Tuition & Financial Aid
Undergraduate Financial Aid at Bryn Mawr
Understanding college costs starts with understanding how financial aid works. Bryn Mawr College meets 100% of calculated financial need for admitted students—one of fewer than 100 institutions that does so.
Bryn Mawr looks at your family’s ability to contribute toward college costs and gives you tools to understand the process before you apply.
How Does Bryn Mawr Calculate Need?
Understanding the calculation
Like our peer institutions, Bryn Mawr considers a set of core financial factors to understand a family’s ability to contribute toward college costs. We apply our institutional need analysis consistently to every family seeking financial aid.
In simple terms:
Cost of Attendance − Calculated Family Contribution = Calculated Financial Need
- Cost of Attendance (COA): The estimated annual cost of attending Bryn Mawr, including tuition, fees, housing, food, books, transportation, and other educational expenses.
- Calculated Family Contribution: The amount Bryn Mawr determines a family can contribute toward college costs, based on our institutional methodology and the financial information the family provides.
What we consider
Like many institutions that meet 100% of calculated financial need, Bryn Mawr considers several core factors when reviewing a family’s finances, including:
- Household size
- Income, including wages, investment income, and business income
- Assets, including cash, savings, investments, business value, a portion of home equity, and equity in investment properties
Retirement assets are not included in Bryn Mawr’s need calculation.
Where is Bryn Mawr's Financial Aid Approach Different?
Children in College
We consider the number of children in your family who are enrolled in 4-year undergraduate programs
Cost of Living
Cost of living considerations are part of our need analysis
The Bryn Mawr Beacon Initiative
Qualifying U.S. families earning less than $175,000 annually with typical assets pay no tuition.
Change in Circumstances
Applicants can share recent changes in financial circumstances through their applicant portal. We also invite families to tell us about other special circumstances that may be relevant to their financial aid application. We'll follow up if additional information is needed.
What Kinds of Financial Aid Are Available?
The majority of aid we award is need-based grants and merit scholarships. Students may also qualify for federal aid, loans, campus employment, and other sources of assistance.
Learn about the types of financial aid available at Bryn Mawr.
How Can I Estimate What Bryn Mawr Will Cost for Me?
Start by reviewing Bryn Mawr’s current tuition, fees, housing, food, and other estimated expenses, then use our cost estimator tools to get a better sense of what your family might actually pay.
MyinTuition
Just a few questions, 3 minutes on average—go ahead and give it a whirl to get a ballpark of your family's contribution.
Net Price Calculator
The Net Price Calculator takes a deeper dive, so we recommend setting aside an hour.
Do you see yourself at Bryn Mawr?
Explore the admissions process or stay connected for information about academics, student life, visits, and applying.
Ready to Apply for Financial Aid?
Find the forms, deadlines, and instructions that apply to you.
Requirements and deadlines for first-year undergraduate applicants vary depending on which admission plan you’re applying under and whether you’re a domestic or international student.
Find the forms, deadlines, and instructions that apply to you.
Domestic undergraduate students must re-apply for financial aid each year at Bryn Mawr. International students only apply for aid in the admissions process.
Finance your Postbac year by submitting your FAFSA and keeping up-to-date on your financial aid requirements.
Students in the Graduate School of Social Work & Social Research and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences have unique financial aid processes, click the button to find your specific instructions.
Financial Aid Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, Bryn Mawr College meets 100% of calculated financial need for admitted students—one of fewer than 100 institutions that does so.
Your financial aid applications provide the information we use to assess your calculated need. Our review considers factors including household size, the number of children in college, total income, and assets such as cash, savings, investments, a portion of home equity, and equity in investment properties.
In order to be considered for financial aid at any point during your studies at the College, you must respond “Yes” to the Financial Aid Intent question on the Common Application. If you respond “No” to the Financial Aid Intent question on the Common Application you will not be eligible for financial aid in subsequent years.
Domestic students interested in receiving need-based financial aid are required to submit the CSS Profile, FAFSA, and parent taxes each year in order receive need-based financial aid.
International students apply for financial aid only once, at the time of admission. For international students receiving need-based aid, the family contribution remains the same for all four years at Bryn Mawr, and grant aid is adjusted to account for increases in the cost of attendance.
“Typical assets” means $500,000 or less in asset valuation.
Yes. Bryn Mawr competitively awards merit scholarships in the admissions process. All applicants are automatically considered for merit aid (no additional application needed) and are notified at the point of admission if they have been selected for a merit scholarship. Students may receive a Bryn Mawr Merit Scholarship even with no calculated financial need. Scholarships are non-negotiable and only awarded at the time of admission. Applicants are evaluated using Bryn Mawr’s holistic admission review process, which takes numerous factors into consideration including but not limited to academic coursework and performance, involvement in school and community, leadership qualities, letters of recommendation, quality and content of writing, and potential to contribute in meaningful ways to the Bryn Mawr community.
No. Financial aid is awarded using the same process for Early Decision and Regular Decision applicants.
We invite you to share recent changes or other special financial circumstances in your application. We’ll follow up if we need additional information from you or your family.
We recommend either requesting an Early Decision financial aid estimate or applying as a Regular Decision student.
Bryn Mawr is need-aware, which means the amount of aid a student requests of the College may affect the admission decision. While Bryn Mawr is committed to meeting the full calculated need of students, we have a limited pool of resources to do so.
Yes. Bryn Mawr College awards need-based and merit financial aid to international students which may consist of grants, scholarships, loans, and campus employment. The College meets the full calculated need for all admitted students.
Yes, transfer and nontraditional-aged students have access to need-based financial aid.
Still Have Financial Aid Questions?
Some financial aid questions depend on the details of your family’s circumstances. Your Financial Aid Counselor can help you understand the process and your aid eligibility.
Looking for more detailed information? Find financial aid policies, additional resources, and information about processes such as appeals in our Financial Aid Policies & Resources.
Applying to Bryn Mawr?
Contact Us
Office of Financial Aid