Acceptance Rate
29%
Avg. SAT
1510
75th percentile
“Bryn Mawr College: A historic women's bastion where intellectual women forge unbreakable bonds amid Philadelphia's leafy suburbs.”
Bryn Mawr, PA
Location
Large Suburb
Campus Setting
Founded in 1885 by Quaker businessman Joseph Wright Taylor, Bryn Mawr emerged as one of the Seven Sisters, pioneering higher education for women when most colleges barred them from advanced degrees—it became the first American women's college to grant PhDs. You'll find its neo-Gothic campus perched on a hill in affluent Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, an 11-mile train ride from Philadelphia's cultural bustle, blending suburban serenity with urban access. The school's personality radiates fierce independence and scholarly intensity, attracting women who revel in all-female camaraderie, deep debates, and self-directed exploration; picture the type who devours Plato at breakfast and leads protests by lunch. Tradeoffs hit hard here: the women-only undergraduate world empowers but may isolate those craving co-ed dynamics from day one, and the quiet suburb demands initiative to avoid cabin fever—Philly's museums and cheesesteaks await, but you'll hustle for them.
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Admissions
Acceptance Rate
Test Policy
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Average GPA
Application Fee
Academics
Student-Faculty Ratio
Programs Offered
Full-Time Faculty
Women Faculty
Research Spending
Degree Levels Offered
In Bryn Mawr's small seminars, where your 8:1 student-faculty ratio means professors know your quirks by week two, classes spark with Socratic fervor—expect to dissect ancient Greek texts in Classics, one of the nation's deepest programs, or map urban inequities through the unique Growth and Structure of Cities major. Research pulses early: freshmen co-author papers on archaeology digs in Greece, tapping the Tri-College Consortium with Haverford and Swarthmore for cross-registration and shared libraries holding 3 million volumes. The intellectual culture prizes bold questions over rote answers, fostering PhD-track thinkers, but the workload grinds—nights blur into essays, and the humanities tilt leaves STEM seekers borrowing labs from neighbors.
Student Body
Total Enrollment
1,360 undergrad • 319 grad
Undergraduate
Graduate
International
White
53%
Black / African American
6%
Hispanic / Latino
10%
Asian
11%
Other / Multi-racial
21%
Campus Life
Campus Setting
Bryn Mawr, PA
Varsity Athletics
NCAA Athletics
Life at Bryn Mawr pulses with rituals that bind its 1,400 undergrads: as a freshman, you'll don a white gown for Lantern Night, processing by torchlight while upperclasswomen sing haunting alma maters, a tradition since 1894 symbolizing passage into sisterhood. Residences like the quirky Pembroke Hall foster hall rivalries with Step Sings—acapella battles on stone steps—and May Day's dawn dances in medieval garb. A typical week mixes rigorous classes, 150 clubs from Quidditch to Model UN, and Tri-Co parties at nearby Haverford for guy-meets; the vibe empowers activists and nerds alike, but the all-women intensity can amplify drama, and winter's gray slush tests resolve before spring blooms. Philly weekends offer escape, yet the small scale means everyone knows your business.
Housing
On-Campus Housing
Housing Capacity
Meal Plan Available
Average Room & Board
Athletics
Athletic Association
Centennial Conference
ROTC & Veteran Support
Army
No
Navy
No
Air Force
Yes
Veteran’s Programs Available
Yellow Ribbon Program (Post-9/11 GI Bill)
Yes
Cost & Aid
In-State Tuition
Out-of-State Tuition
Room & Board
Estimated Cost
Financial Aid
Students Receiving Aid
Receiving Pell Grants
Average Grant
Average Federal Loan
Net Annual Cost by Household Income
Household Income
Avg. Net Cost
$0 – $30K
$14,782
$30K – $48K
$10,317
$48K – $75K
$23,774
$75K – $110K
$25,729
$110K+
$51,983
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Outcomes & Earnings
Retention Rate
92%
4 Years Graduation Rate
82%
6 Years Graduation Rate
87%
Median 10-Year Earnings
$75,217
92% of first-time, full-time students complete their freshman year at Bryn Mawr College and return in the fall. 82% of first-time, full-time students graduate in 4 years, and 87% graduate within 6 years.
Graduation Rate
4-year grads
82%
4-6 years
5%
Non-grad
13%
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Key Statistics
Type
Private
Tuition
$58,000
Acceptance
29%
Undergrads
1,360
4-Year Grad Rate
82%
Endowment
$697M
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010