Bryn Mawr College admission requirements for international students come down to a Common App with Bryn Mawr’s 250 to 500 word writing supplement, school transcripts and external exam results, three recommendations, a Declaration of Finances, and proof of English: at least 100 on the TOEFL iBT, 7 on IELTS or 130 on the Duolingo English Test, unless you qualify for a waiver. SAT and ACT scores are optional.
Bryn Mawr admitted 33% of the 4,040 students who applied for the Class of 2030, and 14% of that class is international. It is need-sensitive for international applicants: it meets 100% of calculated need for everyone it admits, but its aid budget is limited, so asking for aid makes admission harder. For fall 2027 entry, Early Decision I closes on 15 November 2026, Early Decision II on 1 January 2027 and Regular Decision on 15 January 2027. I checked every figure here on Bryn Mawr’s own pages on 29 October 2026.
Bryn Mawr College ranking
Bryn Mawr is ranked by U.S. News in the National Liberal Arts Colleges list. I could not confirm its exact position in the 2027 edition, published in September 2026, from a source I could load, so check the U.S. News page for the current number before you quote it anywhere. Bryn Mawr’s own pages point to other measures: it was the first women’s college to offer the PhD, it carries the Carnegie “research college” classification, and it says it ranks first among liberal arts colleges for research spending. For an undergraduate, that means labs and faculty research projects you would usually expect at a much bigger university.
Bryn Mawr acceptance rate and Class of 2030 profile
Bryn Mawr publishes a profile of each entering class. These are the figures for the Class of 2030, the students who started in fall 2026, as posted on 28 July 2026.
| Measure | Class of 2030 |
|---|---|
| Applications | 4,040 |
| Admitted | 1,342 |
| Acceptance rate | 33% |
| International (non-resident) students in the class | 14% |
| Countries represented in the class | 20 |
| First-generation college students | 19% |
| Average SAT (students who sent scores) | 1453 |
| Average ACT (students who sent scores) | 33 |
| Students receiving some form of aid | 86% |
| Average total aid package for students with need | $64,652 |
| Share of calculated need met | 100% |
Across the whole college, 13% of full-time undergraduates are international and students come from 40 countries. Bryn Mawr does not publish a separate acceptance rate for international applicants. A 33% overall rate looks friendly next to Haverford or Wellesley, but it mixes in US students and applicants who did not ask for aid. If you need a large grant, plan as though your odds are well below one in three.
Bryn Mawr tuition for international students (2026-27)
International students pay the same charges as US students. This is Bryn Mawr’s estimated undergraduate cost of attendance for 2026-27.
| Cost item (2026-27) | Amount | Billed by the college? |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $71,290 | Yes |
| Food and housing | $21,440 | Yes |
| College fee | $1,120 | Yes |
| Student Government Association dues | $441 | Yes |
| Books and supplies | $1,000 | No (estimate) |
| Miscellaneous expenses | $1,000 | No (estimate) |
| Loan fees | $76 | No (estimate) |
| Travel | Depends on distance from home | No (estimate) |
| Estimated total cost of attendance | $97,547 | Mixed |
Bryn Mawr’s cost page does not list health insurance, and travel is left blank because it depends on where you live. A flight from Lagos, Nairobi or Delhi to Philadelphia and back each year adds a real sum, so put your own figure next to the $97,547. Tuition usually rises each year, so a student starting in fall 2027 should expect 2027-28 charges to be higher than these.
In October 2025 Bryn Mawr announced that it would cover tuition for families earning under $175,000. The international applicant pages I read do not say whether that promise applies to non-US citizens, so treat it as a US policy unless the Financial Aid Office tells you otherwise.
Bryn Mawr scholarships for international students: how aid works
Bryn Mawr gives need-based aid only. There are no merit scholarships for international students. Here is how the system works, in the order it affects you.
- Need-sensitive admission: Bryn Mawr reads your aid request alongside your application because its money for international students is limited.
- Full need for those admitted: once you are in, the college meets 100% of your calculated need, so the gap between cost and what your family can pay is covered.
- Fixed family contribution: for international students, the family contribution set in year one stays the same for all four years.
- Bryn Mawr Grants: the main award is a need-based grant, renewable for up to eight terms.
- International loan: some packages include a need-based Bryn Mawr loan for international students at a fixed 5% rate, with no interest while you are enrolled at least half-time and repayment starting six months after you leave. International students cannot take US federal loans.
- Campus work: you can hold a campus job. Pay goes to you every two weeks, not to your student bill.
- One chance only: if you do not apply for aid when you apply for admission, you cannot apply in later years.
How to apply for Bryn Mawr financial aid as an international student
The aid forms are due on the same day as your admission application. Bryn Mawr uses the CSS Profile; it does not mention the ISFAA as an option.
- CSS Profile: it opens on 1 October each year. Use Bryn Mawr’s college code 2049. If your parents are divorced, separated or never married, both households must complete it.
- Fee waiver: CSS Profile fee waivers are available from 1 October. You also tick your interest in a fee waiver on the Declaration of Finances.
- Declaration of Finances: every non-US citizen and non-permanent resident completes this in the applicant status portal after submitting the Common App. It states how much your family can pay each year.
- Non-custodial parent waiver: if one parent cannot be reached, you and your custodial parent sign a petition and a third party, such as a teacher or religious leader, emails a statement to finaid@brynmawr.edu.
- Checklist: watch the portal for extra documents the Financial Aid Office asks for, such as income proof.
Bryn Mawr warns that if the CSS Profile is missing at the deadline, it cannot guarantee your application will be considered. Submit it a few days early.
Bryn Mawr admission requirements for international students: the full application
| Item | What Bryn Mawr asks for |
|---|---|
| Application | Common App with Bryn Mawr added to My Colleges |
| Writing supplement | One essay, 250 to 500 words, submitted in the Common App |
| Transcripts | Official records for each year of secondary school, in English, sent by your counselor or a school official |
| External exams | IGCSE, IB, A-Level or national exam results if your curriculum has them; list the date if you have not sat them yet |
| Recommendations | One counselor recommendation (a head teacher can write it if you have no counselor) and two teacher letters, usually from core subjects |
| Mid-year report | Final-year grades; due 15 February if not sent by 15 January. Predicted grades may be accepted for some curricula |
| Declaration of Finances | Required of all non-US citizens, completed in the applicant portal |
| Early Decision Agreement | ED applicants only, signed by you, your counselor and a parent |
| Interview | Optional, strongly encouraged; InitialView accepted |
| Arts supplement | Optional, for music, theatre, dance or creative writing, through SlideRoom |
Bryn Mawr is a women’s college. It considers applicants who identify as women, including cisgender and trans women, intersex applicants who do not identify as male, and some applicants assigned female at birth who do not identify as male. If you are unsure whether you qualify, the Admissions Office answers that question directly.
Testing policy
Bryn Mawr is test-optional, and leaving out the SAT or ACT does not count against you. If you send scores, Bryn Mawr uses your highest section scores across dates and accepts self-reported results. Codes are College Board 2049 and ACT 3526. Admitted students who enrol send scores by 1 June (1 March for Early Decision) for advising and placement. I would send an SAT only if it sits near or above the 1453 average.
English requirements
| Test | Minimum score |
|---|---|
| TOEFL iBT | 5 on the new scale (100 on the old scale) |
| IELTS Academic | 7 |
| Duolingo English Test | 130 |
| Other tests | Only with special permission from the Admissions Office |
You can ask for a waiver if English is your native language or if every class you took for the equivalent of grades 9 to 12 was taught in English (second-language classes aside). Bilingual programmes, dual curricula and international homeschooling do not count. You request the waiver in the portal after you submit the Common App. English scores must be official; Bryn Mawr does not accept self-reported TOEFL, IELTS or IB results.
Even with a waiver, Bryn Mawr strongly recommends sending some proof of English, and it prefers the recorded Duolingo test or an InitialView interview because readers can see and hear you. For a student from Ghana or Kenya whose school teaches in English, a recorded Duolingo session is a cheap way to add a voice to the file.
Bryn Mawr deadlines for fall 2027 entry
| Round | Application and aid forms due | Binding? |
|---|---|---|
| Early Decision I | 15 November 2026 | Yes |
| Early Decision II | 1 January 2027 | Yes |
| Regular Decision | 15 January 2027 | No |
| Mid-year grade report | 15 February 2027 if not sent with the application | Not applicable |
| Transfer and older applicants (aid forms) | 1 March 2027 | No |
Regular Decision applicants are strongly encouraged to interview by 15 December. Bryn Mawr’s pages do not give decision release dates, so watch your portal after each deadline.
Aid deadline warning
Your CSS Profile and Declaration of Finances are due on the same day as your application. If you apply without them, you cannot ask for Bryn Mawr aid later in any year.
How to write the Bryn Mawr supplemental essay
The prompt on Bryn Mawr’s international page, labelled for 2025-26, asks what you know to be true about yourself and what in your background led you to that truth. It runs 250 to 500 words, and Empowerly’s list of 2026-27 supplement prompts shows the same question for this cycle. Copy the exact wording from the Common App when you apply. This is how I would approach it.
- Pick one belief, stated plainly: “I am stubborn” or “I learn by teaching” beats a vague value like “I love learning”.
- Show where it came from: one or two specific scenes from your family, school or community carry the essay. Readers want the background, not a list of achievements.
- Admit a cost or a doubt: a truth that has caused you trouble reads as honest.
- Tie it forward lightly: one or two sentences on how it would shape you in a small, discussion-heavy college are enough. Do not turn it into a “Why Bryn Mawr” essay.
- Write it yourself: Bryn Mawr says using AI to outline or draft essays, or translating an essay you wrote in another language, is unethical and can lead to denial.
A sample opening, for illustration only: “My grandmother sold tomatoes in the same corner of Kumasi market for thirty years, and she never once rounded a price in her own favour. I used to think that made her a poor businesswoman. It took me until secondary school, when I caught myself correcting a teacher’s marking error that had given me two extra points, to see that I had inherited her stubborn honesty, and that it costs something.”
What happens after you apply
- Portal set-up: after you submit the Common App you get access to the applicant status portal. Complete the Declaration of Finances and any English waiver request there.
- Checklist: check the admission and aid checklists weekly and upload anything marked missing.
- Interview: book one early if you want one; slots run out. Applicants in China use InitialView.
- Mid-year grades: your counselor sends them by 15 February.
- Decision and aid offer: admitted aid applicants receive a package built from grants, possibly an international loan, and campus work.
- Deposit and visa: once you enrol, the college issues the I-20 you need for the F-1 visa interview, using the funding shown on your Declaration of Finances and aid offer.
If you are admitted and want a gap year, Bryn Mawr allows a one-year deferral with a $500 deposit and a request by 15 June; aid has to be reapplied for by 15 January.
Common mistakes international applicants make
- Applying without aid “to improve the odds”: it may help admission, but you can never apply for Bryn Mawr aid afterwards. Only do this if your family can truly pay close to $100,000 a year.
- Assuming a bilingual school earns a waiver: it does not. Book a test.
- Sending self-reported English scores: TOEFL, IELTS and Duolingo results must come officially.
- Leaving out external exams: if you sit WAEC, KCSE, IGCSE or A-Levels, list the results or the expected dates.
- Understating family income or assets: the Declaration of Finances and CSS Profile must match. Inconsistent numbers slow your file down.
- Treating the 33% rate as safety: for aided international applicants, Bryn Mawr is a reach.
Costs that aid does not cover
- Before you arrive: TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo fees, transcript courier costs, the F-1 visa application fee and the SEVIS fee.
- Your fixed family contribution: the amount set in year one stays the same for four years, so it has to be found every year even if your circumstances change.
- Travel: the cost page leaves it to you.
- Health insurance: not listed on the cost of attendance page; ask the college how it is billed.
- Winter coat and bedding: Philadelphia winters are cold and these are first-week purchases.
- Loan repayment: if your package includes the international loan, repayment starts six months after you leave.
Majors, campus and the Bi-Co with Haverford
Bryn Mawr was founded in 1885 and has 1,288 undergraduates on a 135-acre campus in the town of Bryn Mawr, in the Main Line suburbs west of Philadelphia. The student to faculty ratio is 7 to 1 and the median class has 14 students.
- Programmes: 37 majors, 48 minors and 4 concentrations, plus six combined degree programmes.
- Most popular majors: psychology, mathematics, English, sociology and biology.
- Popular minors: data science, health studies, history, history of art, and museum and environmental studies.
- Bi-College with Haverford: Bryn Mawr and Haverford share 13 programmes, and students can take classes and even major at the other college.
- Tri-College and Penn: six Tri-Co programmes with Swarthmore, and classes at the University of Pennsylvania through the Quaker Consortium.
Through the consortium, a student at a women’s college of about 1,300 can also take co-educational classes at Haverford and Swarthmore and courses at Penn, a large research university in Philadelphia. Our Haverford College guide covers the partner college.
Graduate admissions at Bryn Mawr
Bryn Mawr has two graduate schools and one premedical programme. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences offers MA and PhD study (70 students), and the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research enrols 161 MSS/MSW students and 20 PhD students. The Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program, with 67 students, is for graduates who need the science courses for medical school. Each sets its own requirements and deadlines on its own pages.
Bryn Mawr compared with similar colleges
| College | International aid policy | Acceptance rate (latest) | 2026-27 tuition | Fall 2027 deadlines |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryn Mawr | Need-sensitive; full need met; no merit | 33% (Class of 2030) | $71,290 | ED I 15 Nov 2026; ED II 1 Jan 2027; RD 15 Jan 2027 |
| Haverford | Limited aid; full need met for those funded | 15.4% (Class of 2030) | $74,930 | ED I 15 Nov 2026; ED II 5 Jan 2027; RD 10 Jan 2027 |
| Mount Holyoke | Need-aware; full need met; merit awards | About 41% (Class of 2030) | $71,178 | ED I 15 Nov 2026; ED II 5 Jan 2027; RD 15 Jan 2027 |
| Smith | Full need met; tuition-free under $150,000 income, international included | 22% (Class of 2029) | $70,460 | ED I 15 Nov 2026; ED II 5 Jan 2027; RD 15 Jan 2027 |
| Wellesley | Not need-blind; full need met | 13.7% (Class of 2029) | $72,570 | ED I 1 Nov 2026; ED II 5 Jan 2027; RD 8 Jan 2027 |
Among the women’s colleges, Bryn Mawr and Mount Holyoke have the friendliest headline acceptance rates, while Smith’s income-based tuition promise covers international families. If you are applying to several, read our list of the best American scholarships for international students and, for a college that is need-blind for internationals, our Amherst financial aid guide.
Who should apply to Bryn Mawr
- Apply if: you want a women’s college with serious research, small classes, and a partner college and a city within reach; you are strong in maths, psychology, the sciences or the humanities; and your grades put you near the top of your school.
- Apply Early Decision only if: Bryn Mawr is your clear first choice and you are ready to accept the aid package without comparing offers.
- Think twice if: you need merit money rather than need-based aid, or you want a large co-educational campus.
FAQ on Bryn Mawr College admission for international students
What is the Bryn Mawr acceptance rate for international students?
Bryn Mawr does not publish a separate rate. It admitted 33% of all 4,040 applicants for the Class of 2030, and 14% of that class is international.
Does Bryn Mawr give full scholarships to international students?
It meets 100% of calculated need for every admitted student, so a family that can pay little can receive aid close to the full cost. Funds are limited and admission is need-sensitive, and there are no merit scholarships for international students.
What TOEFL or IELTS score does Bryn Mawr require?
The minimums are 100 on the TOEFL iBT (5 on the new scale), 7 on IELTS and 130 on Duolingo. Scores must be official.
How much does Bryn Mawr cost per year?
The estimated 2026-27 cost of attendance is $97,547, including $71,290 tuition and $21,440 for food and housing. Travel and health insurance are on top.
Sources and updates
Application requirements, the supplement prompt, the gender eligibility statement and deadlines come from Bryn Mawr’s international students admission page and its admissions policies page (English minimums and waivers, testing policy, interviews, deferral and AI use). Aid rules, forms and loan terms come from Bryn Mawr’s international first-year financial aid page, and costs from its 2026-27 tuition, fees and costs page. Class figures come from the Class of 2030 profile, and campus and programme numbers from the Bryn Mawr by the Numbers page. The founding year and consortium details are also on Bryn Mawr’s Wikipedia entry. Empowerly’s 2026-27 supplement list confirms the essay topic for this cycle. The free-tuition announcement is Bryn Mawr’s October 2025 news release. The 2027 U.S. News rank could not be confirmed. Checked on 29 October 2026; I will update this guide when Bryn Mawr publishes decision dates and the 2027 ranking is confirmed.
I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.
