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Summary
Bryn Mawr College is a private institution that was founded in 1885. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,313, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 135 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Bryn Mawr College's ranking in the 2013 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 26. Its tuition and fees are $42,246 (2012-13).
Bryn Mawr College is an institution for female students in the suburban outskirts of Philadelphia. Though it is a women’s school, Bryn Mawr students have many options to balance a single-sex education with coed opportunities at neighboring schools. At Haverford College, which is a mile away, Bryn Mawr women can take courses, join organizations, and live in residence halls. Bryn Mawr students can also take courses and attend social events at nearby Swarthmore College, and can enroll in classes at the University of Pennsylvania. A shuttle van transports students among Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Swarthmore; the University of Pennsylvania is a half-hour drive from campus. For students traveling at night, they can be picked up at any campus location or nearby train station by the school’s Lantern Van, which runs until 1 a.m. On campus, there are more than 100 student clubs and organizations, some of which are housed in the renovated Victorian homes on Cambrian Row. Freshmen must live on campus unless they reside with family members nearby. The Bryn Mawr Owls athletic teams are members of the NCAA Division III Centennial Conference. For fun off campus, downtown Philadelphia is 11 miles—or a 20-minute train ride—away. Home to more than 250,000 college students, Philadelphia has something for everyone: history, nightlife, shopping, sports, and more.
The small school hosts unique and engaging educational events throughout the year. The Creative Writing Program Series, for example, is an opportunity for students to hear notable authors read excerpts of their famous works. First-year students attend Balch Seminars—intense writing, reading, and discussion sessions meant to make Bryn Mawr women more critical thinkers and instill a bond among the freshmen class. Students can put the critical thinking skills they learned in class to work through the school’s Praxis Program, which allows students to earn credit for community-based work and research. Notable alumnae of Bryn Mawr College include actress Katharine Hepburn and geneticist Nettie Stevens, who discovered the meaning of the X and Y chromosome.
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Bryn Mawr women possess an intense intellectual commitment, a purposeful vision of their lives and the desire to make a meaningful contribution to the world. Well known for its long tradition of intellectual inquiry, Bryn Mawr has consistently produced outstanding leaders and scholars. In fact, Bryn Mawr is ranked among the top ten of all colleges and universities in percentage of graduates who go on to earn a Ph.D., and is considered excellent preparation for the nation's top law, medical and business schools. Proud of its 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio, the College offers students the opportunity to work closely with professors; more than 500 students collaborate with faculty on independent projects every year. Students may also choose from more than 5,000 courses offered through nearby Haverford and Swarthmore Colleges, as well as the University of Pennsylvania. Committed to diversity, students come from 47 states and 58 countries and more than a third of Bryn Mawr students are women of color and international students. Minutes outside of Philadelphia and only two hours by train from New York City and Washington, D.C., Bryn Mawr is recognized by many as one of the most stunning college campuses in the United States. Its mixture of collegiate Gothic architecture and post-modern buildings owe much of their beauty to the original campus plan that was created and executed by Fredrick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, landscape architects and the designers of New York's Central Park. |
General Information
| School type | private, women's college |
| Year founded | 1885 |
| Religious affiliation | N/A |
| Academic calendar | semester |
| Setting | suburban |
| 2011 Endowment | $677,307,000 |
Applying
When applying to Bryn Mawr College, it's important to note the application deadline is January 15, and the early decision deadline is November 15. Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due January 15. The application fee at Bryn Mawr College is $50. It is more selective, with an acceptance rate of 46.2 percent.
For more information about the tests, essays, interviews, and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.
| Selectivity | more selective |
| Fall 2011 acceptance rate | 46.3% |
| Application deadline | January 15 |
| SAT/ACT scores must be received by | January 15 |
Academic Life
The student-faculty ratio at Bryn Mawr College is 8:1, and the school has 74.0 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at Bryn Mawr College include: English Language and Literature, General; Foreign Languages and Literatures, General; Biology/Biological Sciences, General; Psychology, General; and Mathematics and Statistics. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 91.5 percent.
Student Life
Bryn Mawr College has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,313, with a gender distribution of 0.0 percent male students and 100.0 percent female students. At this school, 95.0 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing and 5.0 percent of students live off campus. Bryn Mawr College is part of the NCAA III athletic conference.
See what students are saying about life at Bryn Mawr College.
| Total enrollment | 1,785 |
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| Undergraduate men who are members of a fraternity | N/A |
| Undergraduate women who are members of a sorority | N/A |
| Collegiate athletic association | NCAA III |
Campus Info & Services
Bryn Mawr College offers a number of student services including nonremedial tutoring, women's center, health service, and health insurance. Bryn Mawr College also offers campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, and controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc). Alcohol is permitted for students of legal age at Bryn Mawr College.
| Students who have cars on campus | N/A |
| Health insurance offered | Yes |
| Students required to own/lease a computer | No |
More About Campus Info & Services
Paying for School
At Bryn Mawr College, 59.0 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $32,345.
Paying for college doesn't have to be difficult or devastating. Go to the Paying for College knowledge center to get advice on raising cash and reducing costs.
| Tuition and fees | $42,246 (2012-13) |
| Room and board | $13,340 (2012-13) |
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* Overview details based on 2011 data
