Recently, as I've been doing a bit of research on Brown, I've been trying to find a clear number for the average GPA of admitted students. Does anyone have some sort of an idea? Is there something like a GPA 'cut-off' at Brown?
Brown University is amongst the Ivy leagues, which means it is very competitive, and the admitted students typically have excellent GPAs. While Brown doesn't publish the average GPA of its students, admissions data suggest that the vast majority of admitted students have GPAs in the A range.
Although there isn't a specific GPA 'cut-off' at Brown, the academic profile of admitted students reveals that nearly 90% of incoming freshmen were amongst the top 10% of their high school classes. This distribution suggests that a GPA of 4.0 or higher (weighted) is common among admitted students.
That being said, bear in mind that GPA is only one factor that Brown considers in their admissions process. Other factors include your courses' rigor, extracurricular involvement, leadership experiences, and personal essays. The university conducts a holistic review of every application, examining who you are as a person, not just your numerical stats.
For example, if you've taken and thrived in challenging courses such as AP or IB classes or if you're heavily involved in a few extracurricular activities where you've shown leadership, it can balance out a slightly lower GPA. Alternatively, if you bring a unique perspective or have made a remarkable impact in your community, that value can also counter-balance a lower GPA.
The takeaway here is while high academic performance is important to admissions, it's not the only thing that matters. Brown values students who can show they've taken rigorous classes, are passionate in their pursuits, and have the potential to contribute to their campus. So even if your GPA is not right at that top percentile, don't let it dissuade you from applying if you're genuinely interested in the school.
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