How to Apply to Engineering at Brown: You Apply to the University Rather Than the School, Two Years of Engineering Core Courses and a Concentration Chosen at the End of the Fourth Semester, for Domestic and International (Including Chinese) Applicants and Transfer Students

Undergraduate engineering at Brown University is offered by the School of Engineering. This guide follows Brown’s websites and is organised for U.S. domestic applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students. Computer science has its own guide on this site, so only the engineering degrees are covered here.

1. Engineering degrees at Brown

• Degree types: the School of Engineering awards the Bachelor of Science (Sc.B.) and Bachelor of Arts (A.B.), with combined A.B./Sc.B. five-year degrees and Sc.B./Sc.M. programs. Brown calls majors “concentrations”.
• Programs (School of Engineering undergraduate page): Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Design Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Engineering/Physics, Environmental Engineering, Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and the Engineering A.B.
• ABET accreditation: the ABET page says seven Sc.B. programs are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET: Biomedical, Chemical, Computer, Electrical, Environmental, Materials and Mechanical Engineering, with each option inside them accredited. There are “no plans to seek ABET accreditation” for the Engineering/Physics Sc.B., and the Bulletin says the Design Engineering Sc.B. and the Engineering A.B. are not ABET accredited.
• Degree structure: the Sc.B. includes six or seven specialized courses, at least one a capstone. The Bulletin says the Engineering A.B. has “only 11 required courses” (8 engineering, 2 math, 1 natural science), with at least two 1000-level engineering courses; the A.B. concentration page says “ten required courses”, so the two pages are not consistent—we followed the Bulletin.
• Internships and research: the School describes paid summer research internships and independent study; it says students arrange internships themselves with companies, startups or university labs, and does not describe a required co-op program.

2. Admission: you apply to Brown, then take two years of core courses

• Not an application to the School: the FAQ answers “Do I apply specifically to the School of Engineering?” with “No, prospective students apply to the University. They are free to choose their department at any time after they enroll.” The “Brown Questions” ask for your top concentration choices as far as you know; admissions says there are no quotas among concentrations and Brown does not admit students by academic interest; the information is used only to understand current preferences.
• Two years of core: the School says that for the first two years all students take a similar set of core courses covering many engineering disciplines plus math, computer science, chemistry and biology, and select a concentration at the end of the fourth semester (the FAQ says students declare at the end of sophomore year). Students who indicate an interest in engineering on the application or pre-registration are assigned a faculty advisor from the School.
• Declaring: the Bulletin says every engineering concentrator files a declaration in the ASK system, reviewed by the concentration advisor and approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies to confirm program and accreditation requirements. Whether a concentration has a GPA threshold or capacity limit is not stated on the pages we read; ask the School’s undergraduate office.
• Double concentrations: permitted; graduates have combined engineering with visual arts, music, international relations and languages, but the School notes that meeting two sets of requirements can restrict freedom to explore.
• Sample first-year courses (new student information page, suggestions only): first semester—ENGN 0030 (Introduction to Engineering, mandatory S/NC), MATH 0190 or 0200, a science course (CHEM, BIOL, PHYS, CS or NEUR) and a humanities or social science elective; second semester—ENGN 0040 (Engineering Statics and Dynamics), MATH 0200 or 0520, a science course and an elective, with some other ENGN courses such as ENGN 0520 open to qualified first-years.

3. Prerequisites and credit

• High school preparation (School FAQ): “It is very helpful to take many mathematics, physical sciences, life sciences and computer science courses.” Neither admissions nor the School names required high school courses.
• Math: the Bulletin calls mathematics the cornerstone of every engineering program; MATH 0190 (or 0100) followed by MATH 0200 (or 0180) is the preferred first-year calculus sequence, and students who want a more introductory start can begin with MATH 0090. The new student page says the engineering Sc.B. requires four math or applied math courses.
• Physics: the new student page says mechanics and electricity and magnetism are taught in engineering courses (ENGN 0040 and 0510), so engineering concentrations have no separate physics course requirement.
• Chemistry: required (or met by a course) for all engineering concentrations; CHEM 0330 is recommended; students with little high school chemistry can start with CHEM 0100, which alone cannot meet concentration requirements.
• AP credit: the School says high AP scores usually allow placement into more advanced courses but are not used to replace courses required for the engineering degrees. The Bulletin says accepting AP calculus credit lets you place out of MATH 0190 (or 0100) and take MATH 0200 (or 0180) or MATH 0350; AP credit cannot place you out of MATH 0200 or 0350. A high AP Biology score usually allows placement out of BIOL 0200.
• IB and A-Level: the School says they “can sometimes receive both Brown course credit and meet engineering requirements”; the specific rules are not published on the pages we read, so ask the School.

4. Deadlines, materials and fees

• Rounds: Early Decision (binding) November 1; Regular Decision January 5, both 11:59 p.m. applicant’s local time. Early Decision results come in mid-December. For Regular Decision Brown’s pages disagree: the checklist says late March and the Regular Decision page says early April. Reply by May 1. The first-year pages show no year; check Brown for the dates that apply to fall 2027. Apply through the Common Application.
• Application fee: $80, non-refundable, with automatic waivers for eligible students.
• Materials: transcript; School Report; counselor recommendation; two teacher recommendations from major academic subjects—if you are considering the Bachelor of Science, at least one from a math or science teacher; for Early Decision, the agreement and first-quarter grades; the midyear report by February 27; the final report and transcript by June 30 for students who choose to enroll.
• Testing: the SAT or ACT is required (reinstated from the 2024–25 cycle); scores are superscored; the SAT essay and ACT writing remain optional and the ACT science section became optional from spring 2025. There is no minimum score and scores are read in context. Complete testing by the last October test date for Early Decision and the last December date for Regular Decision. Scores may be self-reported, with official scores required on enrollment. Codes: SAT and TOEFL 3094, ACT 3800.
• Essays (2026–27 cycle): the Brown Questions include four essays (two of 150–250 words and two of 100–150 words); the “How to Apply” page is inconsistent, saying “four essays” in one place and “three essays required of all first-year applicants” in another—rely on the application system.
• Other: Brown says it does not keep a record of visiting students; supplementary materials are optional—an advanced academic paper or research project can be uploaded to the applicant portal, and one optional recommendation can be submitted through the Common App.

5. U.S. domestic applicants

• Cost: the new-student tuition and fees page (labeled 2025–2026): tuition $71,700, fees $2,950, housing $10,410, food $8,104, books and materials $1,300 and personal $2,820, a total of $97,284. It does not split in-state and out-of-state, and shows no engineering tuition differential or school fee; check Brown for fall 2027.
• Aid: first-year admission is need-blind and Brown meets 100% of demonstrated need; through the Brown Promise, packaged loans have been replaced by scholarships. The page says parent contribution is $0 for most families with annual income under $60,000, and 51% of the Class of 2030 received need-based scholarship or grant aid. Applicants submit the CSS Profile and FAFSA by November 2, 2026 (Early Decision) or February 1, 2027 (Regular Decision).
• Scholarships: Brown does not offer merit awards, only need-based aid; private scholarships do not reduce Brown scholarship aid unless they exceed the portion of the package made up of work-study and summer earnings.
• In-state applicants: no in-state admission preference or guarantee is described.

6. International applicants

• How to apply: there is no separate international application; use the Common Application and list citizenship according to the passport you will use to enter the U.S. Brown expects 12–13 years of schooling and gives no preference to any system or country. Applicants should sit for national and international examinations (A-levels, Abitur, French Baccalauréat, IB) and submit predicted or actual scores, with actual scores before matriculation; if you follow a national curriculum but do not plan to take the external exams, you and your school submit a written request at the time of application.
• Documents: in English or with official translations plus the originals. Brown does not work with agents or third parties other than governments, EducationUSA and community-based organizations.
• English tests: strongly recommended if English is not your first or primary home language or the language of instruction throughout secondary school. Brown has no ESL courses for undergraduates and does not admit students who are deficient in English on a provisional basis. Accepted: TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, Pearson, Cambridge English and TOEFL Home Edition. Minimum scores expected in most cases: TOEFL (before January 2026) 105; TOEFL (January 2026 and later, 1–6 scale) 5.5; IELTS 8.0; Duolingo 130; PTE 75; Cambridge C1/C2 191. Self-reported results need official reports on enrollment (May 2027 for fall 2027 entry); MyBest scores and expired reports are not accepted. The pages list no country-based exemptions.
• Aid: international students can apply for Brown aid; Brown meets full demonstrated need if you apply for aid when you apply for admission. Admission is need-blind for international students beginning with the Class of 2029; aid is need-based and Brown offers no merit awards. Awards go toward tuition, fees, housing and meals and help with travel, books and personal expenses, but not vacation or summer expenses. Proof-of-funds requirements are not described on the pages we read; contact financial_aid@brown.edu.
• Advanced standing: international students with 13 years of schooling and exceptional external examination results may be eligible for one semester of advanced standing (four enrollment units) after they become sophomores. No course or enrollment credit is given for AS or O-level exams. Students must consult the dean for advanced standing before applying for it; academic deans review credentials only after a student has been admitted and has matriculated.

7. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the international pages do not mention the Gaokao and there is no China-specific page. The examples of national examinations are A-levels, Abitur, French Baccalauréat and IB; the Gaokao is not named. How Gaokao results are used is not published; contact Brown Undergraduate Admission (the contact page on admission.brown.edu). The page says applicants following a national curriculum who will not sit the corresponding external examinations should submit a written request with their school at the time of application.
• Transcripts and translation: documents must be in English or accompanied by official translations and originals; transcripts must be sent by the school counselor or another school official, and official documents sent by applicants themselves are not accepted.
• Testing and English: the SAT or ACT is required; English test guidance is above.
• Agents: Brown does not endorse or work with agents.

8. Transfer students

• Deadlines (2026–27 cycle): fall 2027 entry March 1, 2027; spring 2027 entry October 1, 2026, open only to U.S. citizens and permanent residents, so international students apply for fall. Application fee $80; apply through the Common Application transfer application.
• Eligibility: for fall 2027, complete 2 or 4 semesters (or 3, 4 or 6 quarters) of full-time college work before September 2027; for spring 2027, three semesters (or five quarters) before January 2027. Transfers must be enrolled full-time at Brown for at least four semesters, so applicants with more than four semesters of college work are not considered. High school students taking college classes apply as first-years; applicants with a bachelor’s degree are ineligible; only one application per calendar year of entry.
• Materials: high school transcript; all college transcripts; College Report (Report of Good Standing); two instructor evaluations; a mid-term report; Brown essays. Testing is optional through the 2026–27 cycle.
• Credit: courses similar to Brown’s are generally transferable; AP scores earn no transfer credit; final credit is decided after enrollment, with a preliminary estimate in the offer; Brown has no articulation agreements. Concentration credit is decided by departments after arrival, so do not assume a course will count toward engineering. The pages we read do not list prerequisite courses for engineering transfers; ask the School’s undergraduate office.
• Aid: transfer admission is need-aware except for U.S. service members and veterans; Brown meets the full demonstrated need of admitted students; you must apply for aid with your first application or you are not eligible later. To have an aid notification at the time of admission, submit the FAFSA and CSS Profile by the application deadline (March 1 for fall).

Checklist

U.S. domestic applicants:

• Submit by November 1 (Early Decision) or January 5 (Regular) with transcripts and two teacher recommendations (one math or science); the SAT or ACT is required
• CSS Profile and FAFSA by November 2 (Early Decision) or February 1 (Regular); take math, physical science, life science and computer science in high school
• Choose a concentration at the end of the fourth semester; AP credit places you in courses but does not replace engineering requirements

International applicants (including China):

• Same deadlines; English scores strongly recommended; translated documents with originals; no agents
• Apply for aid when you apply for admission
• Ask admissions how the Gaokao should be submitted

Transfer students:

• Apply for fall by March 1; complete at least two semesters; AP earns no transfer credit and concentration credit is decided by departments after you arrive

Sources: Brown University, Engineering: undergraduate; Engineering: admissions; Engineering: concentrations; Engineering: Bachelor of Arts; Engineering: ABET; Engineering: new student information; 2026-27 Bulletin: School of Engineering; Admission: application checklist; How to apply; Early Decision; Regular Decision; Selecting academic interests; Standardized tests; International applicants; International: criteria; International: process; International: English; International: advanced standing; International: financial aid; Transfer: eligibility; Transfer: calendar; Transfer: checklist; Transfer: tests; Transfer: credit; Transfer: financial aid; Tuition and fees; Financial aid; Tuition and aid. The first-year checklist page shows no year, though the essay prompts on the same application are labeled for the 2026–2027 cycle; the transfer calendar and aid deadlines are dated 2026–2027; the fee table is for 2025–2026, so check Brown for fall 2027 costs.