Bryn Mawr College

Bryn Mawr College is a highly selective private liberal arts college for women located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, just outside Philadelphia. It is one of the historically prestigious "Seven Sisters" colleges and is defined by its rigorous academic standards and its commitment to intellectual independence and political engagement. The university offers degrees across the humanities, sciences, and social sciences, and maintains a distinctive focus on preparing women for advanced academic study and global leadership. It participates in a unique Tri-College Consortium with Haverford and Swarthmore and a Quaker Consortium with the University of Pennsylvania, greatly expanding the academic resources available to its students.

The college was founded in 1885 by members of the Society of Friends (Quakers), with an unprecedented focus for a women's college at the time: to provide women with a level of education equal in rigor to that of the best men's universities in the United States. It was the first women's college to offer the Ph.D. degree, demonstrating its early and profound commitment to research and graduate-level scholarship. A notable figure in its history is M. Carey Thomas, its second president, who vigorously championed the goal of offering women the highest possible standard of academic life. The university has successfully navigated over a century of change, remaining a single-sex undergraduate institution that continues its founding mission of fostering female intellectual leaders.

This college stands as an influential and uncompromising champion of women's intellectual achievement. By combining an exceptionally rigorous liberal arts curriculum with the expanded opportunities provided by its consortia, the university delivers an education that is both deeply focused and broadly connected. The institution's enduring legacy of producing accomplished female scholars, scientists, and leaders solidifies its status as a premier college for women seeking an education defined by intellectual challenge, personal growth, and a commitment to making a tangible impact on the world.