Undergraduate Policies

You must apply for aid from the College as an incoming student to be considered for institutional grant assistance during any of your four years at the College. You may apply and will be considered for Federal aid, including the Federal Direct Loan Program, every year whether or not you applied for institutional aid as a first-year student.

To be considered for aid from the College as a first-year student your response to the Financial Aid Intent question on the Common Application must be “Yes.”

Bryn Mawr College is need-sensitive with respect to admission. Once admissibility is determined, funds are distributed until the financial aid budget has been exhausted. If there are places remaining to be filled in the class, a student’s eligibility for aid may be taken into account.

Bryn Mawr students are expected to contribute to the cost of their education and to apply for federal and state aid programs. The minimum expected contribution for students starting in the 2020-21 academic year is $1,500. A student who chooses not to work, is unable to work, or unable to save from summer earnings may be able to borrow a loan or obtain an outside scholarship to fill the gap. The College will not offer additional grant assistance to replace the expected student contribution, nor will the College replace state grant funds forfeited due to late state grant application. Each student is also expected to contribute at least one-fourth of any personal assets held in the student’s name at the time of the initial application for each year that aid is received.

Students who are approved by the Dean of the Undergraduate College to commute from home (with a parent or guardian in residence) must notify the Office of Financial Aid of their housing status. If you are living with your family, you will not be charged for room and board on your student account and your need-based financial aid grant will decrease as you will not be incurring the cost for room and board. A small budget for living expenses will be included in your financial aid calculation to help cover the cost of meals and other expenses while living at home. Eligibility for financial aid is not affected for students approved to move off-campus in an apartment by the Residential Life off-campus lottery process. The College does not offer institutional grants for living expenses that exceed the cost of living on campus. The family contribution is calculated the same way for students who live on and off campus.

Outside scholarships are awards made by outside organizations including national or local scholarship programs, religious, fraternal, social and scholastic organizations.

Federal and state grants, tuition benefits, and entitlements are not considered outside scholarships, but rather are considered a direct resource to the students in determining their eligibility for College aid in the same manner as the calculated family contribution and will replace an equal amount of Bryn Mawr Grant and/or FSEOG.

Students must report outside scholarships and assistance sources to the Office of Financial Aid so that the additional funds can be incorporated determining eligibility for need-based aid per Federal regulations.

Bryn Mawr allows outside scholarships to reduce the student resource expectation, which includes a minimum student contribution, loans, and academic year employment award. For most students receiving need-based college aid, the student resource expectation is $9,000, consisting of $2,000 in student employment, a $5,500 loan expectation, and a $1,500 minimum student contribution. Bryn Mawr Grant will only be reduced when the total of outside scholarships or grants is greater than the student resource expectation.

An outside grant or scholarship cannot replace the student’s parent contribution or the student’s asset contribution.

A student may not be able to replace the entire amount of the student resource expectation with outside awards due to eligibility requirements for federal and state need-based aid.

A student who loses eligibility for Federal Work-Study because of an outside scholarship may still have the option to work on campus, depending on the availability of jobs, scheduling, and current College Student Employment policy.

The amount of Bryn Mawr merit aid will not be reduced for students receiving outside scholarship and entitlements unless the total amount of the merit aid and the outside scholarship and entitlements exceed the cost of attendance, in which case the merit award will be reduced such that the total aid does not exceed the cost of attendance.

Outside scholarships and grants received after the award notification will not replace your family contribution. Instead, the scholarship or grant will replace your Bryn Mawr International Loan and work funding first, and then, if necessary, your Bryn Mawr International grant.

Tuition benefits are not considered outside scholarships, but rather are considered a direct resource to the students in determining their eligibility for College aid in the same manner as the calculated family contribution and will replace an equal amount of Bryn Mawr Grant and/or FSEOG.

Financial aid will be offered to students for eight semesters only. A student may appeal for a ninth semester of Bryn Mawr grant if there is a mitigating reason, such as a medical leave of absence. These requests can be directed to the Director of Financial Aid.

Financial aid is credited to the student’s account in two equal disbursements (fall and spring). Bryn Mawr Grants and scholarships will be credited prior to billing. Federal grants and loans are scheduled for disbursement on the first day of classes for each term. Students must accept, reduce or decline their awards as well as complete the necessary requirements. Financial aid applications must be completed before funds can be disbursed to the student account.

The College bills tuition and fees by semester through NelNet Campus Commerce. For more information about payment plans and payment dates please visit the Office of Student Accounts.

Students who study as guest students at another U.S. institution are not eligible for Bryn Mawr Grant during their domestic abroad semester but may be eligible for federal grants and loans if certain conditions are met.

To be eligible for federal funds, domestic abroad students must be in good academic standing at Bryn Mawr during the term immediately prior to study away. The student’s academic dean must approve participation in the program and confirm that the courses taken will count toward the student’s Bryn Mawr degree in accordance with the College’s transfer credit policies.

Students who are approved to study abroad by the Foreign Studies Committee may receive federal and institutional funds for Junior Year Abroad (JYA) programs. To receive funds, students must demonstrate eligibility. Applications for financial aid must be completed and returned by April 15. Scholarships from sponsoring agencies awarded to students studying abroad will reduce aid in accordance with the College’s outside scholarship policy.

The Department of Education may send notification that the student’s FAFSA was selected for verification by the federal processor. Verification confirms the accuracy of the information submitted on the FAFSA. The College is required to complete verification for selected students and to resolve any conflicting information. To comply with these regulations, follow the instructions on the verification worksheet provided by the College Board/IDOC. Be sure the worksheet contains all required signatures before returning the form to the Office of Financial Aid.

IRS Data Retrieval: The Office of Financial Aid encourages students to complete their FAFSA online at www.studentaid.gov, using IRS Data Retrieval; an easier, faster way to enter federal income tax information on the FAFSA. The process allows electronically submitted tax information to complete specific elements of the FAFSA, simplifying the verification process. Data successfully transferred through the IRS Data Retrieval tool cannot be modified. Students and parents may not be able to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool if:

• Tax filing status is “Married filing separately”
• Tax status is “head of household”
• Filed a foreign tax return
• Filed paper taxes within the last 8 weeks

Until verification is complete, Bryn Mawr cannot credit a federal grant or loan to the student’s account; the student cannot be employed under the Federal Work-Study Program, and the Office of Financial Aid will not certify a Federal Direct Loan application.

The submission of IRS tax data or IRS Tax Return Transcripts does not satisfy Bryn Mawr’s requirement that undergraduate students who apply for a non-federal Bryn Mawr Grant submit full signed and dated federal income tax returns, both personal and business, all pages, schedules, and attachments, including W2 forms, to the Institutional Documentation Service (IDOC).

Determination of Withdrawal Date

The date the student began the withdrawal process by contacting the dean’s office orally or in writing is considered the date of withdrawal for College refunds and for the return of Federal Title IV funds. When a student continues to attend classes or other academically related activity after beginning the withdrawal process, the College may choose to use the student’s last date of documented attendance at an academically related activity as the date of withdrawal. For a student who leaves the College without notifying the College of the intent to withdraw, the College normally uses the student’s last date of documented attendance at an academically related activity as the date of withdrawal. If that date cannot be ascertained, the College will consider the midpoint of the enrollment period to be the date the student withdrew.

Adjustment to tuition and fees occurs when the Dean's Office notifies the Registrar and the Registrar then notifies Student Accounts. Students who have received financial aid are reviewed for adjustments to their aid and return of funds as required by Federal and State regulations. Once the Return of Title IV funds procedure as outlined below has been completed, students who are eligible for a refund will have the refund processed in 14 days.

Withdraws

The College’s Refund Policy and the Return of Federal Title IV funds procedures are independent of one another. For information about the College's Tuition and Fees Refund Policy, visit Student Accounts. The calculation of Title IV Funds earned by the student has no relationship to the student’s incurred charges. Therefore, the student may still owe funds to the College to cover unpaid institutional charges.The policy of returning unearned Title IV funds to the federal programs applies to all students receiving Federal Pell Grants, Federal Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant, Federal Direct Loans, Federal PLUS Loans, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG), Federal Perkins Loans, and in some cases, state grants.

When a recipient of Title IV Federal grant or loan assistance withdraws or takes a leave of absence from the College during the semester, the College must determine per a federal formula, the amount of federal aid that the student may retain as of the withdrawal date. Any federal aid that the student is eligible to receive, but which has not been disbursed, will be offered to the student as a post-withdrawal disbursement. Post-withdrawal disbursements will occur within 45 days of the student’s withdraw date. The student will be notified of Federal Loan eligibility within 30 days and have 14 days to respond to the loan offer. Any federal aid the student is not eligible to receive according to the federal refund policy will be returned to the federal government.

The student is entitled to retain federal aid based on the percentage of the semester they have completed. As prescribed by federal formula, the College calculates the percentage by dividing the total number of calendar days in the semester into the number of calendar days completed as of the withdrawal date. Fall and spring breaks are excluded as periods of nonattendance in the enrollment period. Once the student has completed more than 60% of the semester, they have earned all of the Title IV assistance scheduled for that period.

The amount of Title IV assistance not earned is calculated by determining the percentage of assistance earned and applying it to the total amount of grant and loan assistance that was disbursed. The amount the school must return is the lesser of:

• the unearned amount of Title IV assistance or
• the institutional charges incurred for the period of
• enrollment multiplied by the unearned percentage 

The order of return of Title IV funds is:

• Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loans
• Subsidized Federal Direct Loans
• Federal Perkins Loans
• Federal PLUS Loans
• Federal Pell Grants
• Federal Iraq Afghanistan Service Grant
• Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants (FSEOG)
• Other Title IV assistance

If the College has issued a refund of Title IV funds in excess of the amount the student has earned prior to the withdrawal date, the student is responsible for repaying the funds. Any amount of loan funds that the student (or the parent for a PLUS Loan) has not earned must be repaid in accordance with the terms of the promissory note, that is, the student (or parent for a PLUS Loan) must make scheduled payments to the holder of the loan over a period of time. Any amount of unearned grant funds is called an overpayment. The amount of a grant overpayment that the student must repay is half of the unearned amount. The student must make arrangements with the College or the Department of Education to return the unearned grant funds. A leave of absence is treated as a withdrawal and a return of Title IV funds may be calculated. A student may take a leave of absence from school for not more than a total of 180 days in any 12-month period.

The calculation of the return of Title IV funds will be done by Financial Aid and Student Accounts.

Deadlines for Returning Federal Title IV Funds

The amount unearned federal funds allocated to the Federal Loan, Federal PLUS Program, Federal Pell Grant, Federal Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant, Federal SEOG, and Federal Perkins will be returned by the College to the appropriate federal program accounts within 45 days of the date the student officially withdrew or was expelled, or within 45 days of the date the College determined that the student had unofficially withdrawn.

The amount of the earned federal funds, if any, allocated to the student will be paid within 45 days of the student’s withdrawal date or, if the student withdrew unofficially, the date that the dean’s office determined that the student withdrew.

Treatment of College Grants When a Student Withdraws

The amount of College grant funds a student will retain is based on the percentage of the period of enrollment completed up to 60% of attendance.

Treatment of State Grants When a Student Withdraws

The amount of the state grant funds a student will retain is based on the individual refund policy prescribed by the issuing state.

Student assistance funding is available for current undergraduate students. Through a generous donor, Bryn Mawr College has access to funds to support students who are experiencing a financial hardship due to an unanticipated event. Please visit the Dean's page to see if your situation qualifies for funding.

The Office of Financial Aid reviews federal aid applicants at the close of each payment period (term) to determine if Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is being met in accordance with Federal academic standards and Federal policies.  We will review both the qualitative (cumulative grade point average) and quantitative (pace of completion) progress of enrolled students.  This process is independent from standards set forth by the Committee on Academic Standing (CAS).  Students who do not maintain SAP as outlined below will become ineligible for Federal and State financial aid.

General Requirements

Each student is responsible for meeting all degree requirements. Each candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts is required to complete 32 units of academic work. Students normally carry a complete program of four courses (four units) each semester and are expected to complete the full-time course of study in eight enrolled semesters. A student may register for 3.0, 3.5, 4.5, 5.0, or 5.5 units per semester with the approval of the student’s Dean. Federal regulations require institutions to check the academic progress each payment period (term). At Bryn Mawr, students must meet the quantitative and qualitative measures as outlined below to maintain eligibility for federal and state financial aid.

Quantitative (pace): 

Students who fail to meet the below standards will be reviewed at the close of the semester by the Committee on Academic Standing (CAS) and the Office of Financial Aid. Students must meet the following requirements to maintain eligibility for Federal Title IV financial aid.

Pace:

Thirty-two units are required to complete the A.B. degree. All students must be on pace to complete the A.B. degree within 150% of the standard thirty-two units. To meet these guidelines, students must complete at least 67% of all courses attempted in any single semester and at least 67% cumulatively.

Courses in which a student has earned the following grades for any reason, including non-attendance, will count as units attempted but not completed: WD (withdrawal), 0.0 (failure), NC (a failure earned in a course taken credit / no credit), NGR (no grade), UI (unauthorized incomplete), or (I) Incomplete.

If a student has a grade changed in the term immediately following the SAP failure (ex., If a student did not meet SAP for incompletes in the fall semester, that was changed to a grade in the spring semester than resulted in passing grades that allowed the student to meet the pace or GPA requirements) the students SAP status may be changed to satisfactory and Federal aid may be processed. Any grade changes that occur after the subsequent semester will not be eligible in a recalculation of SAP.

Repeated courses, and unofficially audited (visited) courses count as neither units attempted nor completed. Courses taken at other institutions that are approved to be used as transfer credit towards the degree by the Registrar’s office will be considered towards the student’s pace requirement as both attempted and completed courses. These standards apply to students enrolled in dual degree programs.

Students granted permission to study part-time, such as McBride Scholars, must meet all quantitative measures.

Federal regulations limit a student’s eligibility to receive federal aid to a timeframe that is equal to 150% of the normal time needed to receive a degree. For Bryn Mawr, this means a student can receive federal aid for a maximum of 12 semesters as they strive to complete the 32 mandatory credits required to receive a Bryn Mawr degree. However, to ensure that the student can do this within this length of time, a minimum number of completed credits is expected per semester, and this is part of the quantitative measure. Therefore, at the end of each semester a student must have successfully completed the following number of credits:

• End of First Semester = 3.0 cumulative credits
• End of Second Semester = 5.5 cumulative credits
• End of Third Semester = 8.0 cumulative credits
• End of Fourth Semester = 11 cumulative credits
• End of Fifth Semester = 13.5 cumulative credits
• End of Sixth Semester = 16.0 cumulative credits
• End of Seventh Semester = 19.0 cumulative credits
• End of Eighth Semester = 21.50 cumulative credits

To receive institutional financial aid beyond eight semesters, the student must submit a written appeal to the Financial Aid Office for a Committee review.

• End of Ninth Semester = 24 cumulative credits
• End of Tenth Semester = 27 cumulative credits
• End of Eleventh Semester = 29.5 cumulative credits
• End of Twelfth Semester = 32 cumulative credits

Transfer students are assigned a prorated timeframe based on the academic level at which they are classified when they matriculate.

Qualitative: Because Bryn Mawr does not have an established GPA measure for a student’s first year, but rather tracks a student’s progress via monitoring by the student’s advising dean and the Committee on Academic Standing, the Financial Aid Office is required to use the federal standard of:

Units attempted              Required Cumulative GPA

0-8                                     1.75

8-16                                   2.00

The cumulative GPA is monitored at the end of each semester. Students failing to maintain the outlined  cumulative GPAs based on units attempted will be placed on financial aid warning (which is separate from any academic action) for the subsequent semester and may receive federal aid for that semester. If at the end of the warning semester the student has achieved the requisite cumulative GPA, federal aid eligibility may continue. If the student fails to bring up the GPA to the requisite cumulative GPA, all future federal aid eligibility is suspended. The student may appeal for an additional semester of aid eligibility, as outlined below. The student may have federal aid eligibility reinstated once they have achieved the cumulative GPA, but this eligibility may not be retroactive. Students enrolled in summer courses will be reviewed once the summer payment period has ended. 

Repeating Courses 

With the permission of the instructor, a student who fails a course may enroll in it a second time.  The initial enrollment and failing grade remain on the student's transcript and count towards the overall GPA. In extraordinary circumstances, a student who receives a grade of 1.00, 1.30 or 1.70 may repeat the course after receiving the permission of the Special Cases Committee. The student would receive unit of credit for the first attempt only.  However, both grades would count toward the overall cumulative GPA.  With the permission of the Committee, a student may repeat up to two courses, and not more than one in any semester.

Transfer credits: With prior approval from the Registrar’s office, transfer credits will count towards both attempted and completed courses for pace toward degree completion but will not count toward a student’s cumulative GPA.

Notification and Right to Appeal: A student who fails to meet either the Pace (quantitative) or GPA (qualitative) requirements as outlined above will be placed on a financial aid warning for the subsequent semester. Students will be notified by the Office of Financial Aid that they are on a SAP warning, and may continue to receive Federal and State financial aid during this semester. A student who fails to meet SAP for a second consecutive semester will be placed on SAP Suspension and lose Federal and State financial aid eligibility. These students who lose federal and state aid eligibility will be notified in writing, by email by the Office of Financial Aid.  Students on suspension have the right to appeal. An appeal form and guidelines will be included with the official notification of loss of eligibility.  Appeals received later than two weeks after notification will be reviewed at the discretion of the Director of Financial Aid.

General criteria for appeals may include student’s injury or illness, death of a close relative, or other special circumstances (which may include personal or family emergencies, natural disaster, etc.).

Appeals: 

An appeal form is preferred, however is not required if the student provides the following information:

A detailed account of

• Why the student failed to make SAP
• What has changed that will allow the student to make SAP going forward
• Steps the student will take to make SAP going forward

Appeals will be reviewed by the Office of Financial Aid. If the appeal is approved, the student will be placed on a semester of SAP Probation and continue to be eligible for Federal financial aid.  In addition, the student must meet with their dean to prepare an academic plan that will satisfy the SAP requirements, with the Dean agreeing to monitor the student’s progress in accordance with the plan. If more than one payment period is required to meet progress standards, the student and the Dean will make this clear in the Academic Plan that is created, including what must be required in each payment period, or term.

Regaining eligibility:  Students may regain eligibility without an Academic Plan by achieving the SAP standards as indicated.

More information about the institutional undergraduate SAP policy (which differs from the Financial aid SAP policy outlined above) can be found on the Dean’s website.

For purposes of federal aid only, Bryn Mawr will consider a student independent if they meet the federal criteria. To determine if the student meets the federal definition of independent status,  view the video “FAFSA: Determining Your Dependency Status.”

For purposes of Bryn Mawr’s institutional grant, if a student receives aid as a dependent of the parents in the first award year, the student will be considered a dependent for all subsequent years at Bryn Mawr. For purposes of institutional support, this status will not change, regardless of family relationships or a change in family relationships once the student has entered college.

Tuition and fee increases are customary and are used in determining the renewal award amounts. The family contribution for domestic students is reassessed each year on the basis of the new information supplied on the FAFSA, CSS Profile, and supporting documents.

A federal over-award occurs when a student is receiving more need-based aid than the demonstrated need as determined by the U.S. Department of Education from the information provided on the FAFSA. If a federal over- award occurs, causing a student to lose eligibility for the  Federal Direct Subsidized Loan Program, the Office of Financial Aid will advise the student of any eligibility remaining under the Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan Program.

Traditional undergraduate students are required to be enrolled full-time. If there is a mitigating circumstance, the student must contact their Dean. McBride Scholars are responsible for notifying the Office of Financial Aid and Student Accounts when there is a change in enrollment. McBride Scholars are billed for tuition by the unit for the first three units. If the student’s enrollment changes to less than four units, the student’s aid must be adjusted. Enrollment adjustments will not be made if the course is dropped later than 60 days after the start of class.

Once a credit refund has been processed by Student Accounts and received by the student, it is very important to report enrollment changes. A change in enrollment at this point may reduce financial aid eligibility and require the return of funds to the College.

For seniors who are expecting to graduate in the fall, the Office of Financial Aid must reduce the cost of attendance to reflect just one semester of costs. To be considered a fall-only student, you must apply for graduation with the Registrar and notify the Office of Financial Aid. Per federal and institutional regulations, you will only receive one half of your annual financial aid award. This applies to all federal and institutional need-based financial aid, as well as merit scholarships.

First-time borrowers or students without prior loan balances who received a loan on or after July 1, 2013 are subject to a limit on the maximum period of time (measured in academic years) they can receive a Direct Subsidized Loan. Students cannot receive more than 150% of their “maximum eligibility period.” The maximum eligibility period is based on the published length of the student’s current program.

For example, for a four-year bachelor’s degree program, the maximum period for which a student can receive Direct Subsidized Loans is six years (150% of 4 years = 6 years).

Lifetime Pell Grant Limit

The amount of Pell Grant funds a student may receive over their lifetime is limited by federal law to be the equivalent of six years of Pell Grant funding. Learn more about Pell Grant lifetime limit.

Should your status as an international student change to U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident, you must notify the Office of Financial Aid. You will be required to re-apply for financial aid as a domestic student. You can expect a change in the structure of your financial aid. 

All grants, fellowships, and prizes given to students who are nonresident aliens for tax purposes in excess of tuition and fees will be taxed U.S. federal income tax per federal regulations. 

Need-based financial aid Bryn Mawr Grants are taxed at the rate of 14% unless the student eligible for and has elected a tax treaty exemption. The tax will appear on the student's account at the end of each semester. An international tax grant will be posted to the student account to cover taxes on need-based Bryn Mawr Grant only. 

Additional grants, fellowships, or prizes awarded to students over their academic career at Bryn Mawr are also subject to taxation. Students are responsible for paying these taxes. These taxes will appear on the student's account at the beginning of each month in which they receive an award. Fellowships given to students who are nonresident aliens for tax purposes will be taxed U.S. federal income tax at the rate of 14% unless the student is eligible for and has elected a tax treaty exemption. Other awards/prizes given to students who are nonresident aliens for tax purposes are taxed at 30% and tax treaties are not applicable.

During summer orientation week, international students are provided information and offered help with taxation. For questions, please email intl@brynmawr.edu, call (610) 526–7390, or visit International Services and Advising.

Once you have been admitted to the College, and you have enrolled (paid your deposit), International Services and Advising will assist you with obtaining the necessary immigration documents and student visa to arrive in the United States.

Please visit the admissions page for further information about how an international student is defined at Bryn Mawr College.

Applicants may request a reconsideration of a financial aid award by submitting a written request with applicable documentation to the Office of Financial Aid. Requests will be considered if the student or family submits additional information that was not originally reviewed, or if there is a documented change in family circumstances. Requests that require an exception to College policy will be referred to the Financial Aid Policy and Appeal Committee comprised of senior college administrators.

Institutional funding is limited. Students must exhaust all self-help opportunities before they can be considered for appeal grant funds. The College reserves the right to implement a deadline on the appeal process.

Bryn Mawr College requires all students to be covered by health insurance. The College does provide a student health insurance plan for all matriculated undergraduates (unless participating in a Study Abroad Program).

All international students are required to be enrolled in the College's International Student Insurance plan.

Please visit the Office of Student Accounts for more information.

Students have the right to know:

• The Office of Financial Aid’s location, hours, and counseling procedures.
• The financial aid programs available at Bryn Mawr College. 
• The application procedures and deadlines.
• The criteria for selecting financial aid recipients.
• The criteria for determining need.
• The method for determining the amounts and types of aid awarded.
• The costs that were considered in determining eligibility for aid.
• The method and timing of financial aid payments.
• The basis for determining satisfactory academic progress to continue to receive financial aid and what happens when progress is not made.
• The portion of aid that must be repaid, the portion that is grant, and the portion that must be earned through employment.
• If offered a Federal Work-Study award, the nature of the job, the required number of work hours, job duties, the pay, and the method and timing of payments.

Financial aid applications are confidential. Information concerning financial aid applicants will be released only to agencies that require the information for scholarship consideration and only when authorized by the student and family.

Students are responsible for:

• Completing all application forms accurately and submitting them on time to the appropriate location.
• Providing all documentation, verification, corrections, and/or other scholarship information requested by the Office of Financial Aid or other scholarship agencies.
• Reporting any changes in enrollment and housing to the Office of Financial Aid.
• Reading and understanding all forms that are distributed and retaining student copies.
• Performing the work that is agreed upon in accepting a work-study position.
• Reporting name and address changes directly to the Registrar and lenders of all education loans that have been received.
• When filing U.S. taxes, include as taxable income all grant aid that exceeds the cost of tuition, fees, books, and supplies.

Our 2022 policy change will affect two large groups of undergraduate students starting in the Fall 2022 semester: 

• Students with a total family income of less than $60,000 and total family assets of less than $500,000; for these students, 100% of demonstrated need, as calculated by the student’s financial aid application, will be met with grants and work-study. Loans will no longer be used to meet need, and on average these students will see a $3,500 increase in their Bryn Mawr Grant eligibility.  These students will see a small loan included in their financial aid award to help cover their calculated expected family contribution (EFC) as determined by their financial aid application. 
• For students with total family income above $60,000 who receive need-based Bryn Mawr grant, $2,000 of loans previously used to meet their full demonstrated need will be replaced with grants from the College. While these students will still see a loan in their financial aid offer, part of this loan will help cover their calculated family contribution (EFC), instead of meeting their need. These students will on average see a $2,000 increase in their Bryn Mawr Grant eligibility.

Please refer to our FAQ's page for more information on the new policy.