Undergraduate Admission
Source: https://admission.brown.edu/first-year/application-checklist Parent: https://admission.brown.edu/counselors
Undergraduate Admission
Application Checklist for First-Year Applicants
Breadcrumb
Application Checklist for First-Year Applicants
- Early Decision application deadline - November 1 (11:59 p.m. applicant's local time).
- Regular Decision application deadline - January 5 (11:59 p.m. applicant's local time).
- Complete your application via the Common Application.
- Brown’s supplemental essays are submitted through the Common Application.
- Submit the $80 non-refundable application fee or a fee waiver.
- If you are applying to the eight-year Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME) or the five-year Brown|Rhode Island School of Design Dual Degree Program (BRDD) you must complete the special program essays.
- Transcript: An official copy of your high school transcript must be sent by your school counselor or another school official.
- School Report: The School Report form is available through the Common Application website and must be completed and submitted by your school counselor or another school official.
- Midyear School Report and Transcript: Due February 27 or as soon as possible upon the completion of your first semester or second trimester of your final year of high school, the Midyear Report and Transcript can be submitted online through the Common Application by your guidance counselor or another school official. The Midyear Report includes information such as your GPA and class rank (if your school provides this information), and shares with us whether there have been any course changes or other updates since you have submitted your application. It is accompanied by a Midyear Transcript that includes your most recent available grades. If you are not given midyear grades or evaluations (e.g., home schooled students, some non-U.S. schools), please include a note explaining your circumstances under the “Additional Information” heading on the writing section of the Common Application.
- Counselor Recommendation: Please note that the School Report and Counselor Recommendation are separate items on the Common Application. Be sure to “invite” your school counselor to complete both items.
- Two Teacher Evaluations/Recommendations: Two letters of recommendation from teachers who have taught you in major academic subjects (science, social studies, mathematics, a foreign language or English) must be submitted through the Common Application or sent via email or fax. Material sent by email or fax should include the applicant's name, date of birth and high school. If sending letters by email, please send as a PDF attachment.
- Bachelor of Science and PLME Recommendations: If you are considering a Bachelor of Science degree or the Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME), at least one of your recommendations should come from a math or science teacher.
- First Quarter/Trimester Grades: Early Decision applicants are required to have their counselor submit first quarter or trimester grades as soon as they are available. All applicants should have their school submit midyear or second trimester grades as soon as they are available.
- Early Decision Agreement:Early Decision applicants are required to complete the Early Decision Agreement form through the Common Application. This form requires the signature of the applicant, parent/guardian and school counselor. Submitting this agreement confirms your commitment to enroll at Brown if admitted Early Decision.
- Final School Report and Transcript: Due by June 30 for students who have chosen to matriculate at Brown, the Final School Report and Transcript should be submitted online through the Common Application by your school counselor or another school official. The Final School Report confirms your graduation date and alerts us of any course changes or other updates. The Final Transcript will include your final grades and confirm your successful completion of your secondary education.
- Brown University has returned to a policy requiring standardized test scores (either SAT or ACT scores) for first-year applicants beginning with the 2024-25 admission cycle. As we have done in prior years, we will superscore either the SAT or ACT, or both. More information can be found on our Standardized Tests webpage.
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Not determinative, but informative, we have always utilized testing in context as a metric when evaluating student applications. Brown does not have minimum test scores required for admission, and a score that may be below our average test ranges should not deter a student from applying. Considering testing in context means that our understanding of a student’s scores is based on multiple factors, including educational background, socioeconomic status, home and school community, and accessibility to well-equipped testing centers. This type of contextual evaluation is one more resource we can use to ensure equitable consideration of standardized test scores and support academic preparation as we work to create a diverse and dynamic class. This policy will provide greater clarity and consistency in Brown’s admission process and will allow us to be mission-driven and data-informed.
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If you are accomplished in music or visual art, you may include additional supplements with your application in the Common Application through SlideRoom. You do not need to wait for access to your Brown Applicant Portal to upload music or visual art materials to SlideRoom.
- When submitting through SlideRoom, you must create your SlideRoom account and submit your material on or before November 4 for QuestBridge Match applicants, November 4 for Early Decision and January 7 for Regular Decision. All QuestBridge-affiliated applicants submitting a music and/or visual arts portfolio(s) should use the QuestBridge program(s) in SlideRoom; this includes QuestBridge College Match finalists who did not match with a college in the fall but are using the Questbridge Application to apply through Brown's Regular Decision process.
- We cannot assist students with issues submitting their supplements unless they have created an account in SlideRoom and started their portfolio by November 4 (QuestBridge Match applicants), November 4 (for Early Decision) or January 7 (for Regular Decision applicants). Creating a SlideRoom account and starting your portfolio well before submitting your material is strongly recommended to ensure that you are able to meet the submission requirements.
More about Supplementary Materials
Important Dates
- Early Decision application deadline: November 1 (11:59 p.m. applicant's local time)
- Early Decision letters available online: Mid December
- Regular Decision application deadline: January 5 (11:59 p.m. applicant's local time)
- Regular Decision letters available online: Late March
- Commitment deadline for Regular Decision candidates: May 1
Important Notes When Submitting Documents
- Applicants should submit the majority of their application using the Common Application website.
- All official documents, including High School Transcripts, the School and Midyear Reports, Teacher Recommendations, and the Counselor Recommendation must be submitted to the Office of College Admission by the institutions or parties that created those documents. Brown has partnered with slate.org, through which counselors may upload materials directly for applicants. Official documents can be submitted by email to documents@brown.edu or by fax to 401-863-5991. We cannot accept official documents that have been emailed or faxed to our office by applicants themselves.
- After an application has been received, the Office of College Admission will send the applicant a username and password that they can use to check the completeness of their application and upload optional supplementary material.
- Applicants with updates that they would like included in their applications are instructed to upload any new information directly via the Brown Applicant Portal. We are not able to accept updates via email.
- Due to processing time, it is likely that any document received by our office will not be entered into our application database until a week after it has been received. If you have recently submitted a document, please understand that it may take a week or more before it is listed on your application account as having been received. We will email you to let you know if any required documents are missing from your application file.
- Please do not submit duplicate documents unless we let you know that a required document is missing. If an item has been sent electronically, there is no need to mail a duplicate hard copy. Receiving multiple copies of the same item can slow material processing time.