Bryn Mawr College

Bryn Mawr's academic culture is a paradox: intensely rigorous yet collaboratively feminist. The college specializes in turning out women who dominate male-dominated fields—30% of STEM majors compared to 16% national average for women's colleges. Psychology (10%), Sociology (9%), and English (8%) are the most popular majors, but the college punches above its weight in niche offerings like Growth and Structure of Cities (a hybrid architecture/urban studies program) and 360° Program clusters that combine courses like "Bioethics" with "Feminist Science Studies."

• Signature Programs: Self-designed majors, Bi-Co (cross-registration with Haverford), and the Emily Balch Seminar (first-year interdisciplinary program)
• Faculty Access: 8:1 student-faculty ratio with 100% of classes under 50 students
• Unusual Requirements: All students must pass a swim test and complete a senior thesis or capstone project

Life at Bryn Mawr oscillates between monastic scholarship and whimsical rebellion. Ninety percent of students live on campus, many in Gothic dorms where traditions like "Hell Week" (freshman initiation) and "May Day" (dancing around a maypole in white dresses) persist. The social scene is insular—students describe cliques forming around academic departments or political affiliations—but the Bi-College Consortium with Haverford provides dating options. Oddities abound: the college has its own ghost (the "White Lady" of Thomas Hall) and students ritually steal the Dean's chair during finals week.

• Housing: 90% live on campus in dorms like Radnor (known for secret tunnels) or Erdman (modern suites)
• Traditions: Parade Night (lantern-lit procession), Hell Week (team-building challenges), and self-scheduled finals
• Quirks: The campus coffee shop is called "Uncle Charlie’s" and sells vegan muffins named after feminist theorists

Bryn Mawr graduates enter the world with a 87% six-year graduation rate and a reputation for outspoken competence. Within one year, 97% are employed, in grad school, or pursuing fellowships—notable for a liberal arts college without pre-professional majors. The median early-career salary ($36,427) understates outcomes, as many alumnae pursue lower-paying but high-impact careers in NGOs, education, and public health. The college is a top feeder for PhD programs, ranking #1 nationally for producing female chemistry PhDs relative to size.

• Graduation Rates: 82% in 4 years, 86% in 5 years, 87% in 6 years
• Post-Grad Plans: 40% enter grad school within 5 years (higher than national LAC average)
• Notable Alums: Marianne Moore (poet), Katharine Hepburn (actress), and Emily Greene Balch (Nobel Peace Prize)

At $87,770 total cost, Bryn Mawr is pricey but aggressive with aid. Seventy-nine percent of students receive financial assistance, with an average grant of $42,011 bringing the net price?Net priceWhat a family actually pays after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the sticker price — usually far less than the published cost. down to $39,383 for most. The college meets 100% of demonstrated need and offers merit scholarships up to $45,000/year. A unique policy: families earning under $175,000 with typical assets pay no tuition. The catch? Aid packages often include work-study (10-12 hours/week in the rare book room or as a "Tour Guide Ambassador").

• Total Cost: $87,770 (tuition + room/board)
• Average Aid Package: $42,011 (76% receive grants)
• No-Loan Policy: Replaces loans with grants for families under $60k income

Bryn Mawr is the only women's college where you can take a seminar on "Queer Medieval Mystics" while cross-registering for engineering at nearby Haverford. Its intellectual intensity is legendary—students joke about "Bryn Mawr paranoia" (the fear you're the dumbest person on campus)—but it's balanced by a culture of mutual uplift. The honor code allows self-scheduled exams and extends to social conduct (no censoring of opinions, but no personal attacks). This is a place where quiet bookworms transform into women who argue with Nobel laureates at alumnae teas.