<p>how is fin aid at bryn mawr? is admission need blind?</p>
<p>To answer the second half of your question first, YES, Bryn Mawr is need blind for both domestic and international students. What this means is that if you are admitted, your need will be met 100% and not be contingent upon your grades, your SAT scores, etc. This brings me to the first part of your question; how is finaid at BMC? While I personally have no experience, I have a classmate who pays very little (>1000/year) because that is what she can afford. I know someone else who wanted to come but found that another school offered a package that worked better for her. My general impression is that Bryn Mawr is very generous and willing to work with prospective students though that does not translate to 100% satisfaction 100% of the time. I am a freshman and for the most part, love the school (no place is perfect); I could go on and on! Apply for admission and finaid, see what you get and work from there!
-Froghorn, BMC '12</p>
<p>Haha, might I be that friend?</p>
<p>BMC was very understanding, especially with the situation between my parents (my father refuses to pay for college, even though he makes more than my mother).</p>
<p>And, erm, actually- <b>Bryn Mawr does meet 100% of need, but it is NOT need blind</b>. But don't like that discourage you- apply, and if you get in, they'll do their best with you. Give fin aid a chance, because it has the ability to be VERY fair. </p>
<p>Source for BMC being need sensitive: The</a> Bi-College News Online Blog Archive Interview: Jenny Rickard. Please read the entire article- it explains BMC's fin aid process very well, and the reasons behind being need-sensitive.</p>
<p>Oh no, really? I called FinAid, because I was curious and the receptionist said that we're need blind. Clearly that was conflated with meeting 100% of DEMONSTRATED need. My bad.</p>
<p>"The admissions process can be essentially need-blind for up to about 95 percent of decisions, but the last few percent of students who would require but not receive aid are placed on the waitlist."
However...
"Need-sensitive schools actually award more financial aid than need-blind schools,” said Rickard. “The reason that we are need-sensitive is because our applicant pool is that much more socioeconomically diverse, than if we were to be need-blind if we don’t have unlimited resources. So as a result we spend four or five million dollars more on financial aid than our need-blind peers.”
Compliments of Brillar's stellar link. And yes, lovely Brillar, you were the friend in reference.</p>
<p>I'm a sophomore at Bryn Mawr, and I have had a very good experience with financial aid here. I've received very generous grants both years, and loans/work-study to cover the rest (so even if I were not able to pay my EFC, I would still be able to attend). Overall, it was the best package I was offered by a college (including state universities). My family's financial situation is kind of weird, and the office has always been great with answering my questions and working with my family (other colleges were not so friendly & I wasn't even able to apply for aid at one).</p>
<p>That said, I also have friends who didn't have the most spectacular experiences. It really depends on your individual circumstances. Overall, though, most of my friends who are here on financial aid seem to have positive things to say.</p>
<p>Hello All,
I am Bryn Mawr's "official representative." I try to and Bryn Mawr is not "need-blind" but it is "need-sensitive." I went to our financial aid brochure and have cut and pasted the information below. You should know however, that our need-sensitive policy affects only a small portion of our applicants.</p>
<p>Is Bryn Mawr College need-blind?
In 2007 - 2008, The College supported 56% of the undergraduate students with grant assistance, demonstrating a substantial commitment to financial aid. While Bryn Mawr College is need-sensitive, the admissions committee does not have access to a students finances when determining her eligibility for 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 students eligibility for aid may have to be taken into account.</p>
<p>Specific questions about financial aid at Bryn Mawr? Write to <a href="mailto:finaid@brynmawr.edu">finaid@brynmawr.edu</a></p>
<p>Is Bryn Mawr College “need-blind”?
In 2007 - 2008, The College supported 56% of the undergraduate students with grant assistance, demonstrating substantial commitment to financial aid. While Bryn Mawr College is “need-sensitive,” the admissions committee does not have access to a student’s finances when determining her eligibility for 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 have to be taken into account.</p>
<p>My D is a Freshman. She was an excellent student all through high school and knew she wanted a small LAC for college. I did not think too much about BMC when junk mail arrived, she hunted it up, thought it looked interesting and applied. I was sure, although I felt she may be admitted, that she needed merit aid to attend a small private college because of the enormous expense of them. I remember telling her so and encouraged apps to public universities (I knew we could pay for them) and schools with merit aid (because she was a good student). I did not want to tell her specifically where to apply. BMC was one of two womens colleges (my sister had attended a womens college and encouraged her). I told her we would not bother visiting unless she got in and we could afford it. After all, it is really far away. BMC was the only 'need only' school my D applied to out of about 10 applications. I did not hold my breath.</p>
<p>She did receive hefty merit offers from other LACs making them possible and regeants scholarships to our publics, but BMC turned out to be very competitive financially for her. I admit to being shocked that a need-only school made it financially possible for my D to attend. I was convinced our gross income was 'over' the limit for a need-only school, but not high enough to actually pay it all.</p>
<p>A rushed visit in April to compare it to her tentative choice followed. She did get into the other womens college, too, but BMC blew the competition away once she set foot on campus and attended a couple classes. There she is, happy as a clam and working her tush off. It was a terrific choice for her and a school I will be forever grateful to for making it possible for her to attend. She has several offers for Thanksgiving from new friends - it is too far to come home :( - and is seeing fall colors for the first time. She is trying to figure out what winter clothes people wear. It is an adventure for her as much as an excellent college. </p>
<p>Colleges expenses will hurt no matter what your income is, that is a given. Your best strategy is to owe nothing on credit cards, have no car payments and have attempted to save for college as best you can. She does know someone who was not happy with their FA package and didn't end up going. You can't always tell what to expect, but if you don't apply you will never go.</p>