Application FAQs

Please see detailed instructions on how to apply for a fee waiver on our website. Please note, the official request for a fee waiver is submitted as part of the application, not by email.

You may email your transcript to graduate_admissions@brown.edu after you have submitted your application.

No, you may upload an unofficial copy, provided it includes your name and the name of the institution.

Please see Brown University’s Language Proficiency requirements, either TOEFL or IELTS.

You may request a waiver by emailing graduate_admissions@brown.edu after you have submitted your application.

Yes, if the program you are applying to requires the test, results must be submitted. The Graduate School receives official scores electronically directly from ETS, as long as you enter the school code 3094.

They should be submitted during the application process.

Personal statements should be 2-3 pages.

The Graduate School is committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive academic community and educating and training a distinguished and diverse cohort of students. Exposure to a broad range of perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences is essential to fostering both breadth and depth in intellectual knowledge and is an educational benefit.

At Brown, the term “diversity” is used in the broadest sense to encompass many dimensions of students’ backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. Brown welcomes applications to its graduate programs from all qualified individuals, regardless of race, color, religion, age, national or ethnic origin, caste, disability, status as a veteran, language, socio-economic background, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, political ideology, or theoretical approach.

In your application, you will be asked to upload a document responding to one of the following prompts (in 300 words or less):

• Discuss specific examples of how your background, knowledge, and life experiences would influence your ability to both benefit from and contribute to Brown’s inclusive academic community;
• Discuss how you aspire to contribute to our mission to promote diversity and inclusion through your research, teaching, or service.

There is no separate deadline for recommendations, they should be submitted as close to the application deadline as possible for full consideration.

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Application deadlines vary by program. Please refer to the Graduate School webpage for the program of interest. Note, however, that the date is determined using Pacific Standard Time (PST).

The Graduate School offers incoming doctoral students five years of guaranteed financial support, including a stipend, tuition remission, health-services fee, and a health-insurance subsidy. Doctoral students in the Humanities and Social Sciences are guaranteed six years of support. This support — which may take the form of a teaching assistantship, research assistantship, fellowship, or proctorship — helps to defray the cost of tuition, and also provides a stipend to assist with living expenses during the student’s program.

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If Brown University offers you admission to the Graduate School, then you must furnish official transcripts.

The grading system in my country is different. Should I convert my grade point average (GPA) to the 4.0 scale?

No, there is no need to convert it. Simply report what your GPA is as a number or letter grade.