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Swarthmore , PA
Swarthmore College is a highly esteemed liberal arts college located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, just 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia. Founded in 1864, it is one of the oldest and most selective institutions in the United States. With a reputation for academic excellence, Swarthmore consistently ranks among the top liberal arts colleges in the nation.
The college offers a rigorous curriculum with over 40 majors across various disciplines, ranging from humanities and social sciences to natural sciences and engineering. What sets Swarthmore apart is its commitment to high-impact learning experiences, such as undergraduate research, internships, and study abroad programs. These opportunities allow students to apply their knowledge in real-world settings, fostering critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
Swarthmore's campus is known for being picturesque, with its beautiful architecture blending traditional and modern elements. The college provides a tight-knit community of approximately 1,600 undergraduate students, creating an intimate learning environment with a student-to-faculty ratio of 8:1. The college is renowned for its vibrant and intellectually stimulating atmosphere, driven by the diverse student body and distinguished faculty members who are leaders in their fields. With a strong emphasis on social responsibility and ethical leadership, Swarthmore College prepares students to make meaningful contributions to society and pursue successful careers across various professions and industries.
Located in Swarthmore, PA and set in a suburban environment, Swarthmore College is a private four-year college. This educational institution operates on a semester-based calendar. Admissions is extremely competitive, with an acceptance rate of only 7%. The freshman retention rate at Swarthmore College is 94% and the six-year graduation rate is 92%.
For freshmen, the application deadline for this school is January 4. Read more about what Swarthmore College has to offer based on the most recent data this institution has reported.
Quick Facts
1,623
Total Number of Undergraduate Students
$68,766
Tuition
7:1
Student to Faculty Ratio
92%
Graduation Rate
Admissions
Knowing as much as possible about the institution's criteria for admission increases your chances of getting admitted. What are the admission requirements for Swarthmore College?
According to the most recent data, this institution uses standardized test scores for admission and it admitted 975 in 2025. Swarthmore College has an official test-optional admission policy but takes into consideration standardized test scores in cases when they are submitted by the student.
Test Scores
Out of the number of students who submitted test scores, the percentage of first-time, first-year degree-seeking students who submitted SAT scores was 39% and ACT scores 16%. 99% of the first-year students submitted SAT composite scores between 1,400 and 1,600 and 1% between 1,200 and 1,399. The percent of freshman students who submitted ACT Composite scores in the range between 30-36 was 96 and 4 between 24-29.
Deadlines
The application deadline for Swarthmore College is January 4.
Retention Rate
What is the freshman retention rate? The freshman retention rate is the percentage of full-time students who entered the institution as freshmen in the previous academic year and returned for the fall term of the current academic year. Why is that information important? Because it tells you if the majority of freshmen enjoyed their first year at a school enough to come back.
The freshman retention rate for Swarthmore College was 94% in 2025, which is an amazing retention rate only the most prestigious institutions have.
Another important metric to consider is the graduation rate. This rate indicates how many students finish their degrees within a certain timeframe. The six-year graduation rate at this institution stands at 92%, which is considered an above-average graduation rate.
Student Body
It is never easy to figure out which school is the right choice for you. You can get a better insight into a school's culture and life by finding out more about its student body.
Main Student Body
In 2025, the school enrolled 1,623 students.
That year, the institution had an out-of-state student body percentage of 88. There was a total of 1,623 those pursuing undergraduate studies, including 216 international students. The school admitted a total of 0 transfer students.
Student Population Gender Ratio
With a coeducational student body, the school had 775 male and 845 female full-time students in 2025.
Student Population Diversity
In order to enhance a sense of inclusion and belonging among its students, higher education is dedicated to increasing student diversity. Diversity promotes critical thinking, challenges preconceived notions, and encourages intellectual growth, so it helps students develop empathy and a broader understanding of the world. Discover more about the many ethnic communities that go to this school.
This school had 268 Asian students and 153 Afro-American students in 2025. 250 undergraduates at this school declared as Hispanic/Latino and 183 as multirace. The school also had 2 students who identified as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, as well as 8 American Indian or Alaska Native students. There were also 45 students whose ethnicity is unknown.
Cost
One of the most crucial things to take into consideration when applying to any college or university is the financial component. The latest information on the expenses that most students at this school incur are detailed below.
Tuition and Fees
If you were wondering how much the tuition cost for Swarthmore College is, here are some recent data that will come in handy.
In 2025, tuition amounted to $68,766 for all full-time domestic students. Swarthmore College is a private institution, so tuition is the same for all the accepted students. Fees per academic year required of full-time students amounted to $460 in 2025.
Books and Supplies
When you try to estimate the cost of attendance for a college or university, you need to think about the cost of books and supplies you're going to need. The cost of books and supplies for full-time students of this school is estimated at about $785.
Boarding
Besides tuition, another cost to consider is the price of housing in the dorms and eating at the school cafeteria. What is the typical amount colleges and universities charge for lodging and meals?
At Swarthmore College, the 2025 annual cost of room and board (on campus) was $21,466. The cost of a dorm room only at this school in 2025 totaled $11,076 for one academic year.
| Expense Category | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition | $ 68,766 |
| Room and Board | $ 21,466 |
| Book and Supplies | $ 785 |
| Total Expense | $ 91,017 |
Financial Aid
Grants, loans, scholarships, work-study programs: these are all different types of financial support available to students. If you wish to find out more about need-based and non-need-based aid at Swarthmore College, here are some recent data you should consider.
According to the most recent data, 258 freshmen were awarded financial aid. The average financial aid package awarded to students totaled $71,089.
Need-based
Need-based aid is financial aid that a student can receive if they are determened to have financial need and meet other eligibility criteria.
889 students were granted some form of need-based financial aid. Need-based college-administered scholarship and grant aid at Swarthmore College is available to international students. The total number of students (including freshmen) who were determined to have financial need came to be 889. The amount of federal need-based scholarships/grants awarded to the students at this institution totaled $2,638,329, and state $253,083. The students of Swarthmore College received the -institutional need-based aid in the amount of $57,462,487, and external in the amount of $943,508.
$62,424
Average Amount of Aid Received
Non-Need Based
Non-need-based aid is any type of financial aid given to a student who does not meet the requirements for need-based aid. The most popular forms of non-need-based financial aid for students are loans and grants, like Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, Graduate PLUS Loans, Parent PLUS Loans, and the Teacher Education Access for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant.
The total amount of non-need-based institutional scholarships/grants was $1,055,938. This includes endowment, alumni, other institutional awards, and also external funds awarded by the institution, but doesn't include athletic aid and tuition waivers. The amount the students of this school received from external sources (e.g. Kiwanis, National Merit) was $1,000,645 USD.
Open Applications
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Majors
Faculty
7:1
Student to Faculty Ratio
Getting information about the faculty at a school can help you estimate the quality of education you will receive there.
In 2025, this ratio at Swarthmore College was 7:1. That means that there were 7 times more students than teachers at this school. According to the most recent information, there are 245 faculty members at this school. This number included 128 male and 117 female faculty members.
Student Population Diversity Graph
Campus Life
It is not all about learning and grades at Swarthmore College: campus life is a crucial component of your educational experience. Check out some details about social life at Swarthmore College.
Its campus spans 425 acres.
Student Organizations
A student organization is run by students at a university or a college institution, whose membership typically consists only of current students and/or alumni.
According to recently gathered data, there are 100 open-membership organizations at Swarthmore College. For students with a talent for acting, there is a drama club. You have a talent for media and communication? Swarthmore College publishes its own newspaper and has its own radio station.
Student Services
Swarthmore College has a number of services vital for a comfortable and safe life on campus.
24/7 emergency phone and alarm devices are available. The dormitory entrances are electronically operated. There is a security patrol that operates 24 hours a day. The after-hours transportation/escort service is available.
This school has a health clinic with personal/psychological counseling. In addition, other services like Legal Services, Veteran's Affairs and Women's Center are available to the students of Swarthmore College.
All in all, campus life at Swarthmore College is rich and vibrant and provides all you need for a comfortable stay.
Career Services
Having career services at a college or university can mean a great deal for your career planning, so find out what you can expect at Swarthmore College.
Career Counselling
At Swarthmore College, there is both group career counseling for all students and individual career counseling for all students. There are a job bank and job fairs. Job interviews are also available to students through the career center. The career center offers resume preparation and resume referral to employers. There is campus employer recruitment for full-time students only. This school offers alumni networking opportunities, which could be excellent for your future career. Individual job placement is available to all students at this school.
Job Placement
Finding out some information about the expected post-graduation salary can help you decide if a particular school suits your career objectives.
The average base annual starting salary of the students who were employed within six months of graduation at this school is 71,637 USD.
$71,637
Average Starting Salary After 6 Months of Graduation
FAQ
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Swarthmore College is located in Swarthmore, PA.
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Swarthmore College offers need-based college-administered scholarship and grant aid to international students.
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The overall full-time tuition per academic year for Swarthmore College is 68,766 USD, based on the most recent data.
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This school uses standardized test scores for admission.
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The most recent data indicate that the acceptance rate for Swarthmore College is 7%.
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The most recent data indicate that the freshman retention rate for Swarthmore College is 94%.
Contact Information
Data Source: IPEDS and Peterson's Databases © 2023 Peterson's LLC All rights reserved. Portions of this content were co-written with OpenAI's GPT-3.5 model.
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Data Source: IPEDS and Peterson's Databases © 2023 Peterson's LLC All rights reserved.
Portions of this content were co-written with OpenAI's GPT-3.5 model.