Admissions Factors
What Brown Looks For
Brown rates 8 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, class rank, standardized test scores, application essay, recommendations, talent or ability and character and personal qualities.
How Brown rates each factor
Each college sorts 18 factors into four levels on its Common Data Set.
Very important
Important
Considered
The numbers behind the class
Overall admit rate
6.3%
2,710 of 42,774 applicants
Early decision admit rate
17.9%
Early decision admits equal 53% of the class
Admitted from the waitlist
Not reported
93% of those who reported a class rank were in the top tenth of their class.
Frequently asked questions
What does Brown look for in applicants?
Brown rates 8 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, class rank, standardized test scores, application essay, recommendations, talent or ability and character and personal qualities.
Does Brown consider legacy status?
Brown rates alumni relation as "considered" in its 2025-26 Common Data Set.
Does Brown track demonstrated interest?
Brown rates the level of an applicant's interest as "not considered".
What is Brown's early decision acceptance rate?
Early decision: 907 of 5,062 applicants were admitted (17.9%), against 6.3% overall. Early pools include recruited athletes and other students with a strong tie to the college, so the gap overstates the boost for an ordinary applicant.
Source: Brown’s own Common Data Set 2025-26, Section C. Last checked 2026-10-08. The ratings are the college’s own description of its process. Counts are for one entering class.
