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College Essay Prompts 2026-27

Brown Supplemental Essay Prompts 2026-27

Brown University's published supplemental essay prompts for first-year applicants in the 2026-27 application year, quoted from the college's own website, with the limit for each and whether it is required.

Application
Common App
Status
2026-27 prompts published
What to write
All first-year applicants answer 4 common prompts. Depending on how or where you apply, you may also have prompts for: Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME) applicants; Brown | RISD Dual Degree Program (BRDD) applicants.
Last checked
September 26, 2026
Official source
Brown Undergraduate Admission: How to Apply

The 2026-27 prompts

Quoted word for word from Brown University. Limits are as the college states them. These are the first-year prompts the college publishes; transfer essays and questions that appear only inside the application portal are not listed.

Questions specific to Brown, including our essays for the 2026-2027 application cycle, are found in the section labeled "Questions." If you are applying to the eight-year Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME) or the five-year Brown-Rhode Island School of Design Dual Degree Program (BRDD), you must also complete the special program essays.

Required of all applicants

Four essays are required for all first-year and transfer applicants:

  1. 01

    "There is something distinctive about Brown students. It is a blend of intellectual curiosity, creativity, and humility. A commitment to collaboration. An openness to new ideas and perspectives. A desire to make the world better. And it is resilience: the ability to recover and thrive after experiencing difficulties." From President Christina Paxson's 2025 Convocation Address. How will you use these characteristics or others to shape your approach to the Open Curriculum?

    150 to 250 wordsWhy us

  2. 02

    Students entering Brown often find that making their home on College Hill naturally invites reflection on where they came from. Share how an aspect of your growing up has inspired or challenged you, and what unique contributions this might allow you to make to the Brown community.

    150 to 250 wordsBackground and identity

  3. 03

    If you could teach a class on any one thing, whether academic or otherwise, what would it be?

    100 to 150 wordsIntellectual curiosity

  4. 04

    Brown students care deeply about their work and the world around them. Students find contentment, satisfaction, and meaning in daily interactions and major discoveries. Whether big or small, mundane or spectacular, tell us about something that brings you joy.

    100 to 150 wordsOther

Required for Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME) applicants

Three essays are required for applicants to the PLME in addition to the three essays required of all first-year applicants:

  1. 05

    Why medicine?

    250 wordsWhy us

  2. 06

    Why PLME?

    250 wordsWhy us

  3. 07

    Tell us something about yourself, beyond your interest in medicine, that you think will make you a great doctor.

    250 wordsOther

Required for Brown | RISD Dual Degree Program (BRDD) applicants

One essay is required for applicants to the Brown | RISD Dual Degree Program in addition to the three essays required of all first-year applicants:

  1. 08

    The Brown | RISD Dual Degree Program draws on the complementary strengths of Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) to provide students with the opportunity to explore and engage with diverse spheres of academic and creative inquiry. Considering your understanding of the academic programs at Brown and RISD, describe how and why the specific blend of RISD's experimental, immersive art and design program and Brown's wide-ranging courses and curricula could constitute an optimal undergraduate education for you. Reflect on how you might integrate or synthesize content, approaches, and methods from these two distinct learning experiences. Additionally, how might you contribute to the Dual Degree community and its commitment to interdisciplinary work?

    650 wordsWhy us

What these prompts are really asking

One line per prompt type, from our supplemental essay guide.

Why us
Have you done real research, and can you connect it to your actual path?
Intellectual curiosity
How does your mind move when no one is handing you points?
Background and identity
What lived detail shapes your perspective, choices or contribution?

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Common Questions

How many supplemental essays does Brown University require for 2026-27?

All first-year applicants answer 4 common prompts. Depending on how or where you apply, you may also have prompts for: Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME) applicants; Brown | RISD Dual Degree Program (BRDD) applicants. This page lists 8 prompts in all, including choices and optional prompts.

What are the word limits for Brown's supplemental essays?

150 to 250 words, 100 to 150 words, 250 words, 650 words. Each prompt above shows its own limit as the college states it.

Which application does Brown University use?

Common App.

Where are these prompts from?

We copied them word for word from Brown Undergraduate Admission: How to Apply and last checked on September 26, 2026. The prompts inside your application portal are the final word.

Sources, last checked September 26, 2026

Prompts for other colleges

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