Thanks for your interest! If you haven't already, please acquaint yourself with the PhD program (and compare it to our Master's program). You may want to review the homepages of our faculty for information about their research interests, and if they have any instructions for applicants interested in them as a potential advisor.
Please read the FAQ here. When you're ready, continue to the Official Online Application, but note the following:
- To request an application fee waiver, please review the instructions here.
- If you belong to an underrepresented group in CS and want to receive feedback and guidance on your application, please fill in this form. You'll receive guidance from current Brown CS PhD students, either in the form of feedback on your application or a Zoom guidance session, as chosen by you in the form. Participation is completely optional, and it's separate from the application process. While this program doesn't guarantee admission, we hope that it'll be useful to you. You can learn more here.
Application Requirements
We expect strong results from our applicants in the following:
- Record of grades or other academic performance
- Research experience or clear motivation of a research plan
- 3 recommendation letters (you might suggest to your letter writers that they look at this site)
- TOEFL or IELTS (for applicants whose native language is not English)
- Note the GRE is no longer mandatory, but may be included if desired
Again, please read our FAQ.
How To Apply
The deadline for applications (including test scores and letters of recommendation) for entry in September is December 15. (We don't allow doctoral students to start at other times of the year.) If your recommendation letters are arriving a day or two late due to circumstances beyond your control, go ahead and email us to give us a heads up.
Please visit the graduate school website and complete the entire application on-line. You can get additional information from our FAQ and from the Graduate School's Web site. We strongly urge you to provide unofficial (scanned) copies of your transcripts as part of the electronic application. If you're accepted to the program, we'll ask you to mail an official copy of your transcript.
Graduate applications are handled by a combination of Brown CS and the Graduate School. First, your application is formally processed by the Graduate School. Its content is then read by members of Brown CS, who forward their recommendations to the Graduate School. Finally, the Graduate School formally admits you to the program. Therefore, you may receive correspondence from either of these entities.
Note that doctoral students can automatically earn a Master's degree on the way to completing their PhD, but Master's students don't automatically transition to the PhD track.
