What SAT or ACT score do you need for Brown?

As of November 2026: Brown requires an SAT or ACT score for first-year applicants starting in fall 2027, and the middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT scored 1500 to 1570. On the ACT, the middle half of enrolled first-years who sent a score scored 34 to 35.

Brown requires a test score. Here is what the middle half of enrolled first-years sent, how many get in, what a year costs, and the dates to plan around.

By Nick Standlea, Test Prep Gurus. Figures may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.

Brown requires a score from every first-year applicant. Brown requires an SAT or ACT score from first-year applicants beginning with the 2024-25 admission cycle, and that covers students who start in fall 2027.

The SAT band sits at 1500 to 1570. The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT scored between 1500 and 1570, and 54 percent of enrolled first-years in fall 2023 sent an SAT.

Brown admitted 5.2 percent of applicants in fall 2023. Brown had 51,316 applicants and made 2,668 admits that year.

Does Brown require the SAT or ACT?

Brown's testing policy as it stands for students who start college in fall 2027.

College	Policy	Applies to	Source
Brown University	required	first-year applicants beginning with the 2024-25 admission cycle (covers fall 2027)	Source

Required means a score must be sent. Brown accepts either the SAT or the ACT.

Brown score bands, who sends a score, how many get in, and what it costs

Score bands describe enrolled first-years who sent that test in the fall 2023 class.

Measure	Value
applicants, fall 2023	51316
admits, fall 2023	2668
admit rate, percent	5.2
SAT 25th percentile, enrolled submitters	1500
SAT 75th percentile, enrolled submitters	1570
ACT 25th percentile, enrolled submitters	34
ACT 75th percentile, enrolled submitters	35
share of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT, percent	54
share who sent an ACT, percent	22
application fee, dollars	75
full price of a year, dollars	87648
average net price after aid, dollars	25184

Bands describe the middle half of enrolled first-years who sent that test, not everyone who applied or was admitted. Prices come from the College Scorecard.

When are Brown's deadlines for fall 2027?

Dates Brown lists for students who start college in fall 2027.

Early Decision	Regular Decision	Source
2026-11-01	2027-01-05	Source

Only the dates Brown lists are shown here.

How does Brown's early decision rate compare with its overall rate?

Figures Brown reports in its own Common Data Set.

ED applicants	ED admits	ED rate, percent	Total applicants	Total admits	Overall rate, percent	Source
5,062	907	17.92	42,774	2,710	6.34	Source

The early decision figures are for the fall 2024 entering class. The total figures are for fall 2025. The two rates cover different years and different groups of applicants.

Does Brown require the SAT or ACT?

Yes -- Brown requires an SAT or ACT score from first-year applicants beginning with the 2024-25 admission cycle, and that covers students who start college in fall 2027.

That means high school seniors in the 2026-27 school year, who start college in fall 2027, must send a score. Brown takes either test. Your child can send the SAT, the ACT, or the one that shows their best work.

Because every applicant sends a score, the real question for your family is not whether to test. It is how to make that score as strong as it can be before the deadline.

What SAT score do enrolled first-years at Brown have?

The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT scored between 1500 and 1570.

These are students in the fall 2023 class, the most recent year the federal government reports. A quarter of those students scored below 1500, and a quarter scored above 1570. So the band is a picture of the class, not a line your child must clear.

We tell families to treat 1500 to 1570 as the target zone. A score in that range puts your child with the middle half of students who enrolled and sent an SAT.

What ACT score do enrolled first-years at Brown have?

The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an ACT scored a 34 or a 35.

That is a very narrow band near the top of the scale. A quarter of those students scored below 34, and a quarter scored above 35.

Our students often score quite differently on the SAT and the ACT. We tell families to sit a full mock of each test before choosing one. The better fit can make a real difference at a college with bands this high.

How many enrolled first-years send a score to Brown?

Of enrolled first-years in fall 2023, 54 percent sent an SAT and 22 percent sent an ACT.

The SAT was the more common choice among those students. That does not make it the better choice for your child. Brown accepts either test, so our rule is to pick the test where your child scores higher and put all the prep there.

Should my child send a score to Brown?

Yes -- at Brown every applicant sends a score, because the test is required.

At test-optional colleges, our rule is simple. A score inside or above the band is one to send. A score below the band is one to think hard about. Brown is not test-optional, so the choice here is which score to send and how to raise it first.

If your child's SAT sits below 1500 or their ACT sits below 34, we would plan more prep and another sitting before the deadline. We would not cross Brown off the list over a first score.

How hard is it to get into Brown?

In fall 2023, Brown had 51,316 applicants and made 2,668 admits, an admit rate of 5.2 percent.

Brown's Common Data Set reports 5,062 early decision applicants and 907 early decision admits for the fall 2024 entering class, a rate of 17.92 percent. The same document reports 42,774 total applicants and 2,710 total admits for fall 2025, an overall rate of 6.34 percent. Those rates cover different years and different groups of applicants, so we do not read them as a straight comparison.

At rates this low, no score makes any applicant a sure thing. We tell families to build a balanced college list, with Brown as one reach among several.

What does it cost to apply to and attend Brown?

The application fee at Brown is $75.

The full price of a year at Brown is $87,648. The average net price after aid is $25,184. Your own price could land far from either number.

Brown publishes a net price calculator, as every US college must. We tell families to run it with their own income and savings numbers early in senior year, so the cost picture is clear before decisions arrive.

When are Brown's deadlines for fall 2027?

Brown lists November 1, 2026 for Early Decision and January 5, 2027 for Regular Decision.

As of November 2026, the Early Decision date has passed. For most families, Regular Decision on January 5 is now the date to plan around.

We tell families to look up the SAT and ACT dates that fall before that deadline and pick one now. Leave room for the score to reach Brown on time.

What should we do this month?

Sit a free full-length mock SAT and a free full-length mock ACT with Test Prep Gurus this month.

Compare the results with Brown's bands: 1500 to 1570 on the SAT and 34 to 35 on the ACT. Then choose the test where your child is stronger.

Plan 6 to 12 weeks of prep before a test date that counts. Prepare for the whole test every sitting, not just the section that felt weakest last time. That is how our students build scores that hold up on test day.

Call us at 949.229.5359 or visit https://www.prepgurus.com/take-the-next-step to book the free mock SAT and free mock ACT.

Questions parents ask

Does Brown require the SAT or ACT?
Yes -- Brown requires an SAT or ACT score from first-year applicants beginning with the 2024-25 admission cycle, and that covers students who start college in fall 2027.

What SAT score do students at Brown have?
The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT scored between 1500 and 1570.

What ACT score do students at Brown have?
The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an ACT scored a 34 or a 35.

How hard is it to get into Brown?
In fall 2023, Brown had 51,316 applicants and made 2,668 admits, an admit rate of 5.2 percent.

When are Brown's application deadlines?
Brown lists November 1, 2026 for Early Decision and January 5, 2027 for Regular Decision.

What should we do first?
Sit a free full-length mock SAT and a free full-length mock ACT with Test Prep Gurus this month.

Method and sources: The policy comes from Brown's own standardized testing page, which names first-year applicants beginning with the 2024-25 admission cycle, covering fall 2027 entry; deadlines come from Brown's own application page. The SAT and ACT bands describe enrolled first-years who submitted that test in fall 2023, the latest federal IPEDS file, along with applicant and admit counts for that year. Prices come from the College Scorecard. Early decision figures come from Brown's Common Data Set 2025-26, where the early decision counts are for the fall 2024 entering class and the total counts are for fall 2025.