Brown Transfer Acceptance Rate and Requirements — 2024

December 13, 2023

brown transfer acceptance rate

Getting accepted into Brown as a transfer applicant is every bit as challenging as gaining admission directly out of high school. Yet, if you are sure that this unique and beloved Ivy is the perfect landing spot for you, it is absolutely still worth your time to apply. For those with exceptional college grades, genuine reason for hope exists. After all, Brown does actually accept around 150 transfers each year. This blog will share the Brown transfer acceptance rate as well as other essential pieces of information like the Brown University transfer deadline, requirements, decision date, and much more.

Brown Transfer Acceptance Rate

Below we present the most current available Brown transfer acceptance rate as well as historical data.

In 2023, 2,744 students applied for transfer admission, and 112 were admitted. This means that the Brown transfer acceptance rate is 4.1%. While gender-specific data is not yet available for the 2023 cycle, a look at the previous year reveals the following:

  • Male transfer applicants: 6.3%
  • Female transfer applicants: 4.4%

In 2022, there were 2,828 transfer applicants and 149 individuals were accepted. This means that the Brown transfer acceptance rate was 5.3%.

When trying to get the complete picture of how difficult it is to transfer into a given school, it is important to look at historical data. Some colleges have wild fluctuations in transfer acceptance rates from year to year. Yet, this is not the case here. As you can see, the Brown transfer acceptance rate has been consistently under 8% for the last six years.

Historical transfer rates are as follows:

Year Acceptance Rate
2021 4.3%
2020 3.4%
2019 5.8%
2018 7.7%

Brown Transfer Deadline

The university offers a fall as well as a spring transfer option. The Brown transfer deadline for fall applicants is March 1. Music supplements are due by March 4, and video introductions by March 8. The deadline for spring applicants is October 2. Music supplements are due by October 3, and video introductions by October 9.

Brown Transfer Requirements

The Brown transfer requirements are as follows:

  • Completed Common App for Transfer
  • Final high school transcript
  • Official college transcripts
  • Mid-term report
  • SAT or ACT scores (optional in 2023-24)
  • College Report
  • Two letters of recommendation from college instructors (third letter is optional)
  • There are no interviews but students are encouraged to submit a 2-minute video introduction. This can be uploaded into the Brown Applicant Portal.

Brown University Transfer Acceptance Rate (Continued)

Students who have the best chance to gain admission to Brown have done the following:

  • Are in the process of completing at least one full year of credits. That said, Brown discourages applications from students who have completed more than four full-time semesters of college study.
  • Earned exceptional grades in their first year at a community college or 4-year university.
  • Possess special talents inside or outside of the classroom that set you apart from other high-achievers. For example, research, publications, academic competitions, or demonstrated leadership are just some of the avenues through which an applicant can make a compelling case for admission.

Brown Transfer GPA & SAT/ACT

Over the last three years, the average college GPA of accepted transfer applicants was between 3.86 and 3.91. This is a pretty clear indicator that Brown is looking for students with straight A’s. Moreover, those admitted in 2023 possessed a mid-50% ACT of 34-36 and a mid-50% SAT of 1510-1580.

Brown Transfer Writing Supplement

All transfer applicants must respond to the following five essay prompts.

  1. 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. (1500 characters)
  2. 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. (1500 characters)
  3. 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. (1500 characters)
  4. What is your most meaningful extracurricular commitment, and what would you like us to know about it? (750 characters)
  5. The personal statement helps colleges get to know you better as a person and a student. Please provide a statement discussing your educational path and your reasons for transferring. How would continuing your education at Brown help you achieve your future goals? (3000 characters)

Brown University Transfer Acceptance Rate (Continued)

Brown Transfer Decision Date

The Brown transfer decision date for spring enrollment is in late November. The transfer decision date for fall enrollment is in mid-May.

Final Thoughts – Brown University Transfer Acceptance Rate

Brown has admitted students from 180 different colleges and universities in the last four years, including national universities, small liberal arts colleges, and community colleges. However, if you need more evidence of Brown’s wholehearted embrace of transfer students, look no further than the following statement from admissions: “Brown’s Open Curriculum is designed for the student who takes unusual initiative and demonstrates unusual independence. This could be part of the reason why transfers routinely do so well at Brown both academically and socially. It also might explain why so many of our most famous alumni originally came to Brown after a year or two at another institution.”

If you are 100% committed to leaving your current college, you’ll want to apply to other schools in addition to Brown University. Even if you have a 4.0, admission into Brown is far from a guarantee, so you’ll want to create a balanced list of institutions that include safety schools.

If you are looking for information on how to apply to Brown as a first-year student, you may find the following blogs to be of interest:

Those searching for application info on other institutions may wish to visit our Dataverse pages/blogs:


bookmark