Bryn Mawr financial aid for Ghanaian students (2026-27)
Yes, Bryn Mawr gives need-based and merit aid to Ghanaian students and meets the full calculated need of every student it admits. But it is need-aware: Bryn Mawr says the amount of aid you request may affect its admission decision, and your aid forms are due with the application, by 15 November (Early Decision I) or 15 January (Regular Decision).
Does Bryn Mawr give financial aid to Ghanaian students?
Yes, but admission is need-aware. Bryn Mawr says it awards need-based and merit aid to international students, and that the amount of aid you request may affect whether you are admitted. It is a women's college near Philadelphia.
Here is what that means for you:
- Need-aware admission. Bryn Mawr says it has a limited pool of aid money and a great deal of competition for it. A Ghanaian applicant who needs a full package is competing for a small number of funded places.
- Full need met once admitted. Bryn Mawr says it meets the full calculated need of all admitted students. If you are admitted, the package should cover the gap its formula finds.
- Merit aid is automatic. Bryn Mawr says every applicant is considered for merit scholarships, with no separate application.
Bryn Mawr considers applicants who identify as women, including cisgender and trans women, and some others assigned female at birth. Read its admissions policies page if you are unsure whether you are eligible.
What are Bryn Mawr's aid rules and deadlines?
Aid forms are due on the same day as your application. Here are the rules for students entering in autumn 2027, as published on Bryn Mawr's pages in October 2026:
- Aid for internationals: need-based and merit aid, as grants, scholarships, loans and campus jobs.
- Admission: need-aware.
- Need met: full calculated need of all admitted students.
- Aid forms: CSS Profile (code 2049) and Bryn Mawr's Declaration of Finances.
- Early Decision I: 15 November, aid forms due the same day. Decision in mid-December.
- Early Decision II: 1 January, aid forms due the same day. Decision in early February.
- Regular Decision: 15 January, aid forms due the same day. Decision in late March.
- Application fee: none.
- Tests: SAT and ACT optional.
- English test: TOEFL 100, IELTS 7 or Duolingo 130, unless waived.
- Interview: optional but strongly recommended.
Check each line on Bryn Mawr's site before you apply. Policies and dates can change from one cycle to the next.
What would my family actually pay?
What you pay depends on your family's income and assets, measured through the CSS Profile. Bryn Mawr's tuition-free promise for families under $175,000 is for US families, so do not count on it from Ghana.
For 2026-27, Bryn Mawr lists a total cost of attendance of $97,547. That includes tuition of $71,290, food and housing of $21,440, a college fee of $1,120 and student government dues of $441. It also allows $1,000 each for books and personal costs. Travel varies with distance, so add your flights between Accra and Philadelphia.
Run Bryn Mawr's net price calculator with your family's real figures in dollars. Our guide to using a net price calculator from Ghana shows how to convert cedi figures and read the result.
How do I apply for aid from Ghana?
File the CSS Profile, then complete the Declaration of Finances in your applicant portal. Both are due on your application deadline. The steps:
- Submit the Common App and say you are applying for aid.
- File the CSS Profile with code 2049. It opens on 1 October. Bryn Mawr offers fee waivers for the Profile.
- Complete the Declaration of Finances in the applicant portal. Bryn Mawr requires it from all students who are not US citizens or permanent residents.
- Follow the aid checklist in the portal, which appears after you submit the Common App.
If your parents are divorced, separated or never married, both households file a CSS Profile. Where you have no contact with one parent, Bryn Mawr accepts a signed waiver petition. It must come with a letter from a third party, such as a teacher, counsellor, pastor or imam, or a court record.
Bryn Mawr's pages do not say what to send if your parents file no tax return, such as a trader paid in cash. Ask the financial aid office before your deadline.
What is Bryn Mawr looking for?
Strong students who can handle a demanding, discussion-heavy course. Bryn Mawr says it reviews applications holistically, looking at the whole person rather than only at grades.
It also says its curriculum is speaking- and writing-intensive. That is why it pushes international applicants to show strong English, and why your essays matter. Write them yourself, in your own voice.
What should I know about applying from Ghana?
Three things catch Ghanaian applicants out.
The English test is expected. Bryn Mawr can waive it for students taught entirely in English, apart from language classes, for the equivalent of grades 9 to 12. You request the waiver in the portal after you apply. Even so, Bryn Mawr strongly recommends every international applicant sends a test or an InitialView interview. See TOEFL or IELTS.
Your WASSCE comes after the decision. Bryn Mawr asks for school-leaving exam results if you have them, or the dates you will sit them. List your WASSCE dates, send your SHS results so far, and send WASSCE results as soon as WAEC releases them in August.
Your school sends your transcript. Bryn Mawr wants a transcript for each year of secondary school, sent by a school official in English. Ask your headmaster's office in good time.
Should I apply to Bryn Mawr?
Yes, if your record is strong and you want a small women's college, as one part of a wider list. There is no application fee and the SAT is optional. Because admission is need-aware, do not make it your only funded option.
Read our guide to need-blind and need-aware admission to balance your list.
What should I do first?
Run Bryn Mawr's net price calculator with your parents this week. Then decide whether Early Decision I on 15 November is realistic for your English test and your parents' documents. If it is not, aim for 15 January.
If you would like help preparing the CSS Profile and Declaration of Finances for Bryn Mawr and the rest of your list, our Scholarship and Aid Sprint is built for that.
Questions people ask
Is Bryn Mawr need-blind for international students?
No. Bryn Mawr says it is need-aware, which means the amount of aid a student requests may affect the admission decision. It explains that its pool of aid money is limited.
Does Bryn Mawr meet full need for Ghanaian students?
Yes, for students it admits. Bryn Mawr says it meets the full calculated need of all admitted students. Aid for international students can include grants, scholarships, loans and campus jobs.
What aid forms does Bryn Mawr need from international students?
The CSS Profile, using Bryn Mawr's code 2049, and Bryn Mawr's own Declaration of Finances, which you complete in the applicant portal. Both are due on your application deadline.
What English test score does Bryn Mawr require?
Bryn Mawr's minimums are 100 on the TOEFL, 7 on the IELTS and 130 on Duolingo. Students taught entirely in English for the equivalent of grades 9 to 12 can ask for a waiver, but Bryn Mawr strongly recommends a test anyway.
Does Bryn Mawr charge an application fee?
No. Bryn Mawr has no application fee, and the SAT and ACT are optional.