About

The Brown University Leadership Institute is a two-week residential pre-college program focused on socially responsible leadership, civic engagement, and applied problem-solving. Students select one course from a range of social-issue tracks — past offerings have explored themes including racial justice, gender equity, social entrepreneurship, and law and social movements — and spend the session in daily class meetings with approximately two to three hours of outside work per evening. The program is explicitly ungraded, and no college credit is awarded. An online four-week option covering the same content is available for students who cannot attend in person.

The application requires a transcript, a 250–500 word personal statement, and an optional recommendation letter. Admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis, and the program does not publish an acceptance rate. Based on the structure of its admissions process, the Leadership Institute functions as an open-enrollment program gated primarily by capacity and application completion rather than academic selectivity.

The program's academic centerpiece is an Action Plan — a capstone project through which students identify a social issue and develop a concrete plan to address it in their home community. Outside of class, residential students have access to Brown's libraries, writing center, fitness facilities, and the general campus environment.

The Brown Leadership Institute is a reasonable introduction to leadership frameworks and civic thinking for students with genuine interest in social issues, but families should understand that for students seeking research exposure, competitive distinction, or faculty mentorship, other programs are more appropriate choices.