Information For:

Transfer Applicants

If you are considering completing your undergraduate education at Brown, we encourage you to review the following aspects of the application process that are unique to transfer students. The Guide for Applying contains important information on the application process in general.  

Eligibility
You must have completed at least one full year of college study or equivalent before your planned matriculation at Brown. Both part- and full-time students at accredited two- and four-year colleges may apply for transfer admission. Brown requires all degree candidates to spend two years in residence engaged in full-time study; therefore students with more than two years of college credit are discouraged from applying. Students who are currently enrolled in a dual program or an early admission program should contact the admission office before submitting an application. If you have been out of school for at least six years, you may want to consider our Resumed Undergraduate Education program.

Please note that we do not admit transfer students to the undergraduate years of the Program in Liberal Medical Education nor to the Brown-RISD Dual Degree Program.

The Application Process
Transfer candidates must submit the Common Application and the Brown University Transfer Application Supplement  by March 1. The correct forms will be presented to you by the online system once you register as a transfer student.

We strongly encourage you apply online via The Common Application.  The forms required include the Transfer Application, the Instructor Evaluation, the College Official’s Form, the Mid-Term Report, Brown Transfer Supplement and the Final Report. You must request two letters of recommendation from college instructors or teaching assistants on college stationery. If you are planning to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree, we recommend that one of these recommendations come from a science or math instructor. All recommendations should be from instructors who can provide a detailed and thoughtful summary of your work. The Common Application website will guide you through this process.

Please have an official transcript from your graduating high school sent to our attention. We will also need official transcripts showing final grades from all previous college coursework and all courses in progress. An interim unofficial transcript of current work may be submitted, but a final and official transcript is required. 

We would greatly prefer that applicants submit the Final Report, but we understand this is not always possible – especially if a long period has elapsed since an applicant has completed high school.  We strongly recommend that applicants submit this form, but the form is not required.

    Standardized Testing
    If you are attending a college that required you to submit SAT or ACT scores as part of your original application, then we require that you send us copies of those scores in order to complete your transfer application.  If you are attending a college that did not require you to submit standardized test scores when you first applied we would prefer that you send us results of either the SAT or the ACT; but results of those tests are not required.

    All first-year applicants to Brown must provide test results, but we understand that your current college may have had different entrance requirements. Therefore, we do not require test results for transfer applicants. Test results offer us a valuable tool for comparing applicants across a wide range of secondary school preparations, however, so we encourage you to take either the SAT Reasoning Test and any two SAT Subject Tests or the complete ACT (including writing) if you have not already done so.

    We accept test results if they are sent directly from the College Board (SAT) or the American College Testing Program (ACT) or if they appear on your official high school or college transcript.

    For the SAT, Brown's code number is 3094

    For the ACT, Brown's code number is 3800

    Interviews
    We do not offer personal interviews to transfer students. You will be contacted directly if the admission committee needs further information.

    Admission Criteria
    The admission process for transfer students at Brown is highly competitive. The Board of Admission evaluates each application on its own merits, seeking students whose records demonstrate both academic excellence and personal growth.

    Supplementary Materials
    Transfer students should not submit supplementary materials such as music, art portfolios, and/or writing samples. They are not required and will not be reviewed.

    Important Dates
    Transfer students may enter Brown in either the fall or the spring semester. Although you may indicate your preferred entrance date, it is not always possible for the Board of Admission to grant admission for the semester you have requested.

    Candidates for entry in either semester should submit their completed applications after January 15th and before the March 1st transfer application deadline.

    Transfer Applicants will be able to check the status of their application once a Brown Username has been received at the end of March.

    Decisions will be available mid-May.

    Housing
    With the exception of Resumed Undergraduate Education students, married students, and local students living with their families, all transfer students are required to live in university residences unless excused by the Director of Residential Life.

    Financial Aid
    Financial aid for transfer applicants is limited. To applyfor financial aid, please refer to the financial aid deadlines and instructions for Prospective Students.

    If you have admission-specific questions, please email us at transferapp@brown.edu