's test-optional policy and their new financial aid initiatives. Overall, the applications received by IVY leagues have also increased. The acceptance rate has come down to 6.9% for class 2026.

Why Brown?

Brown believes in ‘Open Curriculum’ for undergraduates wherein the students themselves are responsible for designing individualized programs of study across multiple departments. Their open curriculum ensures students get freedom in directing the course of their education, but the university also expects them to remain open to people, ideas, and experiences that may be entirely new.
Brown is renowned for its distinctive student body - independent, energetic, mature, responsible, and self-directed – and for its educational culture that fosters and reinforces these qualities as essential elements of their education.
Approximately 20 percent of Brown students go for combined degrees where they complete their baccalaureate degrees with more than one concentration within the standard four years of study.

What are the most popular programs at the Brown University?

Brown University is an independent, coeducational Ivy League institution comprising undergraduate and graduate programs, plus the Alpert Medical School, School of Public Health, School of Engineering and the School of Professional Studies. Brown has well-regarded programs in English and history, and the highly ranked Warren Alpert Medical School.

For Masters and PhD’s, the admission committee views your application from the lens of the stream you are applying to, and they look individual fitment with the respective programs. The scores of GRE/GMAT do matter but fundamentally they are looking for qualities needed to excel in that field. This means that even if you have not got your desired GMAT/GRE score but if you are able to establish your credentials in the chosen field, you could still make it. In engineering programs, for example, you can establish your credentials through your undergraduate projects, internships, published research papers, etc. In graduate program for English they look for applicants who are asking provocative and potentially productive literary questions and who are interested in exploring such questions in a rigorous intellectual environment. For all graduate programs it is important to demonstrate that the applicant would fit in well with their program’s strengths and the university culture.