How to Apply to Computer Science at Brown University: No Admission by Major, Then Declare a CS ScB or AB, With Concentration and Calculus Requirements and Timeline for Chinese High School, Canadian High School and Transfer Students

Brown University does not admit by major: in the Brown questions on the Common App you list a few academic interests (Brown calls a major a concentration), and Brown says concentrations have no caps and admission is not based on academic interest; it only shows admissions your current thinking. Computer Science is offered by the Department of Computer Science and declared after you enrol, leading to an ScB or an AB. Here is what you need to know for fall 2027 entry, based on Brown’s websites (the concentration section follows the 2026-27 University Bulletin), for students at high schools in China, students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver) and transfer students.

1. The Computer Science concentration

• When to declare: Brown requires students to declare by the middle of the fourth semester (usually sophomore spring), before pre-registering for semester five. The department asks you to apply in ASK with a program plan (which can change later) and meet a concentration advisor.
• Related concentrations: the department lists Computer Science, Applied Math-CS, Computational Biology, CS-Economics and Math-CS. All CS and joint-CS concentrations except Computational Biology offer an optional Professional Track.
• ScB prerequisite: complete or place out of second-semester calculus (MATH 0100, 0170 or 0190). The AB requirements do not list a calculus prerequisite.
• Introductory series (four options): CSCI 0150 and 0200; CSCI 0170 and 0200; the accelerated CSCI 0190 plus another CS course numbered 0200 or above; or CSCI 0111 and 0200 (going straight from 0111 to 0200 requires extra exercises).
• Foundations: one math foundation, CSCI 0220 (discrete structures and probability) or MATH 1530; and one course in each foundation area: algorithms/theory (CSCI 0500), AI/machine learning/data science (CSCI 0410) and systems (CSCI 0300 or 0330; the AB also allows CSCI 0320). Students who pass the CSCI 0220 placement exam can take linear algebra or an approved math course instead.
• ScB (15 courses): on top of the above, five 1000-level CS technical electives, four further electives (such as software engineering, 1000- and 2000-level CS courses, linear algebra, up to three approved 1000-level courses outside CS, or independent study) and a senior-year capstone.
• AB (10 courses): beyond the introductory series and foundations, two 1000-level CS technical electives, two further electives and a senior-year capstone.
• Honors: a two-semester research project in the last two semesters, plus A’s or S-with-distinction in two thirds of the courses used for the concentration (excluding the introductory sequence and calculus).
• AP Computer Science: the department says AP CS does not give advanced placement at Brown; everyone takes one of the introductory sequences.
• Areas: the Bulletin says upper-level courses can follow your interests, from algorithms, AI, databases, distributed systems, graphics, mobile computing, networks, operating systems, programming languages, robotics and security to games and scientific visualization. The 2024 requirements removed the earlier pathways, so there are no fixed tracks.

2. Deadlines and materials

• Early Decision (ED): due 1 November (11:59 p.m. your local time), decisions by mid-December. ED is binding; outcomes are admit, defer to Regular Decision, or deny (denied ED applicants cannot reapply in RD that year). Brown says ED does not improve your chances: it makes the same decisions as in RD.
• Regular Decision (RD): due 5 January, decisions by early April, reply by 1 May.
• Platform: the Common App.
• SAT or ACT (required):
  • no minimum scores; Brown superscores the SAT and ACT; the SAT Essay, ACT Writing and ACT Science are optional;
  • self-reporting is allowed, with official scores required if you enrol;
  • test by the last October date for ED and the last December date for RD;
  • SAT code 3094, ACT code 3800, TOEFL code 3094.

3. Students at high schools in China

• Basics: you must complete secondary school; Brown’s first-years have usually completed 12 to 13 years of schooling. Brown evaluates you in the context of your country’s education system and gives no preference to any system or country.
• National exams: Brown asks you to plan to sit national or international exams (such as A-Levels or the IB) and submit predicted or actual results, with actual results before enrolment. If you are in a national curriculum but do not plan to take the corresponding exams, you and your school should explain this in writing when you apply.
• Brown puts it plainly: you should feel confident that your accomplishments would get you into a leading university in your own country.
• English requirements are in section 5.

4. Students at Canadian high schools

• Materials, deadlines and SAT/ACT requirements are the same. Brown does not list province-specific requirements, including for BC.
• If English has been your primary language of instruction throughout secondary school, Brown does not recommend an extra English test (section 5).
• Aid: Brown does not describe a separate aid process for Canadian students; admission is need-blind for international first-year applicants (section 6), and you can ask financial_aid@brown.edu for details.

5. English requirements

• Brown strongly recommends a test for international applicants whose first language, home language and secondary-school language of instruction are not English. Proficiency must be achieved before admission: Brown offers no ESL courses for undergraduates and does not admit students provisionally.
• Minimum scores expected in most cases:
  • TOEFL taken before January 2026: 105; January 2026 or later: 5.5 (Home Edition accepted);
  • IELTS 8.0;
  • Duolingo 130; PTE 75; Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency 191.
• No TOEFL MyBest scores. If you self-report, official reports are due in May 2027 for fall 2027 entry; if your result expires before then, have it sent before it expires.

6. Costs and financial aid

• 2026-27 cost for new first-years (US$): tuition 74,568, fees 3,084 (including a US$100 academic record fee for new students), housing 10,710, food 8,754, personal 2,878, total 99,994.
• International aid:
  • since fall 2025 entry (the Class of 2029), Brown is need-blind for international applicants;
  • it meets full demonstrated need for admitted students who apply for aid when they apply for admission;
  • Brown offers no merit awards;
  • international applicants file the CSS Profile (open from 1 October 2026; Brown offers no fee waivers), due 2 November 2026 for ED and 1 February 2027 for RD.

7. Transfer students

• International students can enter only in the fall; spring entry is for US citizens and permanent residents.
• Fall 2027: due 1 March 2027, mid-term report by 1 April, decisions by mid-May, two weeks to accept, and the official 2026-2027 transcript by 15 June.
• Eligibility: two or four semesters (or three, four or six quarters) of full-time college study completed before September 2027. Transfers must spend at least four full-time semesters at Brown, so students with more than four semesters cannot apply. College credit earned in high school does not transfer; bachelor’s holders cannot apply. Students at universities that give only year-end grades must complete at least a year first.
• Testing: SAT/ACT optional for transfers; English requirements are the same as for first-years.
• Credit: most liberal arts courses similar to Brown’s transfer. Your offer letter includes a preliminary credit estimate and your entering semester level (first- or second-semester sophomore, or first-semester junior); final credit is set after you enrol, and departments decide what counts toward a concentration. AP, internships, summer programmes, correspondence or self-paced courses and courses of four weeks or less do not transfer; pass/fail courses need proof of C or better.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Submit by 1 November (ED) or 5 January (RD); list computer science in the Brown questions (for information only, not used in admission)
• SAT or ACT required (last October sitting for ED, last December sitting for RD)
• TOEFL 5.5 (new scale), IELTS 8.0 or Duolingo 130 or above
• If you will not sit the Gaokao, explain in writing with your school
• For aid, file the CSS Profile by 2 November (ED) or 1 February (RD)

Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver):

• Same deadlines and testing
• For aid, confirm the process for Canadian applicants with Brown’s financial aid office

Transfer students:

• Apply by 1 March 2027 for fall entry, after two or four full-time semesters
• SAT/ACT optional; declare CS after entry, in your first term if you enter with fourth- or fifth-semester standing; the department decides whether outside CS courses count toward the concentration

If you want Computer Science: take an introductory series after you enrol (AP CS does not exempt you); for the ScB, finish second-semester calculus early, and declare in ASK by the middle of semester four.

Sources: Brown University, Early Decision; Regular Decision; First-year application checklist; Standardized tests; Selecting academic fields; International admission criteria; English proficiency; International financial aid; Applying for aid as an international first-year; Transfer eligibility; Transfer credit; Transfer calendar; Transfer testing; 2026-27 Bulletin: Computer Science; CS undergraduate program; Concentrating in CS; AP credit in CS; Declaring a concentration; Cost of attendance. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 figures). Check Brown for the latest details.