Brown has no university-wide required courses. An application therefore has to show not only the ability to learn but the judgement to decide what to learn.
Brown’s published first-year requirements for autumn 2027 entry: the application and essays, testing, English, Early Decision, the PLME and Brown|RISD programmes, cost and aid. And what each of them means for an applicant schooled outside the United States.
Five questions applicants ask before applying.
Yes. Brown has required the SAT or ACT from first-year applicants since the 2024-25 cycle and superscores either test. There is no minimum score. Brown’s testing page names no alternatives such as the IB or national exams.
Early Decision: 1 November 2026, decision in mid-December, binding. Regular Decision: 5 January 2027, decision by early April, reply by 1 May. Both at 11:59 p.m. in the applicant’s own time zone.
Brown highly recommends one where English is not a first language and was not the language of instruction throughout secondary school. Expected minimums: IELTS 8.0, TOEFL iBT 105 for tests before January 2026 or 5.5 on the new scale, Duolingo 130, PTE 75, Cambridge C1/C2 191.
Brown states that all first-year applicants are admitted need-blind and that it meets 100% of demonstrated need without loans. The page makes no separate exception for foreign citizens. Financial documents: the CSS Profile by 2 November 2026 for Early Decision and 1 February 2027 for Regular Decision.
The direct answer: Brown asks students to build their own course of study and choose among more than 80 concentrations, so the first essay asks directly how the applicant will use that freedom.
There is no university-wide required core. Students sample courses across fields and then choose a concentration. For the application, the committee reads not only the grades but whether the applicant is capable of choosing well.
A school with a fixed curriculum offers little choice of courses. That is not a weakness, but independence then has to be shown outside the timetable: in what the applicant has read, researched or built alone, and in what teachers can say about it.
The direct answer: the Common Application, an 80 USD fee or a waiver, four Brown essays, the SAT or ACT, the school forms with a counsellor recommendation, and two teacher recommendations.
| Prompt | Length | What it tests |
|---|---|---|
| How you will approach the Open Curriculum | 150-250 words | Whether the applicant understands how Brown differs from its peers and can make choices alone. |
| How an aspect of growing up inspired or challenged you | 150-250 words | The applicant’s context and what they would bring to the community. |
| A class you would teach on any one thing | 100-150 words | An intellectual interest, stated briefly and specifically. |
| Something that brings you joy | 100-150 words | The person beyond the achievements. |
The School Report and the Counselor Recommendation are separate items on the Common App; the counsellor is invited to complete both. Two teacher recommendations. Bachelor of Science and PLME applicants need at least one from a maths or science teacher.
Interviews are not part of the current cycle. Brown invites an optional video of up to 90 seconds: by 4 November for Early Decision and 7 January for Regular Decision. International applicants may instead submit an InitialView interview.
The direct answer: Early Decision at Brown binds the applicant to enrol if admitted, rules out parallel ED, SCEA or REA applications, and a denial in the early round is final for the whole cycle.
For an international applicant who needs aid, a binding round means there will be no chance to compare offers from other universities. The early-round decision at Brown is therefore made together with the budget, not separately from it.
The direct answer: both are applied to through the same application with additional essays, and each carries its own caveat for an international applicant.
An eight-year continuum combining undergraduate study with Brown’s medical school. International students may apply, but Brown states plainly that no financial aid is available during the medical school years for those who are neither US citizens nor permanent residents. Three additional 250-word essays. An Early Decision applicant can be admitted to Brown but not to the PLME, and that admission is still binding.
Roughly half the coursework at Brown and half at the Rhode Island School of Design, leading to a Brown AB or ScB and a RISD BFA. Applicants apply to both institutions; only first-year applicants are eligible. One additional essay of up to 650 words. The programme cannot be combined with the PLME.
The direct answer: the published full cost of a year is USD 97,284 (2025-26); Brown meets all demonstrated need with scholarships and no loans.
| Item | Figure or rule | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | 71 700 USD | The 2025-26 table for new students. The 2026-27 figure was not yet published on that page on 28 September 2026. |
| Full cost of a year | 97 284 USD | Tuition, fees, housing, food, books and personal costs, 2025-26. |
| Family income below USD 60,000 | Zero parent contribution | For most families, in Brown’s wording. |
| Income below USD 125,000 | Scholarship of at least USD 74,568 | For most families, in Brown’s wording. |
| CSS Profile | 2 November 2026 / 1 February 2027 | Early Decision and Regular Decision. The FAFSA is for US citizens and permanent residents only. |
A requirement is not yet an answer. This is what each one means for an applicant schooled outside the United States.
Whether the profile shows the applicant choosing what to pursue, not only doing well at what is set.
Brown names no substitutes for the SAT or ACT, so the test date in the applicant’s country is planned before the summer of application.
The IELTS 8.0 benchmark is higher than at most of Brown’s peers: preparation cannot be left for the autumn.
A binding Early Decision makes sense only if the family understands its financial position before November.
For a foreign citizen the medical years of the PLME carry no university aid. That changes what the programme means.
The EDMONT sequence: formal eligibility → academic competitiveness → funding → fit with the university and programme → application strategy. We do not calculate admission probabilities and we promise no outcome.
Tell us where the applicant is studying now and which year they intend to enter. That is enough for a substantive reply.
The Brown University pages this page was checked against.
The EDMONT editorial standards set out how we check facts, date material and correct errors.
The Open Curriculum draws applicants who choose for themselves. A profile review shows whether the evidence for that is there and whether a binding early round is realistic for the family.
ELIGIBILITY → ACADEMICS → FUNDING → FIT → APPLICATION