All applicants must complete and submit an application form, through which many application components are also submitted. 

You will be required to submit a 250 to 500 word essay. Essay prompts for 2026 will be available later this year. 

You may choose to submit a supplementary essay to address something not covered in other parts of the application. (For example, to provide information about your extracurricular activities, an explanation for inconsistent grades or other circumstances you’d like the Admissions Team to consider.)

This nonrefundable fee must be paid by credit card within the secure application form:

• Application fee when submitted by April 6, 2025: $65
• Application fee when submitted on or after April 7, 2025: $100

If you would like to apply for an application fee waiver, please visit the application fee waiver page to learn more.

Your academic records must be submitted with your application.

Please note: official transcripts are not required, and academic records do not need to be submitted by a school guidance counselor. 

You must submit your complete grades from the current academic year in addition to all grades from the previous academic year. Grade submissions must be in English and contain your full name as well as the academic term represented. 

Acceptable submissions may include, but are not limited to:

• Unofficial transcript
• Report card
• Progress report
• Marksheets
• Screenshot of grades from a school portal (it must contain your full name)
• Narrative assessment

Please include an explanation of the grading scale used by the school(s) if different from the U.S. grading system. Failure to submit all requested documents will leave an application incomplete, and the application will not be reviewed. 

Within the application, you may choose to provide the name and email address of a teacher, counselor, community leader or employer who can attest to your social maturity and academic performance. Recommendations are not required though we strongly suggest you submit a recommendation if any of the criteria below pertain to you.

• Interest in Summer@Brown, or a specific course offering within Summer@Brown, and will be under the age of 15 as of June 15, 2025
• Interest in STEM for Rising 9th and 10th Graders program, or a specific course offering, and will be under the age of 14 as of June 15, 2025
• Interest in the Brown Environmental Leadership Lab (BELL) offerings
• Interest in the Brown Experiential Education (BEE) offerings
• Inconsistent grades — any grades of C or below

Please note that a recommendation is required to accompany all Pre-Baccalaureate Program applications.

Upon entering this information into the application form, an email containing a recommendation form will be sent to the recommender. 

Please note: If you indicate you will be submitting a recommendation, we will only accept our recommendation form. Applications will not be considered complete until we receive the recommendation. If you have a question about a recommendation requirement after you have indicated you will submit one, please contact Program Advising at precollege@brown.edu.

Applicants for whom English is not their primary language should give serious consideration to their level of English language proficiency. Brown University’s Pre-College Program provides both academic challenges typical of college-level study and opportunities to experience the social aspects of college life in the United States. A high degree of proficiency in English — equivalent to what would be expected of a first-year undergraduate — is crucial to having a successful experience. 

Students who participate in Brown University's Pre-College Program must have a strong command of the English language in order to succeed in academic study, involving the ability to:

• Speak clearly and coherently on a variety of topics.
• Write clearly on a range of topics.
• Listen and understand complex topics.
• Read and understand detailed and lengthy texts on academic subjects.
• Independently navigate a college campus in an urban environment.
• Communicate effectively with peers in social settings.

International students who do not speak English as their primary language will be asked to submit one of the following:

TOEFL

• The TOEFL iBT test is a 2 hour test that measures English reading, listening, speaking and writing skills. You can choose to take the TOEFL test at home or at a test center. Scores are generally available 4-8 business days after the test is taken. Register here to take the test. Please note that we do not accept TOEFL MyBest scores to fulfill this requirement.
  • Important: Please use DI Code D876 when sharing your scores with our office. Also note that we are only able to accept the TOEFL iBT Test.
  • Our minimum score to be considered for Summer@Brown, Leadership Institute, BELL programming and BEE programming is 105. Students with a score between 90 and 105 may be considered for our Language in Context program. A score above the minimum does not guarantee admission to any program, as we read applications holistically.
  • Please note that scores must be from tests taken on, or after July 1, 2024. We are unable to accept scores from prior to this date.

Duolingo English Test

• Important: Be sure to share your results with Brown University’s Division of Pre-College and Undergraduate Programs, not Brown University Undergraduate Admission. It may take up to three business days after you have shared your results with us for it to be reflected on your application checklist in your portal.
• Please note that scores must be from tests taken on, or after July 1, 2024. We are unable to accept scores from prior to this date.
• Generally, a successful applicant has a score of at least 130. Students with a score between 120 and 130 may be considered for our Language in Context program. Please note that achieving these scores does not guarantee admission to Brown Pre-College, as all applications are considered holistically.

Students may take the Duolingo English Test or the TOEFL examination prior to beginning an application or after submitting an application.