About the Program
Established in 1972, the Bryn Mawr Postbac Program is one of the oldest, most respected, and most successful in the nation. It 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.
Housed within the Health Professions Advising Office, our program is distinctive in several ways. Its size 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 include:
- 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.