If you are applying Early Decision, testing must be completed by the last October test date to ensure receipt of scores. 

A portion of our Early Decision applicants will receive an offer of admission, which means that their college application process is complete and they will enroll at Brown. In the interest of offering a final decision where possible, we also turn down Early Decision applicants who, based on our experience, would not be competitive in our Regular Decision process. For other early applicants, we defer the final decision until spring to be able to reconsider this group along with Regular Decision candidates.

Students whose Early Decision applications are deferred are well-qualified for study at Brown. A deferral should not be seen as an indication of shortcomings. Deferred applicants will be considered anew among the Regular Decision applicants.

You and your family should make use of our Financial Aid Calculator before you apply Early Decision. Brown’s Financial Aid Calculator is designed to assist prospective undergraduate students and their parents in estimating a family contribution and need-based award if the student were to attend Brown.

If your financial aid package is insufficient, you should contact the Office of Financial Aid directly to ensure that your application was not missing any information which might have affected your package. The Office of Financial Aid will work with you to re-evaluate your package. If the package, after reconsideration, is truly unaffordable for your family, then you will be permitted to withdraw from your obligation to Brown.

Our pool of early applicants tends to include a very high proportion of exceptionally talented students and a higher rate of admission for Early Decision applicants reflects that phenomenon. However, it does not imply an automatic advantage for all early candidates. We admit Early Decision applicants only when we are confident that we would offer them admission as a Regular Decision applicant.

Students who are admitted under the Early Decision plan are committed to attending Brown. Because this admission round is binding, it is important to carefully consider your choice before applying Early Decision.

Early Decision is intended for students who consider Brown their top choice. The program allows first-year applicants to apply for admission to Brown in the fall of their senior year and receive an admission decision in mid-December. Applicants and their families should be aware that admission via our Early Decision program is a binding agreement to attend Brown.

Applicants who choose to apply to Brown under Early Decision may not submit an application to another institution under another early decision plan or a single-choice or restrictive early action plan. Students admitted under our Early Decision plan are expected to enroll at Brown and withdraw all pending applications—including those already submitted to regular, rolling, or (open) early action programs.

You should contact our office if you are presented with an unusual dilemma, but colleges are almost always willing to allow students the opportunity to receive notification from other schools before requiring a commitment.

Our Early Decision notification occurs by mid-December and Regular Decision applicants are notified by early April. We are not able to give any decisions in advance of our release dates because we are fully engaged in piecing together an entire group of admitted students rather than simply determining whether to admit an individual applicant.

You may certainly let us know if there is a significant accomplishment or a noteworthy change in your circumstances, but it is not necessary to amend your application as a matter of course. Remember that a deferral does not mean that an applicant has fallen short in terms of qualification for admission. Make sure that your counselor submits the Mid-Year Report form along with your Mid-Year transcript so we are able to review your fall term grades and any updates your school would like to provide. You are also welcome to submit a letter of continued interest during the Regular Decision admission process if Brown remains your college of choice. You may upload your letter through the Brown Applicant Portal.