International Applicants
Admission Criteria
In considering whether or not Brown is the right choice for you, you should feel confident that your accomplishments would allow you to be admitted to a leading university in your own country.
You should complete secondary school. Brown first-year students will have completed 12-13 years of primary and secondary schooling.
You should plan to sit for national and international examinations, such as the GCE A-levels, German Abitur, French Baccalauréat, Chinese Gaokao, and International Baccalaureate, and submit the predicted or actual scores for those examinations as part of your credentials for admission to Brown. We expect the actual scores to be submitted before matriculation. At the time of application, you and your school should submit a request in writing if you are in a national curriculum but are not planning on taking the corresponding external examinations.
Standardized Test Results
We require either the SAT Reasoning Test and any two SAT Subject Tests or the ACT (with writing component) Note: We will not require applicants to Brown's Class of 2021 and beyond who take the new SAT Reasoning Test to take the optional writing section, but they still must provide results from two Subject Tests. For applicants to the Class of 2021 and beyond who take the ACT: we strongly encourage, but do NOT require, the writing component.
Official test results must be sent directly to Brown from either the College Board, which administers the SAT, or from the American College Testing Program, which administers the ACT.
To have scores sent to Brown, you will need to provide our institutional code numbers:
For the SAT, Brown's code number is 3094
For the ACT, Brown's code number is 3800
You are welcome to take advantage of the College Board's Score Choice option, but this may delay your scores being received by Brown---a delay may mean we will not read your application until we receive a full set of official test scores.
Please note: we encourage students to have at least one set of scores in our office by the appropriate application deadline.
Proficiency in English
Since English is the language of instruction at Brown, you must demonstrate that you:
Understand English as spoken in the classroom.
Express thoughts quickly and clearly in both spoken and written English.
Read English with ease.
English language proficiency must be achieved before you are admitted. Brown does not offer courses in English as a Second Language for its undergraduates and does not accept on a provisional basis students who are deficient in English. We highly recommend that international applicants take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the IELTS and arrange for Brown to receive the official results. A TOEFL score of 600 or above on the written exam or 100 or above on the internet-based exam, or an 8.0 on the IELTS, is expected in most cases. If your score on the SAT Critical Reading test is above a 650, it is not necessary to take the TOEFL or IELTS.
Financial Aid
International students are eligible to apply for University financial aid; however, funding is limited. International applicants must apply for financial aid and receive University Scholarship at the time of their admission to Brown to be considered for financial aid at any point during their 4 years at Brown University. International students who do not apply for and receive financial aid upon admission to Brown, are not eligible for institutional aid in subsequent years even if a student's financial circumstances change or a sponsor discontinues providing support.