FAQs for the online application:
Q: How do I apply to more than one program?
A: The online application allows three applications per login. After logging into the system, click on the Instructions button on the top left side of the screen. There you will find a link to information about starting another application and navigating among your applications.
Q: I've been out of school for several years and am not able to easily secure academic references for my doctoral application. Can letters be from professional sources?
A: Letters of recommendation for doctoral-program applications may be from non-academic sources, but these are generally less effective as supporting documents. Applicants should make every effort to contact their former professors.
Q: I can not submit my application because Application Inspector "Program of Interest - Choice 1 (or Choice 2) Your choice is not valid based upon your Proposed Program of Study".
A: Under each of the two interests field is a link that says "Clear Field." Clicking on both of those links should remove the error from Application Inspector.
Q: My recommenders have not received the email asking them for recommendations for me.
A: The most common solution to this problem is that the invite email from our online application is being stopped by spam filters that your recommender is running. Please ask them to check where ever their spam mail goes. From the online application you can also check the email address you provided to verify it is correct.
Q: Application Inspector won't let me submit because I have not selected a valid start term. However when I click on the link to pull up valid terms the popup window is empty and it says there are no valid terms. How do I submit?
A: Our vendor has reported that this problem is occuring with users who are using the FireFox web browser. The first thing to try is completely exiting FireFox and then logging back in to your on-line application. In most cases this will fix the problem. If you are still having difficulties your only option at that point is to finish submitting your application using Internet Explorer. The vendor is aware of this problem and is taking steps to resolve it.
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Individuals interested in applying to one of Brown University's graduate programs should read these pages carefully. Applicants are strongly urged to visit the websites of the departments to which they are applying in order to find more detailed information about those departments' graduate programs.
PRINTED INFORMATION/APPLICATION
If you would like to receive a paper application and general overview of the Brown Graduate School in the mail, please submit a request at http://inquiry.embark.com/brown/grad. You may also write to request a copy by mail to Brown University Graduate School, Box 1867, Providence, RI 02912. Requests for paper applications take 4 to 6 weeks to process.
THE APPLICATION
Paper applications are permitted but not encouraged. The preferred method of application for admission is via our online application. The online application offers tools for collecting and submitting some, but not all, of the documents and information itemized below. Along with a completed copy of the application, and other documents or materials as stipulated by the programs (please check their listings on this site for details), applicants are responsible for submitting of the following:
Personal Statement
All applicants are required to submit a personal statement regarding their interests and/or intended areas of study. Some programs ask applicants to address specific questions in their personal statements. Please review the listings for details.
Transcripts
Applicants must provide original, official transcripts from all colleges and universities previously attended or in which they are currently enrolled. Applicants who have attended international institutions must submit transcripts or certified attestations of study, with certified English translations, which requires that the transcript envelope be opened. Once translated, the original transcript and the certified translations are to be sent to the Graduate School admission office. College seniors should submit current transcripts followed by later grade reports as soon as possible; an official transcript showing the award of the baccalaureate degree is required prior to matriculation.
Letters of Recommendation
Required also are three letters of recommendation by persons well qualified to speak from first-hand knowledge about the applicant's potential for graduate study. All letters should comment on an applicant’s ability to do research and perform in the program’s required coursework. At least two of these letters should be from faculty at the institution of current study or, if the applicant is not in school at the time of application, at the institution most recently attended. Letters of recommendation for applicants to master’s programs may be from academic or non-academic sources; please consult individual program listings for details. Letters of recommendation can be submitted online or on copies of the form provided with the application.
GRE
Depending on a program's admission requirements, applications must also include (when required) official reports of the general and subject tests of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). For information about required tests, as well as other supplementary materials to be submitted by applicants, please refer to our GRE page and individual program listings.
TOEFL/IELTS
All international applicants whose native language is not English must submit an official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score (see Language Proficiency).
Application Fee
A non-refundable fee of $70 is charged for processing each application received by the Graduate School. This fee must be paid when the application is submitted. An application will not be processed unless the fee is paid. Applicants who want to be evaluated by more than one graduate program must submit separate applications to each program for which they would like to be considered. The Graduate School is not responsible for errors made by applicants during the application process. There are no application-fee refunds. Please see this page for information about application-fee waivers.
PAPER CREDENTIALS AND OTHER DOCUMENTATION
All materials related to an application that are not submitted electronically as part of the online application should be mailed to the Graduate School admission office: 47 George St., Box 1867, Brown University, Providence, R.I. 02912. Do not send any application materials directly to the program you are applying to as this will only slow the progress of your application.
CRITERIA FOR ADMISSION
Individual academic programs evaluate applications for admission. All matriculants are required to hold a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent by the time they matriculate in the Graduate School. Admission to Brown graduate programs is highly competitive and only those applicants whose previous records, test scores, and recommendations give clear evidence of their ability to do advanced work of the highest quality will be admitted. The suitability of an applicant's training and interests is also an influential criterion in determining which applicants shall be admitted.
APPLICATION FEE WAIVERS
Applicants to Brown's graduate programs who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and can demonstrate either financial need or participation in certain specialized programs listed on the fee-waiver application may apply for an application-fee waiver. Please note: application-fee waivers are not available for international applicants.
NOTIFICATION
Applicants should expect to be notified within four to eight weeks of the application deadline for their programs (February or March for a January 1 deadline). Whether or not applications that are submitted after a program's stated deadline will be reviewed is at the discretion of each program. While individual academic programs evaluate applicants for admission, offers of admission are only binding only when made in writing by the Dean of the Graduate School. Admission may, in some cases, be deferred; aid offers cannot be deferred.
Brown University does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, disability, status as a veteran, national or ethnic origin, or sexual orientation in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, or other school-administered programs.
