Transfer Guide To Applying To Brown: Components of the Application


You will find below the essential components of an application for admission to Brown. A brief description accompanies each item, but you should also refer to the Application Timeline and the Question and Answer sections of these instructions. We hope the Tips on Applying will help you with this work. If you are studying outside the United States or have been home-schooled, you should refer to the Questions and Answers prepared especially for you.

Brown Transfer Application: Supplement to the Common Application

PLEASE NOTE:  The Supplement form is currently being revised and will be available here and on the Common Application site soon.

This supplementary form provides information that we find helpful in considering your application to Brown in particular. It must be submitted before we can start an application file for you. We suggest that you read the entire form before beginning your work. Because the Supplement complements the Common Application, you would be wise to review that form, too.
The Supplement can be submitted online, which is the preferred method, but you may also print out and mail the form if you wish.

Common Application – 2008-09 Transfer Application

This form must be submitted in addition to the Supplement. The Common Application can be submitted online, which is the preferred method, but you may also print out and mail the form if you wish.

The Common Application serves as a general application to a large number and range of colleges, so it contains questions and requests information that may not be applicable to all institutions. For instance, you will see in the Future Plans section of the form options for indicating intention to apply for merit-based scholarships (Brown’s financial aid is based entirely on need), and desire to live in college housing (Brown transfer students must live in residence halls unless excused by the Director of Residential Life under policies established by the Dean of Student Life), and we only have full-time students who intend to earn a degree. Please be aware that the Common Application forms may contain items like these which are not directly relevant to Brown.

Common Application College Official’s Report and College Transcript

This form must be completed by a dean or other college official who has access to your academic record and your disciplinary record. You should download and print the form, present it to the college official, and ask that it be mailed to the Brown Admission Office. It is not possible to submit this form online.

An official transcript of your college academic record is also required and must be sent to the Admission Office directly from your college. The transcript should show any courses in progress. If necessary, an interim unofficial transcript of current work may be submitted, but a final, official transcript will be required at the end of the academic year.

Note: if you have attended more than one college, you must also request a College Official’s Report and official transcript from your previous school(s).

Common Application College Instructor Evaluations (Two)

You should select two of your present or former college instructors to complete recommendations for you. You should download and print the form, present it to your instructor, and ask that it be mailed to the Brown Admission Office. It is not possible to submit this form online.

Note: if you are considering the Sc.B. degree, at least one of your recommendations should come from a math or science instructor.

Common Application Secondary School Report and High School Transcript

This form must be completed by the guidance counselor or other appropriate school official of the secondary school from which you graduated. This form can be found on the page of Common Application downloadable forms in the First-Year Application Packet. An official transcript of your complete high school academic record is also required and must be sent to the Admission Office directly from your school.

Note: if you have attended more than one high school, you must also request a Secondary School Report and official transcript from your previous school(s).

Standardized Test Results

For freshman applicants, Brown normally expects to see either the SAT Reasoning Test (SAT I) and any two SAT Subject Tests (SAT II), or the complete ACT (with Writing).  For transfer students, we also prefer to see such scores.  However, since the college you are endeavoring to transfer from may not have required such examinations as part of their admission requirement, we will not retroactively place this as a requirement on you as a Brown transfer applicant  But please note that the SAT’s give us one tool (among others) of comparing applicants across a wide variety of secondary school preparation, and so we do encourage you to take one or the other, if you have not done so previously.

If you have taken either test earlier, and the results are on your high school or college transcript, that is acceptable.  If not, you must have official test results sent directly to Brown from either the College Board, which administers the SAT, or the American College Testing Program, which administers the ACT. The Brown institutional code numbers are:

For the SAT, Brown’s code number is 3094
For the ACT, Brown’s code number is 3800

International applicants or students whose first language is not English should take the Test of English as a Foreign Language
(TOEFL) and arrange for Brown to receive official results.

Financial Aid Application

Financial aid for transfer students is limited, but we do our best to meet need when possible. In order to apply for financial assistance, you must submit the College Scholarship Service (CSS) PROFILE form and the Free Application for Scholarship Aid (FAFSA) application by the requisite deadlines. You must also check “yes” to the question on the Common Application that asks whether you intend to apply for financial aid.

For detailed information about financial aid at Brown, please visit the Undergraduate Financial Aid Web site.

Application Fee

A processing fee of $70 is required at the time you submit your application. You may use a credit card for an online transaction, or you may send a check or money order to the Admission Office. If the fee will present a considerable financial hardship for you and your family, you may ask a college official to submit a Fee Waiver Request at the time you apply for admission.

International Students

The application process is the same for students regardless of citizenship or the location of the schools from which they are applying. However, if your university or secondary school is outside the United States, we ask that you provide all the relevant credentials and documentation that would be required for admission to university in your home country.

Also, please note that international applicants or students whose first language is not English should take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and arrange for Brown to receive official results. More information for international applicants can be found in the Questions You May Have section of these application instructions.