Financing Your Postbac Year
The costs of attending a full-time postbaccalaureate premedical program followed by enrolling in medical school are significant and require careful planning. We have gathered the information below to assist you as you plan.
Important Resources
Application Fee: $50
Deposit: $500
This non-refundable deposit is for accepted students to enroll in the postbac program and is credited toward your tuition.
*In the summer, each session is comprised of one chemistry course, which includes the lecture and lab. Occasionally, a student who has already taken general chemistry in the past five years may begin the program in the second summer session or the fall semester. Such a situation must be reviewed and approved by the Director. Please go to the Curriculum page for more details.
In anticipation of many of your questions and concerns, Bryn Mawr’s Office of Financial Aid has developed a webpage dedicated to the unique postbac experience. Here you will find a billing schedule, extensive information on federal loans, including aggregate limits, application instructions, determining your “dependency,” deferring your undergraduate loans, private loan alternatives, and the timeline for loan dispersal.
After reviewing their page, feel free to contact Financial Aid via email at finaid@brynmawr.edu or by phone at 610-526-5245.
Update Re: Financial Aid for 2025-2026
The Department of Education has advised that access to the FAFSA application is expected by early December 2024.
Beginning October 1st, the Department of Education will begin beta testing the 2025-26 FAFSA application, until mid-November. Students should not expect access to the application during this time frame. Full access to the FAFSA application is expected by early December 2024.
The Bryn Mawr College Office of Financial Aid advises students to visit the FAFSA application portal and our What's New section for important updates.
Since the 1980s, the Philadelphia-based Measey Foundation has made an annual award to Bryn Mawr College for a limited amount of scholarship funds for students enrolled in Bryn Mawr's postbac premedical program. As designated by the Measey Foundation, the scholarship money is intended to reduce the financial burden on academically talented students who have already accrued debt from federal or private education loans. In recent years, scholarships have ranged from $3500-$6500, and have been awarded to 5-10 students per year. Measey Scholarship awards are not guaranteed at the point of admission to the program. Enrolled postbaccalaureate students are invited to apply at the midpoint of their year at Bryn Mawr. Scholarship awards are applied to the tuition costs of their final semester in the program.
The scholarship committee encourages scholarship applications from members of groups historically underrepresented in medicine or who are economically disadvantaged. The scholarship committee also considers the socioeconomic status of family of origin along with student loans and outstanding debt.
For more resources related to diversity in medicine, see the Association of American Medical Colleges’ (AAMC) Diversity and Inclusion website.
Most postbac students opt to live in or near the town of Bryn Mawr, with many renting apartments with other postbac students in apartment buildings within walking distance to campus. Each March, we provide incoming students with resources to facilitate their relocation to the area. This includes a postbac website for housing information and reviews from outgoing students; resources for connecting with other incoming students to find roommates; coordination with outgoing students to purchase textbooks and furniture; and general resources to become familiar with the area.