About the Program
Established in 1972, the Bryn Mawr Postbac Program is one of the oldest, most respected, and most successful in the nation.
Designed With You In Mind
Our program is designed for highly motivated individuals who want to pursue a career in medicine but have not taken the required premedical courses as undergraduates. Over a 12-month period of intensive, full-time study in the classroom, our students are thoroughly prepared for the challenges of medical school. When it comes time for them to apply to medical school, over 95 percent are accepted.
A Brighter Path: Hallmarks of the Program
Housed within the Health Professions Advising Office, our program is distinctive in several ways:
- It is ideal (65-70 students)—small enough to give you individual attention and support, yet large enough to offer a tight-knit community of diverse individuals with a shared goal of becoming a physician.
- As a result, postbacs enjoy full access to the Bryn Mawr faculty, whose teaching emphasizes mentorship, collaboration, in-depth academic support, and hands-on experience in the lab.
- Moreover, our dedicated program staff get to know you as an individual, providing the counsel and resources that meet all your unique interests and needs, from succeeding academically to choosing the medical school that is right for you.
Our Mission
To empower driven individuals to transform their lives and become catalysts for positive change in healthcare.
Our Guiding Principles
- Supporting a love of learning among our students and helping them develop tools for continued success in the classroom
- Encouraging a collaborative, non-competitive educational environment
- Fostering a community of inclusion and belonging among members of each postbac class while inviting faculty and staff across the College to join us
- Helping students clarify and communicate their motivation for medicine through reflection, programming, and patient-centered service
- Aligning our work with the overall Mission of Bryn Mawr College.
FAQs About the Program
The Bryn Mawr Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program is designed for individuals who have completed a bachelor’s degree with an excellent academic record, yet lack the prerequisite science courses needed for admission to medical school.
Our program is for "career changers." We do not offer a program for those looking to enhance their grades in previous premed courses. Please see here for general information about the different types of posbac premed programs available across the country.
The Postbac program is a one-year program beginning in late May through the following May.
Postbacs start our program during summer school with General Chemistry (unless they have already taken one year of chemistry as an undergraduate). During the following fall and spring semesters, postbacs will take Biology, Physics, and Biological Organic Chemistry (with labs). Students can take an optional Biochemistry course the following May. Students will take the MCAT in the spring or early summer.
Our staff will guide you every step of the way, from enrollment to the postbac program through your application to medical school. This includes: personal advising; step-by-step workshops on the medical school admissions process; help with the process of self-assessment that will lead to selecting schools to which you will apply; preparation for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT); and a comprehensive, personal premedical committee letter written for each student.
Although the vast majority of the postbac premedical science lecture classes are geared specifically for postbac students, some laboratory sections may include postbacs and undergraduate students.
In recent years we have offered a live, individualized, online prep course for the MCAT presented by Kaplan Test Prep. All courses start in the spring semester after a bulk of the relevant coursework has been taken, and postbacs can choose their own time period for a course depending upon their goals. The course combines 700 hours of total instruction and practice—including 12 weekly live classes with the same instructor—with 15 full-length practice tests, the complete subject review set of books, and more. We also schedule at least one full-length practice test on campus in May so that everyone comes together in one of our computer labs to go through the exam experience together.
Although most postbac students pursue medical school, the core science courses in our postbac curriculum also prepare students for dental school, and cover a majority of the admissions requirements for veterinary school and other health professional schools.
Yes. Bryn Mawr College has elected to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program. For more information about Veteran's Benefits and the Yellow Ribbon Program, please see our financial aid page dedicated to postbac students.
Questions About Applying?
Contact Us
Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program
Park Science Building
Room 349
Bryn Mawr Program-Specific Questions
Email postbac@brynmawr.edu
Application Service Process Questions
Call PostbacCAS Customer Service at (857) 304-2047
Email PostbacCASinfo@liaisoncas.com