Brown University Acceptance Rate & Admissions Data (2025-2026)
Every figure on this page comes from the school’s own Common Data Set (2025-2026 edition) and was independently verified against official sources.
#13
2026 US News Best National Universities
6.3%
acceptance rate
42,774
applicants
2,710
admitted
17.9%
Early Decision rate (2.8x the overall rate)
How Hard Is It to Get Into Brown University?
Brown admitted 2,710 of 42,774 applicants in its 2025-2026 Common Data Set, a 6.3% acceptance rate. Testing is required again under its current policy, and the binding Early Decision round admitted 17.9% of its pool, about 2.8 times the overall rate, one of the strongest ED advantages among top schools.
Brown is also the home of the Open Curriculum: no distribution requirements, no core. That freedom is the lens its admissions readers use. They are looking for students with enough direction to design their own education rather than students who need a checklist.
Brown University Common Data Set: What It Values Most
Every college officially reports how much each application factor matters in section C7 of its Common Data Set. These are Brown University’s own published ratings from the 2025-2026 edition, not our opinion.
Academic factors
Rigor of coursework
Class rank
Academic GPA
Standardized test scores
Application essay
Recommendations
Nonacademic factors
Interview
Extracurricular activities
Talent / ability
Character / personal qualities
First generation
Alumni relation
Geographical residence
State residency
Religious affiliation
Racial / ethnic status
Volunteer work
Work experience
Level of applicant interest
Writing the Brown University supplement? See every current Brown University essay prompt, with strategies.
What this means
Brown rates eight factors very important: rigor, class rank, GPA, test scores, the essay, recommendations, talent, and character. Two things stand out. First, all four academic factors sit in the top tier, so the transcript and scores are load-bearing here, not a formality. Second, extracurriculars sit one tier down at important, which is unusual for an Ivy. Brown is not counting your activities; it is reading your essays and recommendations for evidence that you can steer your own course.
Testing policy
SAT or ACT scores are required.
How to Get Into Brown University: 3 Ways to Stand Out
- 1
Make the Open Curriculum case concretely. The strongest Brown applications name the combination of fields the student actually intends to pursue and back it with things already done, a project, a job, a course sequence, rather than praising freedom in the abstract.
- 2
Lead with academic evidence. With rigor, rank, GPA, and test scores all rated very important, take the hardest available schedule and submit strong scores; at Brown they are weighed, not just screened.
- 3
Choose depth with a through-line. Since activities sit one tier below the essays that explain them, one sustained commitment that feeds your intellectual story beats a long list, and real-world work gives the essays their proof.
Studying Business at Brown University
Brown has no undergraduate business school or business major: since the Business, Entrepreneurship and Organizations (BEO) concentration was sunsetted after 2020-21, business-minded students take the Business Economics track within the Economics concentration, the Organizational Studies track in Sociology, or the Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship's Entrepreneurship certificate.
Since the Business, Entrepreneurship and Organizations concentration was retired, the practical paths are Economics or Applied Math-Economics plus Brown's entrepreneurship resources, and the application story has to be built from evidence rather than a major checkbox. Students who arrive with a real internship or venture behind them can write the self-directed, cross-disciplinary application Brown's format rewards.
Building a profile for Brown University?
Brown University rates extracurriculars important in its own filing. Real internship experience is exactly that kind of signal.
Brown University Admissions FAQ
Is Brown test optional?
No. Brown requires SAT or ACT scores under its current policy, and its Common Data Set rates test scores very important, the same tier as GPA and course rigor. Plan to test and to submit.
Does Early Decision help at Brown?
The gap is large. Brown admitted 17.9% of Early Decision applicants against a 6.3% overall rate in its 2025-2026 Common Data Set, roughly a 2.8x multiple. ED is binding, so it is a commitment, but at Brown the commitment is unusually well rewarded.
What does Brown look for in applicants?
Eight factors rated very important, spanning the full transcript, scores, essays, recommendations, talent, and character. The unifying theme is self-direction: Brown's Open Curriculum only works for students who can design their own path, and every part of the application is read for evidence of it.
Sources
- Brown University Office of Institutional Research - Common Data Set index page
- Brown University Common Data Set 2025-2026
Data reflects the 2025-2026Common Data Set, the most recent verified edition at the time of publication. Always confirm current requirements on the school’s admissions site.
Campus photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0