College
Swarthmore College
- 4 Year
- Swarthmore, PA
- Rating 3.6 out of 5 411 reviews
Report Card
- Academicsgrade A+
- Valuegrade A+
- Diversitygrade A+
- Campusgrade B minus
- Athleticsgrade B minus
- Party Scenegrade C+
- Professorsgrade A+
- Locationgrade B minus
- Dormsgrade B+
- Campus Foodgrade C+
- Student Lifegrade B+
- Safetygrade B minus
editorial
About
Athletic Division
NCAA Division III (without football)
Athletic Conference
Centennial Conference
Swarthmore College Rankings
Niche rankings are based on rigorous analysis of key statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and millions of reviews.
Swarthmore Admissions
Acceptance Rate
9%
SAT Range
1380-1540
ACT Range
31-35
Application Fee
$60
SAT/ACT
Considered but not required
High School GPA
Considered but not required
Early Decision/Early Action
Yes
Application Website
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Will You Get In?
Will You Get Into Swarthmore?
Test Scores and High School GPA for Swarthmore College See Other Colleges
Cost
Net Price
$19,759 / year
National
$15,523Average cost after financial aid for students receiving grant or scholarship aid, as reported by the college.
Average Total Aid Awarded
$51,408 / year
National
$7,535Students Receiving Financial Aid
63%
Scholarship
Academics
Professors
grade A+
Based on faculty accomplishments, salary, student reviews, and additional factors.
Student Faculty Ratio
8:1
Evening Degree Programs
No
- 96%
- of students agree that professors put a lot of effort into teaching their classes. 26 responses
- 71%
- of students agree that it is easy to get the classes they want. 34 responses
- 21%
- of students agree that the workload is easy to manage. 34 responses
Majors
Most Popular Majors
- Economics82 Graduates
- Mathematics54 Graduates
- Information Science49 Graduates
- Biology47 Graduates
- Political Science and Government42 Graduates
- Research and Experimental Psychology33 Graduates
- Engineering31 Graduates
- English18 Graduates
- Linguistics, Interpretation, and Translation17 Graduates
- Studio Arts17 Graduates
Online
Students
Full-Time Enrollment
1,591 Undergrads
Part-Time Undergrads
3
Undergrads Over 25
0%
Pell Grant
22%
Varsity Athletes
25%
Campus Life
Freshmen Live On-Campus
100%
Poll
- 51%
- of students say Greek life is pretty low-key and has little effect on the social scene. 39 responses
Poll
- 74%
- of students say varsity sporting events are attended, but not a huge part of campus life. 35 responses
After College
Median Earnings 6 Years After Graduation
$56,700 / year
National
$33,028Graduation Rate
94%
National
49%Employed 2 Years After Graduation
85%
National
83%- 86%
- of students feel confident they will find a job in their field after graduation. 14 responses
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Swarthmore College Reviews
Rating 3.6 out of 5 411 reviews
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I'll preface my statement that one should think long and hard about their future goals and what they want out of their collegiate experience before attending a school like Swarthmore. It's a school that's a perfect fit for some and a terrible fit for most.
The so-called Swarthmore and LAC experience is extremely overembellished and overidealized. Yes, the classes are quite small, but mainly the Humanities and Social Science classes that would be small at peer institutions anyway. Yes, the community is small, but you will resent always seeing the same people, especially if you don't find yourself fitting in with the community. Yes, Philadelphia is a "train ride away", but realistically you will hardly ever go.
Also, if you consider yourself pre-professional, Swarthmore is a terrible choice. This school is meant for aspiring graduate students, not aspiring bankers and engineers. Name-recognition is critical in those fields, and Swarthmore is extremely lacking in that category.
The so-called Swarthmore and LAC experience is extremely overembellished and overidealized. Yes, the classes are quite small, but mainly the Humanities and Social Science classes that would be small at peer institutions anyway. Yes, the community is small, but you will resent always seeing the same people, especially if you don't find yourself fitting in with the community. Yes, Philadelphia is a "train ride away", but realistically you will hardly ever go.
Also, if you consider yourself pre-professional, Swarthmore is a terrible choice. This school is meant for aspiring graduate students, not aspiring bankers and engineers. Name-recognition is critical in those fields, and Swarthmore is extremely lacking in that category.
Swarthmore College is certainly a unique place to be, whether you're looking at its student body or academics. It is a little diverse, certainly not as diverse as I hoped, but then again, Swat is located in a little nook in PA. However, the majority of the students I have met there so far have been quirky in their own unique ways, nearly all of them loving seeing their friends and fellow classmates at Swat so frequently, especially since the campus is not very big. Swatties definitely are a studious bunch, each enjoying their own little niche (or big niche) hobbies.
Academics at Swat are tough, true to their reputation. However, the professors are very kind and genuinely want the students to learn, despite grades.
Academics at Swat are tough, true to their reputation. However, the professors are very kind and genuinely want the students to learn, despite grades.
Swarthmore has some of the best people on earth, seriously. Almost everyone I meet has something unique to share. Students are driven and passionate, but very down to earth and approachable, same with professors. Although the party scene is not massive, there is always something to do that's open to the whole campus and not-exclusive, which I think is very unique. Students do have to be prepared for rigorous academics, but I think most would agree that academics are very rewarding and uncompetitive. At the end of the day, Swarthmore has given me more friends than I ever could have asked for.