Brown University

For Fall 2025, 42,774 first-year students applied to Brown, 2,710 were admitted and 1,719 enrolled: an acceptance rate of 6.3%.

Source: Brown Common Data Set 2025-2026 (Office of Institutional Research) (opens in a new tab), section C1. Read Oct 1, 2026.

By residency, first-year applicants, Fall 2025

Source: Brown Common Data Set 2025-2026 (Office of Institutional Research) (opens in a new tab), section C1, residency table. Read Oct 1, 2026.

By school or major. Brown's Common Data Set reports one first-year acceptance rate for the whole university, with no rate by concentration.

Source: Brown Common Data Set 2025-2026 (Office of Institutional Research) (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.

Early decision. Brown has no early action plan.

Early decision, Fall 2025

Source: Brown Common Data Set 2025-2026 (Office of Institutional Research) (opens in a new tab), sections C21 and C22. Read Oct 1, 2026.

108 majors across 1 school. Every concentration (major) in Brown's official 2026-27 University Bulletin, with the degree it leads to: the A.B. (bachelor of arts), the Sc.B. (bachelor of science) or either. Certificates are left out.

For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027

Deadlines are 11:59 p.m. in your local time. You apply through the Common Application, with the $80 fee or a fee waiver. Early Decision applicants, a parent or guardian and the school counselor sign an Early Decision Agreement, and the counselor sends first-quarter or first-trimester grades. The midyear report is due February 27. Optional music or visual art work goes through SlideRoom by November 4 for Early Decision and QuestBridge Match applicants and by January 7 for Regular Decision. The eight-year Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME) and the five-year Brown and RISD Dual Degree Program ask for their own essays. Regular Decision applicants reply by May 1.

Source: Brown Admission, First-Year Application Checklist (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.

Early Decision is binding: if admitted, you withdraw all other applications, including regular, rolling and early action ones. While you apply Early Decision to Brown you may not apply to another school's early decision, single-choice early action or restrictive early action plan. A deferred application is read again with Regular Decision; a denied applicant may not reapply that year. Brown says it makes the same decisions under Early Decision that it would under Regular Decision.

Source: Brown Admission, Early Decision (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.

For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027

Brown requires the SAT or ACT of first-year applicants, as it has since the 2024-25 cycle. There is no minimum score, and scores are read in the context you are applying from. Brown superscores, and you can report your scores yourself on the Common App; official scores are needed only if you are admitted and enroll. The SAT essay and the ACT writing and science sections are optional. Early Decision applicants should test by the last October test date, Regular Decision applicants by the last December test date.

Source: Brown Admission, Standardized Testing (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.

The Common Data Set also marks the SAT or ACT as required to be considered for admission, with scores due by January 5. Its one exception is first-year veterans who apply through the veteran application.

Source: Brown Common Data Set 2025-2026 (Office of Institutional Research) (opens in a new tab), section C8. Read Oct 1, 2026.

For students applying in fall 2027, entering fall 2028

Not announced yet. When we checked Brown's admission pages on October 1, 2026, we found no announced changes for fall 2028 entry. The deadlines and rules above are for fall 2027 entry.

Source: Brown Admission, Standardized Testing (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.

The published cost of a year at Brown, 2026-2027:

For an incoming first-year student, fall and spring semesters. Books and course materials are covered by Brown for most students on University Scholarship; other students' budgets carry a $1,300 allowance. Travel is set by home address. Neither is in the $99,994 total. Health insurance is required and is not included.

Source: Brown Office of Financial Aid, Cost of Attendance 2026-27 (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.

Average net price per year, by family income, 2023-24:

What first-year, full-time students who received federal aid paid after grants and scholarships, by family income, in 2023-24, the latest year the Department of Education publishes. Your own price comes from Brown's aid offer.

Source: College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.

Chosen for how close each is to Brown University on acceptance rate, public or private, location and majors offered.

• Dartmouth CollegeHanover, NH · Private6% admitted$29,519 average net price
• Bowdoin CollegeBrunswick, ME · Private6.8% admitted$14,398 average net price
• Colby CollegeWaterville, ME · Private7.1% admitted$17,180 average net price
• Northeastern UniversityBoston, MA · Private5.6% admitted$30,915 average net price
• Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD · Private6.1% admitted$18,809 average net price

Admitted: each school's latest first-year acceptance rate, so the year can differ from school to school; each school's page names its year and source. Average net price: what federal aid recipients paid per year after grants, 2023-24, and the in-state figure for a public university.