Brown University might have a reputation as the most hippy-dippy of the Ivy League schools, but it’s still an Ivy League school. Admission officers at this private research university are in the luxurious position to be quite picky when choosing between its many thousands of applicants each year. As such, they don’t have much patience for students with poor GPAs. But just how stringent are these academic standards, and how much lenience is extended to students with lackluster grades who bring other compelling aspects to the table within their application?

What is a Good GPA To Get into Brown University?

Before we get too in the weeds, let’s review the Brown University acceptance rate. For applicants to Brown’s Class of 2030, a mere 5.35% earned admission. That figure was 5.65% for the Class of 2029, and 5.16% for the Class of 2028. For admission to the Class of 2027, 5.08% received acceptance letters.

GPA Percentage of Brown Class of 2029

The following is the class rank breakdown of Brown’s Class of 2029 members, as reported in the 2025-26 Common Data Set. Unfortunately, the university hasn’t reported any GPA data for recently admitted cohorts, so the class rank data below is the closest available indicator of GPA requirements for admission in the Brown competitive admissions process.

Assessment	Percent in Brown Class of 2029
Percent in top tenth of high school graduating class	93%
Percent in top quarter of high school graduating class	98%
Percent in top half of high school graduating class	100%
Percent in bottom half of high school graduating class	0%
Percent of total first-time, first-year (freshman) students who submitted high school class rank:	29%

GPA Percentage of Brown University Class of 2028

The following is the class rank breakdown of Brown’s Class of 2028:

Assessment	Percent in Brown Class of 2028
Percent in top tenth of high school graduating class	89%
Percent in top quarter of high school graduating class	98%
Percent in top half of high school graduating class	100%
Percent in bottom half of high school graduating class	0%
Percent of total first-time, first-year (freshman) students who submitted high school class rank:	30.6%

GPA Percentage of Brown University Class of 2027

The following is the class rank breakdown of the members of Brown’s Class of 2027:

Assessment	Percent in Brown Class of 2027
Percent in top tenth of high school graduating class	92%
Percent in top quarter of high school graduating class	99%
Percent in top half of high school graduating class	100%
Percent in bottom half of high school graduating class	0%
Percent of total first-time, first-year (freshman) students who submitted high school class rank:	28%

GPA Percentage of Brown University Class of 2026

The following is the class rank breakdown of the members of Brown’s Class of 2026:

Assessment	Percent in Brown Class of 2026
Percent in top tenth of high school graduating class	93%
Percent in top quarter of high school graduating class	97%
Percent in top half of high school graduating class	100%
Percent in bottom half of high school graduating class	0%
Percent of total first-time, first-year (freshman) students who submitted high school class rank:	22.2%

Further Context on GPAs of Brown Students

As the above data indicate, Brown typically admits 90% of any given class exclusively from the pool of applicants who graduated in the top tenth percentile of their high school graduating class. There’s very little wiggle room for students who don’t meet these rigorous academic standards.

That being said, Brown employs a holistic approach to admissions that considers grades as just one piece of many that go into the mosaic of each application, and great grades alone are not sufficient to ensure admission.

Can I Get into Brown with a Low GPA?

In the absence of explicit GPA data covering Brown admits, we can’t say anything with absolute certainty. However, Ivy Coach’s highly educated guess is that very few applicants to Brown earn admission with GPAs below 3.5, and those who do likely possess special statuses that earn them a second look, such as being recruited athletes or development cases.

How Ivy Coach Can Help Your Child’s Chances at Brown

If your child wants to be a bona fide Brunonian, we recommend setting up Ivy Coach’s Strategy Session. Not only will you find out if your child has a chance of getting into Brown, but you’ll come away with a strategy for optimizing their odds of admission to all elite schools within reach. To learn more about Ivy Coach’s Strategy Session led by a member of our team of former elite college admission officers, fill out our complimentary consultation form, and we’ll be in touch with an outline of our services.