How to Apply to Biology at Brown University: Choosing a Concentration After Entering the Open Curriculum, No Admission by Concentration, SAT or ACT Required, for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Brown University is in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown calls a major a concentration. The website says Brown has more than 80 concentrations, and that students sample courses across disciplines under the Open Curriculum before choosing one to study in depth. This article covers biology only. One limitation: the pages read are the admissions office and the university’s undergraduate-education pages. No Brown biology concentration page or undergraduate catalog was read (and no department address appeared on the pages read), so course lists, credit totals and prerequisites for biology are not given and are marked “not published on the pages read”; check the official list of undergraduate concentrations and the department website. Medical programs (such as the eight-year Program in Liberal Medical Education, PLME) and nursing are outside this article. The sections below cover domestic applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students.

1. The biology concentration and degree

• Concentration and degree: the pages read do not list the degree type, tracks, required courses, credit total or capstone for biology. (The application checklist mentions a Bachelor of Science degree: applicants considering it should have at least one recommendation from a math or science teacher. No difference between the bachelor’s degrees in biology was read.)
• Admission is not by concentration: the website says that in the Brown questions of the Common Application you list your top concentration choices, as far as you know; “there are no quotas among concentrations and we do not admit students by academic interest”, and the information is used only to understand your current preferences.
• Open Curriculum: the undergraduate-education page says Brown has no set of core courses; students design their own course of study, sampling many subjects before choosing one of the 80-plus concentrations.
• Advising: every incoming student is assigned a faculty advisor before orientation; there are also Meiklejohn peer advisors, academic advising deans, a Matched Advising Program that helps sophomores with concentration declarations, research and internships, and a Curricular Resource Center. When and under what conditions the biology concentration is declared is not published on the pages read.
• Research, internships, outcomes: the pages read give no undergraduate research, internship or outcomes data for biology.

2. How admission works: to the university, not to a concentration

• First-year applications go through the Common Application, with Brown’s supplement inside it. Since the website states that admission is not by concentration and that there are no quotas, there is no “biology cut-off”.
• When and how the biology concentration is declared, and any prerequisite courses or grades, are not published on the pages read; see the undergraduate catalog and the department website.

3. Prerequisites and credit

• High school courses: the first-year pages read list no required high school courses and no prerequisite in biology, mathematics or physics.
• AP/IB credit (first-year): the first-year pages read do not say how AP or IB results convert to credit. The transfer pages state that Brown does not award transfer credit for AP test scores (see section 8).
• Advanced standing for international students: students who completed 13 years of schooling and external national examinations with exceptional results may be eligible for one semester of advanced standing (four enrollment units) after they become sophomores; the IB diploma and A-levels are most common, and no course or enrollment credit is given for AS or O-levels. Students must consult the academic dean first and need an approved concentration declaration and a degree completion plan; deans review credentials only after a student has been admitted and has matriculated.
• Competitions: the pages read do not say how biology olympiads or similar contests are viewed in admission.

4. Rounds, materials and fees (fall 2027 entry)

• Deadlines (first-year pages; no year is printed, so confirm they are for fall 2027): Early Decision November 1, with decisions in mid-December; Regular Decision January 5, with decisions described as “early April” on the Regular Decision page and “late March” on the checklist page; Regular Decision admits reply by May 1. Early Decision is binding: admitted students must withdraw all other applications, and a student denied cannot reapply in Regular Decision the same year. The site stresses that Early Decision does not improve admission chances.
• Materials: Common Application and Brown supplement; an $80 nonrefundable fee or a fee waiver; an official transcript, School Report and counselor recommendation (submitted by school officials); two teacher recommendations from teachers of major academic subjects (science, social studies, math, a world language or English); at least one from a math or science teacher if you are considering the Bachelor of Science; for Early Decision, a signed agreement and first-quarter or trimester grades; a midyear report and transcript due February 27 (or as soon as possible); a final report and transcript by June 30 for enrolling students.
• Test scores: the website says Brown returned to requiring SAT or ACT scores beginning with the 2024–25 cycle and superscores the SAT, the ACT, or both; there is no minimum score and scores are read in context. The SAT Essay and ACT Writing remain optional and the ACT Science section became optional from spring 2025. Early Decision testing must be completed by the last October test date, Regular Decision by the last December date. The SAT and TOEFL code is 3094 and the ACT code is 3800. The site states no separate test requirement for biology.
• Costs: the tuition and fees page prints the new-student figures for the 2025–2026 year (not 2026–2027): tuition $71,700, fees $2,950, housing $10,410, food $8,104, books and materials $1,300, personal $2,820, total $97,284 (split evenly between semesters). Costs for 2027 entry are not published on the pages read.

5. U.S. domestic applicants

• Aid: the site says Brown is need-blind, meets 100% of demonstrated need and, through the Brown Promise, has removed packaged loans from undergraduate aid. Figures on the page: 100% of aided students have no loans; most families with annual income under $60,000 have a $0 parent contribution; 51% of the Class of 2030 received need-based scholarship or grant aid.
• Scholarships: the international aid page states “Brown University does not offer any merit awards”, so aid is need-based; the domestic aid page read says nothing different. Department awards for biology are not published on the pages read.
• State residents: the pages read describe no priority or guaranteed admission for Rhode Island residents.

6. International applicants

• Admission criteria: international applicants are expected to have completed secondary school; first-year students will have completed 12 to 13 years of primary and secondary schooling. Brown evaluates applications in the context of each applicant’s opportunities and gives no preference to any country or system. Applicants should sit national and international examinations (the page names GCE A-levels, the German Abitur, the French Baccalauréat and the International Baccalaureate) and submit predicted or actual scores, with actual scores before matriculation; students in a national curriculum who do not plan to take the corresponding external examinations must submit a written request.
• Process: Common Application; documents must be in English or accompanied by official translations along with originals. Brown does not endorse or work with agents or third parties, except governments, EducationUSA and community-based organizations.
• English: Brown offers no ESL courses for undergraduates and does not admit students provisionally who are deficient in English; it “highly recommends” a test for applicants whose first, home or secondary-school language is not English. Minimum scores expected in most cases: TOEFL iBT taken before January 2026, 105; TOEFL iBT taken January 2026 or later, 5.5; IELTS 8.0 (as printed); Duolingo 130; Pearson Test of English 75; Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency 191. Self-reported results need official reports (May 2027 for fall 2027 entry); MyBest scores are not accepted and expired reports will not be waived. Students must still meet the SAT/ACT requirement.
• Financial aid: international students may apply for university aid; the page says Brown is need-blind for international students beginning with the Class of 2029 and meets full demonstrated need for admitted students who apply for aid at the time of application. Aid is need-based with no merit awards; it is usually credited against tuition, fees, room and meals and helps with travel, books and personal expenses, but not vacation and summer costs.
• Deadlines: same as first-year (November 1 and January 5; no year printed).

7. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the admission-criteria page names A-levels, the Abitur, the Baccalauréat and the IB as examples of national and international examinations and does not mention the gaokao. Whether and how gaokao results are used is not published on the pages read; contact the admission office.
• Transcripts and translation: documents must be in English or accompanied by official translations along with the originals. No China-specific note on Chinese high school transcripts or school-leaving materials was found.
• Tests and English: SAT or ACT scores are required; the recommended English minimums are in section 6.
• Schooling length: the site says first-year students will have completed 12 to 13 years of schooling; whether the Chinese system meets this is not stated, so confirm with the office.

8. Transfer students

• Eligibility (transfer eligibility page): for spring 2027 entry (applying in fall 2026) you must have completed three semesters or five quarters of full-time college study before January 2027; for fall 2027 entry (applying in spring 2027), two or four semesters, or three, four or six quarters, before September 2027. Admitted transfers must study full-time at Brown for at least four semesters before earning a degree, so applicants with more than four semesters of college work are not considered. College credit earned in high school cannot be transferred and such students apply as first-years; people who already hold a bachelor’s degree are ineligible; only one application per entry year is allowed. Spring entry is open only to U.S. citizens and permanent residents; fall entry is also open to international students.
• Dates (transfer calendar, explicit): for fall 2027 entry, the application deadline is March 1, 2027 (Transfer Common Application and Brown supplement); FAFSA and CSS Profile the same day; video introduction March 9; mid-term report April 1; decisions by mid-May; commitment in late May (two weeks; there is no enrollment deposit); final transcript June 15.
• Tests: the transfer application is test-optional; self-reported scores need official reports (June 15 for fall entry). English requirements and recommended minimums are the same as for first-years.
• Credit: Brown transfers credit for liberal-arts courses similar to its own; it does not award transfer credit for correspondence, self-paced or on-demand courses, courses of four weeks or less, summer-program courses, dual-enrollment courses, AP scores or internships; Pass/Fail courses need proof of a C or higher. The acceptance letter gives a preliminary credit estimate and entry level (first-semester sophomore, second-semester sophomore or first-semester junior); final transfer credit is determined after enrolment. Brown has no articulation agreements with other institutions.
• Biology: the site says departments alone decide after you arrive which transferred courses count toward a concentration, so do not assume a particular course will be accepted; compare the number of courses required with the semesters you will have at Brown using the undergraduate catalog. Enrolled transfers can petition for concentration credit after receiving the official credit analysis before orientation. Biology-specific transfer conditions and course equivalences are not published on the pages read.

Checklist

Domestic applicants:

• Common Application and Brown supplement by November 1 (Early Decision) or January 5 (Regular), no year printed so confirm; $80 fee or a waiver
• SAT or ACT scores; two teacher recommendations, at least one from a math or science teacher if considering the Bachelor of Science; list intended concentrations, which does not affect admission
• Check biology concentration requirements in Brown’s official concentration list and catalog

International applicants (including China):

• Common Application; documents with official English translations plus originals; SAT or ACT; English test scores (strongly recommended, see the minimums)
• Apply for aid at the same time as admission; ask the office how gaokao results are used

Transfer students:

• Check the semester-count eligibility; apply by March 1, 2027; test-optional; check with the catalog whether your courses can count toward biology

Sources: Brown University, Selecting academic interests; Open Curriculum; Advising; Undergraduate concentrations (official list); Early Decision; Regular Decision; Application checklist; Standardized tests; International admission criteria; International application process; English proficiency; International financial aid; Advanced standing; Transfer eligibility; Transfer credit; Transfer calendar; Transfer testing; Tuition and aid; Tuition and fees. The first-year pages print no year for their deadlines, so confirm they are for fall 2027 entry; the transfer calendar prints 2027 dates.