No preference for any system
Brown says there is no preference for or advantage given to any particular system or country, and that it evaluates applications with each student's context and opportunities in mind.
Undergraduate · Brown
Brown for A-level and IB Diploma students: predictions, exams and context
Brown says it gives no preference or advantage to any educational system, expects applicants to sit national or international examinations such as A-levels or the IB, and asks for predicted or actual scores. Where final results arrive after decisions, it relies on school predictions and reserves the right to rescind an offer if results fall short. It also says it looks well beyond numerical results. Brown's pages carry no entry-year label, so everything here is evidence for the previous cycle, not a confirmed 2028 requirement, and the pages read do not set out its standardised-testing policy.
Official information · read 31 October 2026, no entry-year label
What Brown says about national exams, predictions and context
Taken from Brown Undergraduate Admission's Admission Criteria for International Applicants page and its international applicants FAQ, read on 31 October 2026. The pages carry no entry-year label, so for a 2028-entry application every statement below is evidence for the previous cycle and may change; check Brown's pages for the 2028-entry details.
Plan to sit the exams and submit predicted or actual scores
Applicants should plan to sit national and international examinations such as the GCE A-levels or the IB and submit predicted or actual scores. Brown expects actual scores before matriculation.
Offers can be rescinded if results fall short
Where final results come after decisions, as with British A-levels, Brown relies on school predictions and reserves the right to rescind an offer if actual results do not meet them.
An English test does not replace the SAT
Brown says an English proficiency test and the SAT have different purposes and neither replaces the other. The pages read do not set out its wider testing policy.
Same process for international applicants
International applicants adhere to the same requirements, standards and deadlines as all students, apply through the Common Application, and are considered for all the same programmes, including PLME and BRDD.
Official sources
- Brown Undergraduate Admission: Admission Criteria for International Applicantsadmission.brown.edu
- Brown Undergraduate Admission: International Applicants FAQadmission.brown.edu
Read on 31 October 2026 on Brown Undergraduate Admission's Admission Criteria for International Applicants page and its international applicants FAQ, which describes 2027 entry. The pages carry no entry-year label. Brown's standardised-testing policy, deadlines, essay prompts, the Open Curriculum, and the pages for the Program in Liberal Medical Education and the Brown|RISD Dual Degree were not read for this guide and are not described.
Your curriculum
A-levels and the IB are read in context, without preference
Brown says it is familiar with the many varied educational systems around the world and evaluates applications from outside the United States with context and opportunities in mind. It says there is no preference for or advantage given to any particular system or country. It also says it tends to admit students who have achieved at the highest levels in their own systems, while focusing on the whole person and looking well beyond numerical examination results and exam predictions. Brown puts the test of fit this way: you should feel confident that your accomplishments would allow you to be admitted to a leading university in your own country.
Predictions and results
Predicted scores first, actual scores before you arrive
Brown tells applicants to plan to sit national and international examinations such as the GCE A-levels and the International Baccalaureate and to submit predicted or actual scores as part of their credentials. It expects actual scores before matriculation. When final results are not available until after decisions, as with British A-levels, it relies on predictions from school officials and other academic credentials already available, trusts that actual results will reasonably match, reviews the final results with care and reserves the right to rescind an offer if they fall short. If you are in a national curriculum but are not planning to take the corresponding external examinations, you and your school should submit a request in writing at the time of application.
What your school sends
The School Report and transcripts come from your school
Brown says every applicant completes the Common Application, and students at schools outside the United States must complete and submit the Secondary School Report form from the Common Application website. If your school has no guidance counsellor, a school official such as a principal, dean or academic adviser can act in that role. Secondary school transcripts and any exam results should be submitted by a school official or by the administering organisation. Application forms must be completed in English, and letters in another language need an English translation sent with the original.
Testing
What the pages read say about the SAT, and what they leave out
The only mention of the SAT on the pages read is a statement that an English proficiency test and the SAT have very different purposes, so Brown does not consider either to replace the other. Brown highly recommends an English proficiency test for applicants for whom English is not a first language, a primary home language or the main language of instruction. Neither page sets out Brown's wider standardised-testing policy, and nothing read says that A-level or IB results replace a standardised admission test, so this guide does not say that. Check Brown's testing page for your application year.
After you are admitted
Exam results can matter for placement, not for AS or O-levels
Brown says international diploma or certificate results can be used after matriculation, if official results are on file, to place into higher-level courses, to obtain course credit when needed to graduate, or to qualify for one semester of advanced standing. IB results in certain higher level subjects and A-levels may be considered for placement credit during the summer before arrival if official results reached the admission office. Brown also says neither course credit nor enrolment credit is granted for AS or O-level exams. This is a post-admission matter, separate from the admission decision itself.
A decision framework
Three questions before you commit
This is Avandy's own framework, not Brown's.
Are your predictions a fair picture of your work?
Brown relies on them where results arrive late, and can rescind an offer if results fall short. Ask your school how they are set.
Does your school know what to send, and when?
The School Report, transcripts and exam results come from your school or the exam body.
Is the whole application more than your grades?
Brown says it looks well beyond numerical results. Plan the rest of your application with the same care.
Planning for 2028 entry
Planning for 2028 entry: what carries over and what is awaiting publication
Brown's pages carry no entry-year label, so nothing on them is confirmed for 2028 entry. Use them to understand the structure of the application, then check Brown's own pages for the 2028-entry details.
The no-preference statement, the predictions and results rules, the School Report requirement and the English-test statements: read 31 October 2026 with no entry-year label
These are the best guide to what to prepare. Brown has not confirmed them for 2028 entry.
Standardised-testing policy, deadlines, essay prompts, the Open Curriculum and programme pages: not stated here
This guide has not read them. Check Brown for the values that apply to your application year.
What to do now
Ask your school how predictions are set and who sends the School Report, plan your wider application, and read Brown's testing and deadline pages.
Support
Independent support with planning your own application
Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support. It is not affiliated with Brown University or any of its colleges or departments. Preparation sits within the Avandy Trinity Advisory Model: a Strategic Admissions Consultant, a PhD-level Academic Mentor and a Subject-specific Tutor, working to the actual requirements of each course. Support here is limited to understanding the requirements and planning the applicant's own work; Avandy does not write or edit essays or recommendations, does not submit any materials and has no partnership with Brown. No outcome is promised.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
Does Brown accept A-levels and the IB?
Brown says there is no preference for any system and tells applicants to plan to sit national and international examinations such as A-levels or the IB and submit predicted or actual scores.
What if my A-level results come after the decision?
Brown says it then relies on predictions from your school officials and other academic credentials, and may rescind an offer if actual results do not meet the predictions.
Do A-levels or the IB replace the SAT?
The pages read do not say so, and they do not set out Brown's testing policy. They say only that an English proficiency test does not replace the SAT.
Is there a separate application for international students?
No. Brown says international applicants adhere to the same requirements, standards and deadlines as all students and apply through the Common Application.
Do AS-levels earn credit at Brown?
Brown says neither course credit nor enrolment credit is granted for AS or O-level exams.
Are these the rules for 2028 entry?
No. They are Brown's wording with no entry-year label. Check Brown's pages again when Brown publishes its 2028-entry requirements.
Students and families
Talk to us about Brown
Tell us about the student's curriculum, their predicted results, their school's reporting and the US universities on the list, the universities on the list, and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare.