So you’re interested in attending Brown? Awesome! If you want a real shot at getting in, you will need to master a few AP® courses. This way, the admissions committee can see that you take your academics seriously and you will be able to handle the workload at Brown. But once you get there, what are you supposed to do with all the AP® credits you have accumulated? Can you actually use them at college, or are they just a tool to get you in? Well, you’re about to find out!

This article will walk you through everything you need to know about the Brown AP® credits policy. We will cover what exams can get you credit as well as what you need to score on each exam. We will also touch on the general campus vibe at Brown and what kinds of classes you will need to take to graduate.

Let’s jump in!

Fast Facts about Brown

•  Brown University is nestled in Providence, Rhode Island – the biggest city in America’s smallest state. It’s also not too far from Boston if you like day trips!

•  Brown is a private university, a member of the ultra-competitive Ivy League, and was founded way back in 1764.

•  The school’s colors are black, red, and white.

•  If you go to a sport’s game, you’ll be rooting for the aptly named Brown Bears, pun fully intended.

The Numbers

According to the CollegeBoard as of 2015, Brown has…

•  6,652 undergraduates

•  2,333 postgraduate students

•  1,613 first-time freshmen

The school also boasts a large $3.3 billion endowment fund and an ultra elite 9% admission rate.

In 2015, 30,396 students applied for 2,875 spots.

Based on the above numbers, you can see why it is so hard to get into Brown. The admissions committee looks at your ACT®/SAT® scores, your application essay, and your teachers’ recommendations. But they consider your GPA the most important part of your application. In order to impress them, you need to have a killer academic record filled with good grades in AP® classes. But once you get your grades, especially the AP® test results, what are you supposed to do with them? Keep reading to find out!

Advanced Standing at Brown

Before we go into all the details about which AP® classes Brown accepts, we need to make sure you know exactly how to use your scores when you arrive in Providence.

So, if you take AP® or honors courses while you are in high school, you might be eligible to qualify for something called Advanced Standing. At Brown, all recent high school graduates matriculate as zero-credit freshmen. However, depending on the classes they took in high school, they could eventually decide to do any of the following things:

•  Take a semester off and still graduate on time.

•  Graduate a semester

•  Skip lower-level classes to take more interesting ones.

If you end up going to Brown and want to use your AP® credits to “accelerate” your education and graduate early, you can read more about the requirements here.

We do want to give you two quick caveats, however. First, you spend less than the typical 8 semesters at Brown, you still have to pay for the full eight semesters, so you might as well take your time. Second, other schools allow you to finish up to a year early, but Brown only gives you the option to finish one semester early.

If you don’t want to graduate early and simply want to use your AP® credits to opt out of lower level classes at Brown, then keep reading!

Brown’s AP® Credits Policy

There is more than one way to earn Advanced Standing at Brown. While a high score (meaning a 4 or 5, it depends on the department) on an Advanced Placement exam is the most obvious, Brown also considers the following alternatives:

•  International Baccalaureate (IB) higher level exams

•  British A-Level exams

•  French Baccalauréate

•  German Abitur

•  Italian Esama di Stato

•  Swiss Federal Matruity Certificate

So, as you can see, if your school follows the IB program and didn’t offer AP® courses, or you went to an international high school, you are not without options! You can read more about how Brown treats these exams here.

Here is what your AP® scores will get you at Brown:

Language

Math

Science

Social Studies

Brown does not accept scores from the following AP® exams:

•  AP® Art History

•  AP® Chinese Language and Culture

•  AP® Chemistry

•  AP® Computer Science

•  AP® Economics: Macroeconomics or Microeconomics

•  AP® English: Language and Composition or Literature and Composition

•  AP® Environmental Science

•  AP® Government and Politics: Comparative or U.S.

•  AP® Human Geography

•  AP® International Relations

•  AP® Japanese Language and Culture

•  AP® Music: Listening, Literature, and Theory

•  AP® Political Science

•  AP® Statistics

•  AP® Studio Art Drawing and Studio General

We found all of our information right here on the Brown website, so if you wanted to check it out for yourself or do some more research, now you know exactly where to look.

Here are some other quick facts about Brown AP® Credits, straight from the source.

According to Brown’s admissions website:

Advanced Placement exam scores are not eligible for course credit at Brown, but students may use certain AP® scores to enroll in higher-level courses, to satisfy concentration requirements, or to advance their semester standing.

So at Brown, you can’t get out of taking a certain class by applying your AP® credits, but if you like the subject, you are welcome to use them to take higher level course instead. This can be quite useful, as even as superior places like Brown “101” courses won’t be a good fit for a student who already has a passion for a particular field.

When you take the AP® exams, you need to make sure that the College Board sends your results directly to Brown, especially if you are a senior in high school and have already been accepted.

Finally, if you have any questions or concerns about how your AP® credits will be handled while you are at Brown, it is best to consult directly with the academic department. Your assigned academic advisor can assist you if you need any help.

Brown’s Undergraduate Academic Requirements

Brown University is famous for its open curriculum. Critics might say that this allows slacker students to take things like “underwater basket weaving” and still graduate with an Ivy League degree, but that is not the case. In reality, it allows Brown students to take ownership of their education and engage with courses that they enjoy.

The open curriculum does have a few requirements, and they are as follows. Brown students must:

•  Complete at least 30 courses. This one is pretty self-explanatory. You need to receive a passing grade in at least 30 courses while you are Brown. This might seem like a lot, but it’s only about 4 courses per semester.

•  Complete a concentration. This is what Brown calls a major. There are over 80 to choose from.

•  Demonstrate a competence in writing. Students must take at least two courses during their time at Brown that are writing intensive. One during their freshmen or sophomore years, and again when they are a junior or senior.

•  Fulfill Brown’s eight-semester requirement. As we mentioned, it’s hard to graduate early or take time off at Brown. The only exception to this requirement is if a student studies abroad at an approved program.

You can read more about Brown’s open curriculum here.

Brown’s Campus Vibe

Brown is known for offering a tight-knit community to its students. Even in larger lecture classes, its professors make an effort to get to know their students, even inviting them over to their homes for dinner and fellowship!

Brown is sometimes considered to be the black sheep of the Ivy League family because everyone there is supposed to be so laid back – but don’t let the stereotype fool you. People at Brown often have quirky interests and a unique approach to solving problems. While the atmosphere on campus is relaxed, the students at Brown are not slackers! They have just figured out how to succeed without constant anxiety.

There is tons do to on campus, from sports to theater and everything in between. The Rhode Island School of Design is just right down the street from Brown, so there is always an art show to attend.

A Quick Review

Here are the key things to remember when thinking about the Brown AP® credits policy:

•  Brown does not accept AP® scores for course credit.

•  Brown uses AP® scores to place students in upper level classes.

•  AP® scores can also be used to “accelerate” a Brown education.

•  These requirements vary by department.

•  Brown has an open course curriculum, letting students control their educations.

So there you have it! Now you are a Brown AP® credits expert. Do keep in mind, though, that your AP® credits are not a magic key that will automatically get you into Brown. But by taking them, you are giving yourself a boost in the admissions process.

What are the next steps?

The obvious next step is to sign up for some AP® classes if you aren’t already taking them. To make your life easier, we have put together a list of the hardest AP® classes and tests here, and the easiest ones here. We also created this handy timeline to when you should start studying for the AP® exams here, so you can manage you time leading up to test day in May.

We also have some general tips and tricks for studying for AP® tests available, but if you are trying to review for a certain class, you are in luck! We have articles covering the important concepts in AP® Physics, events in AP® United States History, and everything else you could possibly ever need.

So stick around, and remember to explore Albert.io for all your AP® test prep needs.

Good luck!

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