📍 Providence, RI •Official Admissions Portal ↗
Brown has reinstated its standardized testing requirement beginning with the Class of 2029. Brown is famous for its Open Curriculum and seeks self-motivated students.
The test-optional era is rapidly ending across selective institutions, with 72 colleges and university systems requiring SAT or ACT scores for students entering in fall 2027 and another six setting future reinstatement dates.
Common App data reveals that test-submitting applicants now outnumber non-submitters for the first time since 2020, as admissions experts analyze why competitive SAT/ACT scores provide a crucial edge even at remaining test-optional institutions.
The College Board has officially opened the CSS Profile for the 2027–2028 academic year, unlocking access to over $14 billion in nonfederal institutional aid across hundreds of colleges with fee waivers available for families earning up to $100,000.
The U.S. Department of Education officially opened the 2027–28 FAFSA form to the general public on September 23, marking the earliest release in program history and enabling applicants to submit federal aid documents well before November 1 early application deadlines.
The Brown first-year applicants page has been updated (2,747 -> 5,833 chars). What was added: + Undergraduate Admission  First-Year
Brown Admission by the Numbers
Harvard University will require standardized test scores for admission starting next cycle, reversing a previous commitment to remain test-optional through the Class of 2030.
Brown does not formally use third-party applications to check whether applicants used artificial intelligence in admissions essays, according to Associate Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Undergraduate Admission Logan Powell.
Federal financial aid guidelines confirm that unemployment compensation received in 2025 is imported directly into the 2027-28 FAFSA via IRS data exchange, raising the Student Aid Index and altering institutional aid calculations.
Admissions counselors warn that fragmented university AI policies and unstated expectations of 'AI literacy' in personal statements are creating a severe digital divide for low-income and first-generation applicants.
Federal Student Aid published its official 2027–28 Counselors and Mentors Handbook alongside updated Student Aid Index (SAI) guides to assist advisors and families following the early nationwide rollout of the federal aid form.
Administrators and researchers from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, MIT, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, Penn, and UChicago gathered to address systemic outreach gaps and trust barriers facing rural high school applicants.
A federal judge granted an emergency injunction halting the Education Department's plan to publicly disclose individual foreign donors to elite universities, shielding institutional endowment contributors and donor privacy.
Brown University will eliminate its $80 undergraduate application fee for all seniors attending Providence public and charter high schools starting with the Fall 2027 entry cycle across both Early Decision and Regular Decision.
Stanford, Harvard, Yale, MIT, Caltech, and Brown have been issued federal subpoenas in a broad Department of Labor probe into J-1 visa staffing and foreign scholar appointments on federally funded research.
Brown University received federal subpoenas regarding its sponsorship of J-1 exchange visitor visas and employment practices for international scholars and researchers.
Essential application timeline for Brown University first-year candidates for the 2026-2027 cycle, highlighting the November 1 binding Early Decision deadline, January 5 Regular Decision cutoff, and reinstated standardized test score requirements.
Admissions strategists outline how elite universities evaluate arts portfolios, how faculty reviews serve as admissions tip factors, and what dual-degree programs like Harvard-NEC and Columbia-Juilliard require.
Decision release schedule for Brown University Class of 2031 candidates, detailing mid-December notifications for Early Decision applicants and coordinated early April Ivy Day releases for the Regular Decision applicant pool.
An op-ed in The Brown Daily Herald argues that generative AI complicates traditional college essay evaluation, urging admissions officers to prioritize authentic student character and lived experiences over polished prose.
An October 2026 survey of 133 selective colleges confirms that virtually no top institution requires the optional ACT Science section for fall 2027 admissions, with all Ivy League universities, MIT, and Stanford leaving it optional.
Data released by Brown and RISD registrars shows the highest cross-registration numbers in five years, offering applicants key insights into dual-campus academic integration and the Open Curriculum.
Brown University has approved a new undergraduate concentration in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE), establishing an integrated interdisciplinary major within the Open Curriculum.
The College Board reported a second consecutive year of mean SAT score increases across all demographic groups for the Class of 2026, with 42% meeting college readiness benchmarks on the digital exam.
Ahead of application deadlines for the Class of 2031, The Herald examines admissions at Warren Alpert Medical School, highlighting the prominent 8-year Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME) that accounts for nearly half of the incoming class.
Dartmouth advanced to a tie for No. 12 in the 2027 U.S. News Best Colleges rankings, sharing the position with Columbia University and highlighting its test-required admissions framework and universal need-blind financial aid.
Washington University in St. Louis climbed four positions to No. 16 in the 2027 U.S. News rankings, benefiting from strong alumni starting salaries under the new earnings-by-major formula and its expanding no-loan financial aid program.
Columbia University climbed three spots to No. 12 in the 2027 U.S. News Best National Universities ranking, tying Dartmouth College and surpassing Brown and Cornell, despite marking its fifth year of boycotting data submissions.
Cornell dropped two spots to No. 14 in the 2027 U.S. News National University rankings, tying with Carnegie Mellon as a newly introduced post-graduation earnings by major metric reshaped Ivy League standings.
A federal judge denied motions to dismiss in an antitrust class action alleging that Penn, Duke, Northwestern, and peer elite universities use binding Early Decision programs to restrain trade and suppress financial aid competition.
High school seniors applying for full four-year Match Scholarships to top partner universities face the upcoming October 1 deadline for the 2026 QuestBridge National College Match application.
Brown cut the number of supplemental questions on its application for fall 2027 applicants, dropping the one-sentence 'Why Brown?' prompt and the three-word description question.
For the first time since 2023, Brown has changed its required supplemental essay questions for first-year and transfer applicants. The fall 2027 application no longer asks applicants to explain in one sentence why they want to attend Brown, and drops the prompt asking for three words that best
A comprehensive report from Class Action finds that while legacy admissions preferences dropped nationwide to 23 percent of institutions, 57 percent of top colleges with sub-25 percent acceptance rates continue giving admissions boosts to alumni children.
Brown's ED acceptance rate for Class of 2030 was 16.5%, with 890 admitted from 5,406 applications. Down from 17.9% for Class of 2029. RD rate near 4%. Swing tracks Brown's reinstated testing requirement.
Brown's Early Decision acceptance rate fell to 16.5% for the Class of 2030, with 5,406 students applying early and 890 admitted. The overall acceptance rate is approximately 5.2%, with ED offering roughly a 3x advantage over Regular Decision.
Recent WashU Brown School graduate Mustafa Rfat is a 2026–27 Clifford Roberts Fellow. The prestigious Gettysburg College fellowship recognizes outstanding doctoral students whose research reflects President Dwight D.
Expert breakdown of Brown University's supplemental essay prompts for the 2026-2027 application cycle, with strategy tips for Open Curriculum and short answer responses.
Applicants to the Brown Class of 2030 were greeted with a 5.35% acceptance rate, drawn from a record 47,937 applications. Given that 19 of every 20 applicants are turned...
Brown Supplemental Essays 2026-27 — Prompts & Advice
Brown admitted 2,564 students from 47,937 applicants for Class of 2030, a 5.35% rate down from 6.34% for Class of 2029. ED admitted 890 students at 16.46% from 5,406 applications. 1,674 offers came through Regular Decision.
I still remember the day my oldest child decided to apply to Brown. I scoured the admission data that year, determined to find some ray of optimism in an otherwise dismal landscape of bloated applicant pools, plunging admit rates, and impossibly high application standards.
Brown University admitted 2,564 students to the Class of 2030 for an overall acceptance rate of 5.35%. A total of 47,937 prospective students applied, with 890 admitted Early Decision from 5,406 ED applicants (16.46% ED rate).
Brown University's acceptance rate is 5.4% for the 2026 cycle. The middle 50% SAT range is 1420-1550 and ACT is 32-35. Brown continues to be one of the most selective Ivy League institutions.
Brown's ED rate has declined from 15.9% (Class of 2025) to 12.98% (Class of 2027). Overall acceptance rate is approximately 5.4% with SAT 1420-1550 and ACT 32-35.
Brown admitted 890 students through Early Decision at a 16.46% acceptance rate, with 1,674 offered admission through Regular Decision. Overall acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 is 5.65%.
Brown's acceptance rate dropped to 5.35% for the Class of 2030, down from 5.65% for the Class of 2029, with fewer than 6 in 100 applicants earning admission.
Brown admitted 1,674 applicants to the Class of 2030 at a 5.35% rate. Regular decision admits have until May 1 to accept or decline. Overall acceptance rate of 5.65% as of Fall 2025.
Brown admitted 1,674 regular decision applicants plus 890 early decision students to the Class of 2030, for a total of 2,564 admits from 47,937 applications (5.35% overall rate). Early Decision rate was 16.5%, slightly lower than last year's 17.9%.
Brown admitted 2,564 students (1,674 RD + 890 ED) from 47,937 applicants for a 5.35% overall acceptance rate. 42,531 applied regular decision and 5,406 early decision.