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Swarthmore College

Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, PA · Suburb · 1,613 students
4
Year
Private Non-profit
Suburb
Small (<3k)
Accredited by Middle States Commission on Higher Education
About

Located just outside Philadelphia, Swarthmore College is a premier liberal arts institution renowned for its intense intellectual rigor and its exceptional undergraduate programs, most notably its rare-for-liberal-arts engineering major alongside powerhouse departments in political science, economics, and the natural sciences. The campus culture is defined by a deeply collaborative, socially conscious student body that values intellectual curiosity over competition, fostered by a historic Quaker heritage of consensus-building and community activism. What sets Swarthmore apart is its highly distinctive Honors Program, where students participate in rigorous, discussion-based seminars evaluated by external experts, as well as its membership in the Tri-College Consortium, which expands academic and social opportunities to nearby Haverford and Bryn Mawr colleges.


Wikipedia:Swarthmore College is a private liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the earliest coeducational colleges in the United States. It was established as a college under the Religious Society of Friends. By 1906, Swarthmore had dropped its religious affiliation and officially became non-sectarian.

Location
Swarthmore, PA, 19081 · Suburb campus
Nearest airport from college
PHL · Philadelphia
6 mi away
Cost
Cost of attendance
$84,103
Avg net price
$23,149
Room & board
$20,308
Tuition
$65,494
Books & supplies
$760/yr
Average net price by family income
$0–30k
$7,690
$30–48k
$4,951
$48–75k
$11,444
$75–110k
$22,443
$110k+
$47,544
Admissions
Admit rate
7%
Test policy
Test optional
SAT average
1534
Reading 740770
Math 750790
ACT midpoint
34
Composite 3335
English 3536
Math 3135
SAT range (25th–75th percentile)
40080012001600

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Essay Requirements

Swarthmore College accepts the Common Application. All Common App schools require the personal statement essay. Some schools also require supplemental essays — check the school's page on Common App for current prompts and word limits.

See the current Common App essay prompts for the personal statement options.

Outcomes
Graduation rate
93%
4-yr on-time completion
76%
1st-yr retention
94%
Transfer-out rate
0%
8-year outcomes
Graduated
95%
Transferred
4%
Still enrolled
0%
Dropped out / unknown
1%
Median earnings (6yr)
$56,211
Median earnings (10yr)
$80,257
Median debt
$17,500
Monthly loan payment
$186
Debt range (25th–75th)
$8,000$26,374
Debt (90th percentile)
$27,000
Student Body
Men 48%Women 52%
7
:
1
Student : Faculty ratio
Students   Faculty
Pell grant recipients
19%
First-generation
27%
Median family income
$48,016
Avg age at entry
19.0
Part-time students
0%
Race & ethnicity
White
30%
Hispanic
16%
Black
9%
Asian
17%
Two or more
11%
Non-resident
13%
Unknown
3%
Programs & Earnings
Bachelor's degrees by annual completions · 4yr national median earnings
Median earnings for graduates across all programs
6 years after entry
$56,211
10 years after entry
$80,257
Economics76
Computer and Information Sciences, General73
Mathematics49
Political Science and Government37
Engineering, General33
Research and Experimental Psychology29
Biology, General20
Neurobiology and Neurosciences18
English Language and Literature, General17
Sociology and Anthropology16
Fine and Studio Arts16
Natural Resources Conservation and Research15
Education, General14
Education, Other12
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology11
Philosophy10
Type your major above to highlight and detail relevant programs.
Institutional
Endowment
$2.7B
Classification
Baccalaureate (Arts & Sciences)
Undergraduate profile
Four-year, more selective admissions
Full-time faculty
94%
Avg faculty salary
$14,961/mo
Instructional spend/student
$46,961
Federal loan rate
11%

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