Guide To Applying To Brown: Applying Options


Early Decision or Regular Decision

Brown offers two options for applying to the University. Most students choose our Regular Decision plan. You would apply by January 1st and have our decision by early April. Admitted students are expected to decide whether to enroll by May 1st, which is the Common Reply Date for many colleges. Alternatively, if you are confident that Brown is your first choice college and that you would surely accept an offer of admission if given, you can choose our Early Decision plan. You would apply by November 1st and receive a decision by mid-December. If you apply and are admitted under the Early Decision plan, you are committing to enroll at Brown. Should you feel unable to make that commitment when you apply, you would be advised to apply under the Regular Decision plan, which allows you to consider other college choices before making a final decision by May 1st.

PLEASE NOTE:  The Early Decision option is reserved for applicants who have not applied to any other Early Decision or Early Action programs (Ivy League or non-Ivy League institutions). Brown reserves the right to withdraw the applications of Early Decision applicants who do so.

Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME)

Brown offers a special program for a select group of students who are committed to a career in medicine and also have a strong inclination toward a broad liberal education. PLME students complete a four-year undergraduate program and take full advantage of Brown’s open curriculum. They then proceed directly for study at Brown’s Warren Alpert School of Medicine. Students will have earned either the A.B. or Sc.B. degree and the M.D. degree after eight years at Brown. To apply for the PLME option, you must indicate your interest on the Brown Supplement and respond to the additional essay questions, which you will find on the Supplement. For more information about the Program in Liberal Medical Education, please click here.

PLME is not the only option for students who are planning or considering careers in medicine. A number of Brown students include all of the requisite courses for medical school in their curriculums and take advantage of “pre-med” advising resources on campus.


Brown-RISD Dual Degree Program

Brown and the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) offer a five-year dual degree program for a select group of students who wish to combine study in the liberal arts with concentrated work in the fine arts. Dual degree candidates would complete approximately half of their course work at each institution and graduate with the A.B. degree from Brown and the B.F.A. degree from RISD. To be considered for this program, you must apply to Brown and to RISD independently and also complete the Brown-RISD Dual Degree Program supplemental essay which can be found here. Only students who have been admitted to both Brown and RISD can be considered for the dual degree program. Some fields of concentration at Brown are not open to dual degree candidates (e.g., Engineering, Visual Art). For more information about the program, including details about the application process and the submission of art portfolios, please click here.


Degree Programs and Academic Fields

While we do not expect all applicants to be fully committed to a particular degree program or field of academic interest, it is helpful to us to know about your current thoughts regarding your academic plans. On the Brown Supplement we ask you to indicate whether you expect to pursue the Bachelor of Arts degree (A.B.) or the Bachelor of Science degree (Sc.B.). We also request that you tell us your top choices of academic fields—as far as you know at the time you apply. This information is used to give us a sense of your academic inclinations only. We do not attempt to regulate the number of admission offers according to “quotas” for degree programs or academic fields of concentration.

Please refer to the tables below which contain a listing of the fields of concentration within the two degree programs. If you are submitting a paper version of the application, please use the codes indicated for the degree programs and concentrations to complete the appropriate section in the Brown Supplement.

Concentration Concentration Code Degree
Africana Studies AFRI Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
American Civilization AMCV Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Ancient Studies ANCT Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Anthropology ANTH Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Applied Mathematics APMA Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Applied Mathematics APMA Bachelor of Science (Sc.B.)
Archaeology & Ancient World ARAN Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Architectural Studies ARCH Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Biochemistry BCHM Bachelor of Science (Sc.B.)
Biology BIOL Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Biology BIOL Bachelor of Science (Sc.B.)
Biophysics BIOP Bachelor of Science (Sc.B.)
Chemical Physics CHPH Bachelor of Science (Sc.B.)
Chemistry CHEM Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Chemistry CHEM Bachelor of Science (Sc.B.)
Classics CLAS Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Cognitive Neuroscience COGN Bachelor of Science (Sc.B.)
Cognitive Science COGS Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Cognitive Science COGS Bachelor of Science (Sc.B.)
Commerce, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship COE Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Community Health COMH Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Comparative Literature COLT Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Computational Biology CSBI Bachelor of Science (Sc.B.)
Computer Science COMP Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Computer Science COMP Bachelor of Science (Sc.B.)
Development Studies DEVL Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
East Asian Studies EAST Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Economics ECON Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Education EDUC Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Egyptology EGYT Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Engineering ENGN Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Engineering (with concentration in Biomedical, Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Materials, Mechanical) ENGN Bachelor of Science (Sc.B.)
English ENGL Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Environmental Sciences EVSC Bachelor of Science (Sc.B.)
Environmental Studies EVST Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Ethnic Studies ETHS Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
French Studies FRCL Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Gender & Sexuality Studies GNSS Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Geological Sciences GEOL Bachelor of Science (Sc.B.)
Geology GEOL Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
German Studies GMST Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Hispanic Studies HSLC Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
History HIST Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
History of Art and Architecture HIAA Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Human Biology BIOA Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Human Biology BIOA Bachelor of Science (Sc.B.)
International Relations INTL Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Italian Studies ITAL Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Judaic Studies JUDS Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Late Antique Cultures ANTQ Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Latin American & Caribbean Studies LACS Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Linguistics LING Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Literary Arts LITA Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Marine Biology MBIO Bachelor of Science (Sc.B.)
Mathematics MATH Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Mathematics MATH Bachelor of Science (Sc.B.)
Medieval Cultures MDVC Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Middle Eastern Studies MIDE Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Modern Culture and Media MCMD Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Music MUSC Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Neuroscience NEUR Bachelor of Science (Sc.B.)
Philosophy PHIL Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Physics PHYS Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Physics PHYS Bachelor of Science (Sc.B.)
Physics & Philosophy PHPH Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Political Science POLS Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Portuguese and Brazilian Studies POBR Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Psychology PSYC Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Psychology PSYC Bachelor of Science (Sc.B.)
Public Policy PPAI Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Religious Studies RELS Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Renaissance and Early Modern Studies REMS Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Russian Studies RUSS Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Science and Society SCSO Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Sociology SOC Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Sociology SOC Bachelor of Science (Sc.B.)
South Asian Studies SAST Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Statistics STAT Bachelor of Science (Sc.B.)
Theatre Arts & Performing Studies TAPS Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Undecided UNDC Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Undecided UNDC Bachelor of Science (Sc.B.)
Urban Studies URBN Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Visual Art VISA Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)

 

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