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Reviewed by:
Former Admissions Committee Member, Hofstra-Northwell School of Medicine
Reviewed: 10/05/23
Brown medical school strives to produce doctors who are skilled in present technologies and ready for future innovation. If this fits your career vision, read on to learn more about how to get into this top school.
To provide the most comprehensive medical education to its students, Brown's renowned MD program combines the three pillars of medicine: theory, practice, and research. This guide will go into further detail about how to get into Brown Medical School to reap all of its benefits!
Considering Brown is part of the Ivy League, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it is highly selective. In fact, it has a very low acceptance rate of only 1.8%!
Please note that this is an approximate acceptance rate and refers to the percentage of matriculants and deferred students compared to verified applications. Medical schools often don’t release data pertaining to accepted applicants and verified applications.
Don’t let the Brown medical school acceptance rate deter you from applying to this esteemed medical school. It only means you’ll have to bring your A game to your application and achieve competitive scores, such as the following:
All applicants must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 to be eligible for enrollment at Brown. However, students must maintain GPAs well above this to be considered competitive. The average GPA of previous successful students was 3.85, which is what you’ll want to aim for when applying to Brown.
Aside from your GPA, your MCAT will be used to determine your potential to succeed in medical school. This admissions test is typically perceived as the most important part of any medical school application, so you must meet Brown’s competitive average for the MCAT, which is 517.2.
Considering the MCAT score range is 472-528, achieving a 517 will require dedication, diligence, and considerable practice. While it may not be necessary, you should give yourself enough time to write the MCAT multiple times to meet this target.
Set a study schedule that considers your other commitments, maintain good study habits throughout your study period, and hold yourself accountable!
It can be very easy to lose motivation to study for the MCAT; you have to prevent this by creating a realistic schedule that involves significant preparation but avoids overdoing it, as this will lead to burnout.
While your scores will be heavily involved in the selection process, high grades alone won’t make you an excellent physician. Multiple factors play a role in the type of medical student and physician you’ll become.
To aid admissions committees in making these predictions, you’ll have to submit the following application materials:
Of course, you’ll need to submit your undergraduate transcripts for Brown to confirm your GPA and degree completion. Brown will also use your transcript to assess the level of difficulty of your degree. While Brown has no preference over the major you choose, you must take courses that challenge you!
Brown will also look for the following prerequisites:
Do your best to surpass these minimum expectations to prove your preparation for the academic rigors of medical school.
Along with meeting Brown’s academic standards, you’ll be required to meet their technical standards as well. These standards are comprised of certain abilities and skills that are necessary to join the medical field:
All of these skills are assessed during the admissions process. Students who require special accommodations are not able to matriculate unless special services are available to support them.
You’ll be portraying your best self through your application. Brown’s admission committee wants to confirm that your mentors’ perceptions of you match your own! To do this, they require letters of recommendation.
Students can either submit one composite letter from their undergraduate school’s pre-medical committee or a minimum of three individual letters from their pre-medical or research advisor, professors, or other mentors.
It’s typically suggested that the bulk of students' letters come from professors who taught them prerequisite courses.
Your secondary application will be used to gather additional information about you. It is also where you’ll submit your supplementary essays, which will be discussed in greater depth later in this guide.
You’ll have a lot on your plate as you prepare your Brown medical school application, including writing your MCAT, securing letters of recommendation, and crafting compelling essays. To ensure you don’t miss any deadlines while you complete your application, here’s a comprehensive list of Brown’s key admission dates:
As you learn more about how to get into Brown, you may be curious about when you can expect to hear back. Since this school accepts students on a rolling basis, there isn’t a set decision notification period. But, students will be given a general timeline after their interviews.
Moving away from your academics, Brown will ask you to answer the following essays to learn more about your values, aspirations, and what you can contribute to their community:
1. Summarize your activities during the 2024-2025 academic year. Describe how your activities are preparing you for a medical career.
2. How will your unique attributes, life experiences, and interests add to the Warren Alpert Medical School community?
3. Reflect on a non-academic situation when you had to change course, and how you did so.
The first two answers should be 2,000 characters, and the third should be 3,000. To aid you in your essay writing, consider these suggestions:
Your essays will be used to test your writing skills, not your range of vocabulary. Oftentimes, students get caught up trying to use language they believe will impress the admissions committee and end up muddying their narratives.
Use language you’re comfortable with and understand, so your words convey the exact meaning you want them to!
As applications are reviewed, students who meet Brown’s initial standards and pique their interest will be invited to interview. Only a small percentage of applicants make it to this stage.
Students are expected to schedule an interview date as soon as they receive an invitation to demonstrate their interest and enthusiasm. These interviews are held virtually and will be both evaluative and informative. You will learn more about the admissions process and financial aid, and be given a virtual tour of the campus.
After this, you will complete two half-hour interviews with students, faculty, or administrative staff who serve as voting members of the MD admissions committee. To prepare for your interview, take the time to research more about Brown medical school, specifically the resources and experiences you’re more interested in joining.
You should also prepare answers for common interview questions, as you will likely be asked at least a few of these, such as “why Brown?”
An Ivy League medical education will ensure you have a successful career. Not only will you be more likely to get into top residency programs, but you’ll also be highly sought after by employers. To increase your chances of getting into Brown medical school, consider implementing the following suggestions in your application:
Knowing the specific traits and scores the committee is looking for in your application can help you tailor it effectively. Here’s a breakdown of the criteria admissions committees use to assess each applicant:
As mentioned, your GPA is one of the best indicators of your potential to succeed in medical school. This requirement is straightforward, and there’s no way around it! Work hard to maintain high grades throughout your undergrad and ensure you take Brown’s prerequisite courses.
Again, this is another aspect of Brown’s criteria that is straightforward. You must achieve a competitive MCAT score.
A lower-than-anticipated score will be extremely hard to recover from, but a high score can certainly help the committee overlook weaker aspects of your application, such as a low prerequisite grade.
You should choose your recommenders carefully. Ask professors that you have a genuine connection with so that your letters are as personal and impressive as possible. These letters should paint you as a stand-out student who is committed to self-improvement.
Physicians are healthcare leaders. As an aspiring physician, you should already have strong leadership qualities, which can be demonstrated through your extracurricular activities. Students should pursue executive positions in the clubs they participate in, pursue personal projects, and participate in service to underserved communities.
By taking the initiative to work hard to give underserved communities more opportunities, you can not only show leadership but also your concern for others’ well-being.
While you may feel inclined to start your own organization to demonstrate leadership, ensure you only create one and develop it to the fullest. An organization with a short lifetime and without a team, real achievements, or a clear mission will not impress the judges.
Medical school is a huge commitment, and so is becoming a physician. Students should have significant clinical experience to demonstrate their unwavering dedication to the medical field.
Brown is known to give extra brownie points to students who travel abroad to assist in humanitarian efforts, like providing medical care to developing countries. There are several volunteer organizations you can join to gain this type of experience.
While shadowing a physician can be difficult, this experience will strengthen your application. It will prove you have a realistic understanding of the medical field and are still motivated to join it.
Research is a major part of the Brown MD program; nearly 92% of Brown’s MD students participate in some form of research.
Begin honing your research skills during your undergrad. Participate in at least one research project and make significant contributions to it! Simply joining a research effort for a few weeks will not impress the committee.
To demonstrate a genuine research interest, you should work on a project for at least a few months and try to be part of any papers that are published on it.
Diversity is key to Brown medical school. The admissions committee aims to enroll a more diverse pool of applicants each year and are interested in learning what makes you unique.
Whether you’ve experienced unusual hardship, made significant contributions to your community, or simply have a quirky hobby, you should share it with Brown to bring color to your application and make it stand out.
Going off the last category, if you’ve had diverse life experiences that give you different perspectives on medicine, share them with the committee.
Part of medical school preparation is determining a budget. No medical school is cheap, but there are more cost-effective options out there. As an Ivy League school, Brown is a more expensive option.
Students can expect to pay $73,150 for tuition each year of their MD. Depending on their other expenses, such as housing, transportation, and school fees, the total cost to attend Brown University is estimated to be between approximately $93,000 and $109,000 each year.
Fortunately, as a reputable school, Brown has thousands of generous donors who offer scholarship support to its medical students. Students may be eligible for needs-based or merit-based scholarships that can cover a significant portion of their tuition costs.
Below, you’ll find the answers to the most frequently asked questions about how to get into the Warren Alpert Medical School.
It will be challenging to get into Brown. With an acceptance rate lower than 2%, Brown only admits its highest-achieving applicants.
Students should aim for a GPA of around 3.8-4.0 to fall within the competitive range of past successful candidates.
The average MCAT score for Brown medical school is 517.2.
Yes, Brown medical school is prestigious. It is an Ivy League school, meaning it offers the highest quality of education in the nation. It offers extensive resources to its medical students, including diverse research projects, robust clerkships, and a renowned faculty.
Brown is located in Providence, Rhode Island, which puts students in close proximity to some of the best teaching hospitals in the area.
Yes, after you’ve submitted both your primary and secondary application, Brown will invite a percentage of applicants to interview. These interviews will start in September and end in February and will be held virtually. Students can expect to receive a decision on their application a few weeks after these interviews.
In this guide, we’ve touched upon how difficult it is to get into Brown medical school, how much it costs to attend Brown medical school and how you can make your application stand out. After providing comprehensive answers to this question, you should be able to decide whether you’re up for the challenge of applying to Brown and if you’re ready to call it home!
Dr. Jonathan Preminger was the original author of this article. Snippets of his work may remain.
Reviewed by:
Neurologist, Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine
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