Brown University
The Ivy with an Open Curriculum — no distribution requirements, just the courses you design into a coherent education.
- Next deadline
- Not listedConfirm on the official admissions site
- Essays
- 10Prompts
- Supplement
- Required2025-2026 cycle
- Platform
- Common AppAccepted platform
- Selectivity
- 5.1%Highly selective
- Enrollment
- 7,222Mid-size undergrad
Build your Brown University application plan
Track the deadline, review every supplemental essay prompt, and shape each response around one clear admissions story.
Application deadlines
Supplemental essay prompts
- Why School250 words2025-2026
Brown's Open Curriculum allows students to explore broadly while also diving deeply into their academic pursuits. Tell us about any academic interests that excite you, and how you might pursue them at Brown.
- Supplement250 words2025-2026
Students entering Brown often find that making their home on College Hill naturally invites reflection on where they came from. Share how an aspect of your growing up has inspired or challenged you, and what unique contributions this might allow you to make to the Brown community.
- Supplement250 words2025-2026
Brown students care deeply about their work and the world around them. Students find contentment, satisfaction, and meaning in daily interactions and major discoveries. Whether big or small, mundane or spectacular, tell us about something that brings you joy.
- Short Answer3 words2025-2026
What three words best describe you?
- Short Answer100 words2025-2026
If you could teach a class on any one thing, whether academic or otherwise, what would it be?
- Why School50 words2025-2026
In one sentence, Why Brown?
- Supplement500 words2025-2026
Committing to a future career as a physician while in high school requires careful consideration and self-reflection. Explain your personal motivation to pursue a career in medicine, and why the Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME) will best meet your professional and personal goals.
- Supplement250 words2025-2026
Healthcare is constantly changing as it is affected by racial and social inequities, economics, politics, technology, and more. How will you, as a future physician, make a positive impact?
- Supplement250 words2025-2026
Healthcare is constantly changing as it is affected by racial and social inequities, economics, politics, technology, and more. How has your personal background uniquely shaped your perspective on the field of medicine?
- Supplement650 words2025-2026
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. Considering your understanding of the academic programs at Brown and RISD, describe how and why the specific blend of RISD's experimental, immersive art and design program and Brown's wide-ranging courses and curricula could constitute an optimal undergraduate education for you. Reflect on how you might integrate or synthesize content, approaches, and methods from these two distinct learning experiences. Additionally, how might you contribute to the Dual Degree community and its commitment to interdisciplinary work?
How to approach Brown University's supplemental essays
Make fit concrete
Name one academic or community reason, then connect it to a scene from your life. The school detail should prove fit, not decorate the paragraph.
Choose a role before you draft
Decide what this essay should add to the application: evidence, range, bridge, or a new window into your life. Avoid repeating the Common App essay in miniature.
Choose a role before you draft
Decide what this essay should add to the application: evidence, range, bridge, or a new window into your life. Avoid repeating the Common App essay in miniature.
Answer fast, then show texture
Start with the answer, then add one detail only you could write. Short answers get stronger when they sound observed instead of summarized.
Answer fast, then show texture
Start with the answer, then add one detail only you could write. Short answers get stronger when they sound observed instead of summarized.
Make fit concrete
Name one academic or community reason, then connect it to a scene from your life. The school detail should prove fit, not decorate the paragraph.
Choose a role before you draft
Decide what this essay should add to the application: evidence, range, bridge, or a new window into your life. Avoid repeating the Common App essay in miniature.
Choose a role before you draft
Decide what this essay should add to the application: evidence, range, bridge, or a new window into your life. Avoid repeating the Common App essay in miniature.
Choose a role before you draft
Decide what this essay should add to the application: evidence, range, bridge, or a new window into your life. Avoid repeating the Common App essay in miniature.
Choose a role before you draft
Decide what this essay should add to the application: evidence, range, bridge, or a new window into your life. Avoid repeating the Common App essay in miniature.
Use this as a blank structure for a Brown University why-school response, then replace every bracket with your own specifics.
- Open on [specific scene, object, problem, or conversation].
- Show what [choice/action/constraint] reveals about how you think.
- Connect that trait to [school program, community, lab, class, or value].
- End with the contribution you want to make at Brown University, not a compliment.
Need more help with this application?
Use our guides to plan your supplement, sharpen your Why Us research, and review your draft before you submit.
Frequently asked questions
How many supplemental essays does Brown University require?
Brown University has 10 supplemental essays listed for the 2025-2026 application cycle, in addition to the shared application essay.
Does Brown University accept the Common Application?
Yes — Brown University accepts the Common Application.
What is Brown University's acceptance rate?
Brown University's most recently reported acceptance rate is 5.1%.
What is Brown University's "Brown's Open Curriculum allows students to…" prompt (#1, 250 words)?
Brown's Open Curriculum allows students to explore broadly while also diving deeply into their academic pursuits. Tell us about any academic interests that excite you, and how you might pursue them at Brown.
What is Brown University's "Students entering Brown often find that…" prompt (#2, 250 words)?
Students entering Brown often find that making their home on College Hill naturally invites reflection on where they came from. Share how an aspect of your growing up has inspired or challenged you, and what unique contributions this might allow you to make to the Brown community.
What is Brown University's "Brown students care deeply about their…" prompt (#3, 250 words)?
Brown students care deeply about their work and the world around them. Students find contentment, satisfaction, and meaning in daily interactions and major discoveries. Whether big or small, mundane or spectacular, tell us about something that brings you joy.
What is Brown University's "What three words best describe you…" prompt (#4, 3 words)?
What three words best describe you?
What is Brown University's "If you could teach a class…" prompt (#5, 100 words)?
If you could teach a class on any one thing, whether academic or otherwise, what would it be?
What is Brown University's "In one sentence, Why Brown…" prompt (#6, 50 words)?
In one sentence, Why Brown?
What is Brown University's "Committing to a future career as…" prompt (#7, 500 words)?
Committing to a future career as a physician while in high school requires careful consideration and self-reflection. Explain your personal motivation to pursue a career in medicine, and why the Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME) will best meet your professional and personal goals.
What is Brown University's "Healthcare is constantly changing as it…" prompt (#8, 250 words)?
Healthcare is constantly changing as it is affected by racial and social inequities, economics, politics, technology, and more. How will you, as a future physician, make a positive impact?
What is Brown University's "Healthcare is constantly changing as it…" prompt (#9, 250 words)?
Healthcare is constantly changing as it is affected by racial and social inequities, economics, politics, technology, and more. How has your personal background uniquely shaped your perspective on the field of medicine?
What is Brown University's "The Brown | RISD Dual Degree…" prompt (#10, 650 words)?
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. Considering your understanding of the academic programs at Brown and RISD, describe how and why the specific blend of RISD's experimental, immersive art and design program and Brown's wide-ranging courses and curricula could constitute an optimal undergraduate education for you. Reflect on how you might integrate or synthesize content, approaches, and methods from these two distinct learning experiences. Additionally, how might you contribute to the Dual Degree community and its commitment to interdisciplinary work?
Sources and verification
We prioritize Brown University's official admissions pages for school-specific prompts and deadlines, then use application-platform and federal sources as cross-checks. This record was last verified on July 19, 2026 for the 2025-2026 cycle.
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