Prospective Students

Students who wish to apply to the five-year program must submit separate applications to RISD and to Brown, as well as submit the supplementary essay for the Dual Degree Program at the time of application. Each admission office will conduct a separate evaluation before joint consideration for the Dual Degree Program. Consequently, it is possible that a student could be admitted to RISD only, to Brown only, or to both Brown and RISD but not to the Dual Degree Program. Students accepted into the Dual Degree Program will be enrolled in both Brown and RISD and will be required to complete existing degree requirements for both institutions.

A recording is available of the fall 2022 Ask Admissions Anything session.

Brown | RISD Dual Degree Application Supplement

In addition to applying to both Brown and RISD separately, students who are interested in the Brown|RISD Dual Degree Program must also complete a separate application supplement for the program itself. All applicants must respond to the following prompt:

The Brown|RISD Dual Degree Program draws on the complementary strengths of Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) to provide students with the opportunity to explore and engage with diverse spheres of academic and creative inquiry.

The culmination of students’ five-year program is a capstone project that relates and integrates content, approaches, and methods from two distinct learning experiences.

Considering your understanding of the academic programs at Brown and RISD, describe how and why the specific blend of RISD's experimental, immersive combined studio and liberal arts program and Brown's wide-ranging courses and curricula could constitute an optimal undergraduate education for you. 

Additionally, how might you contribute to the Dual Degree community and its commitment to interdisciplinary work?

Students who plan to apply Early Decision to either institution must submit their Brown|RISD Dual Degree application supplement with the application for the school to which they're applying Early Decision in addition to the institution to which they're applying Regular Decision.  

The Brown|RISD Dual Degree supplemental essay should be the same essay submitted to both institutions.

Early Decision

Applicants may choose to apply to either Brown or RISD under their respective Early Decision Programs, with the understanding that if they are admitted via Early Decision, they agree to matriculate regardless of the outcome of their applications to the other institution and the Dual Degree Program. If admitted through the Early Decision Process to either Brown or to RISD, the applicant is permitted to apply to the other institution through the Regular Decision application process.  In mid-March of the application year, the Dual Degree Admission Committee will convene to discuss the applications of any Regular Decision applicants to the Program, and the applications of any Early Decision applicants who have been admitted or deferred. Final decisions will be mailed in late March or early April, immediately following the regular decision mailing date.

Portfolio Submission

AP Credits

Students cannot accelerate graduation with AP credits. This is a five-year (ten-semester) degree program. Upon approval of deans from RISD, AP credits may be applied toward fulfilling certain distribution requirements. However, they cannot be used to shorten the length of the program.

Deadlines

For deadlines, please consult Brown Admission and RISD Admissions.

Timeline for the 2023-24 Admissions Process

  • Nov. 1, 2023: Early Decision application deadline for both Brown and RISD
  • Mid-December: Early Decisions communicated by both Brown and RISD
  • Jan. 3, 2024: Regular Application deadline for Brown
  • Jan. 16, 2024: Regular Application deadline for RISD
  • Late March or early April, 2024: Dual Degree final decisions communicated (with Brown decision letter)
  • May 1, 2024: Commitment deadline for BRDD Program

Class Size

The number of dual degree students admitted is strictly limited. We seek to enroll a class of 15 students each year.

Other Details

Students can not transfer into the Dual Degree Program, nor can they apply to it after they have matriculated to Brown or RISD. Additionally, not all combinations of majors at RISD and Brown may be possible because of the rigorous demands of the Dual Degree Program. The following are not available with the Dual Degree Program: Brown’s Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME) and RISD's Architecture major.

Questions

We are happy to answer questions about the BRDD Program.

Brown Admission
401-863-2378
[email protected]

RISD Admissions Office
401-454-6300
800-364-RISD (364-7473)
[email protected]