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Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, Pennsylvania · Private, a large suburb · 1,613 undergraduates

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Is it hard to get into Swarthmore?

The middle half of admitted students scored in these ranges: a quarter scored lower, a quarter higher. Fall 2024 admissions, from the College Scorecard.

Acceptance rate
7.5%
14,287 applied
SAT, middle half
1490 to 1560
Reading plus math, out of 1600
ACT, middle half
33 to 35
Composite, out of 36
Test scores this year
Optional: considered if sent
42% of admitted students enrolled
What they look at
  • High school GPAConsidered
  • Class rankConsidered
  • Courses takenRequired
  • College-prep programConsidered
  • RecommendationsRequired
  • EssayRequired
  • PortfolioConsidered

How much does Swarthmore cost?

Sticker prices and what students actually paid after grants, by family income. A year means tuition, fees, room, board, books and other costs.

Tuition and fees
$69,226
A full year, sticker price
$88,696
Living on campus
Average price after grants
$17,392
Students who got federal aid

What a year cost, by family income

Family incomeAverage paid after grants
Under $30,000$6,966
$30,001 to $48,000$7,978
$48,001 to $75,000$18,171
$75,001 to $110,000$14,741
Over $110,000$50,329
Room and board on campus
$21,466 a year
Books and supplies
$785 a year
The school's own grants
53% of full-time first-years get one, averaging $59,421

Tuition over the years

Tuition and fees for a year, as reported to the federal government.

$0K$20K$40K$60K$80K201220142016201820202022Swarthmore

How much do Swarthmore students borrow?

Federal student loans only, for students who borrowed.

Typical debt at graduation
$15,000
About $170 a month over ten years
Students who borrow
11.3%
Get a Pell Grant
24.4%
Federal grant for lower-income families
Over 25 when they start
0.5%

What do Swarthmore graduates earn?

Typical yearly pay of everyone who started here with federal aid, whatever they studied and whether or not they finished.

Six years after starting
$56,955
Ten years after starting
$86,311
Middle half: $58,865 to $143,174
Best-paid program, five years out
$171,529
Computer and Information Sciences, General
Lowest-paid program, five years out
$56,012
Biology, General

Do Swarthmore students finish?

Of the students who started full time, first time.

Back for second year
94%
Graduate in six years
91.6%
The four-year figure is for a later, smaller group, so it is not shown
After eight years
95% graduated
3% transferred, 0% still enrolled

Who goes to Swarthmore?

Women
52.1%
First in their family at college
26.9%
Part-time
0.1%
Students per teacher
7
Background
White 30%, Hispanic 16%, Black 10%, Asian 17%, Two or more 11%, International 13%
Housing
Campus housing, 1,574 beds

What do Swarthmore graduates earn, by program?

Every bachelor's program the school awards, with what its graduates earn and owe. The government hides pay for small programs, so some rows have no figure.

Computer science

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Computer and Information Sciences, General160$101,324$171,529$17,461

Engineering

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Engineering, General62HiddenHiddenHidden

Health sciences and kinesiology

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Public Health0HiddenHiddenHidden

Life sciences

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology22HiddenHiddenHidden
Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other2HiddenHiddenHidden
Biology, General53Hidden$56,012Hidden
Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology0HiddenHiddenHidden
Natural Resources Conservation and Research28HiddenHiddenHidden
Neurobiology and Neurosciences33HiddenHiddenHidden

Math and physical sciences

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Applied Mathematics0HiddenHiddenHidden
Astronomy and Astrophysics8HiddenHiddenHidden
Chemistry19HiddenHiddenHidden
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences1HiddenHiddenHidden
Mathematics105$78,855HiddenHidden
Physical Sciences, Other0HiddenHiddenHidden
Physics19HiddenHiddenHidden

Social sciences

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Anthropology14HiddenHiddenHidden
Archeology0HiddenHiddenHidden
Area Studies13HiddenHiddenHidden
Communication and Media Studies1HiddenHiddenHidden
Criminology1HiddenHiddenHidden
Economics154$87,244$132,818$12,000
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies6HiddenHiddenHidden
International Relations and National Security Studies0HiddenHiddenHidden
Political Science and Government66$65,928$85,537Hidden
Psychology, General0HiddenHiddenHidden
Psychology, Other1HiddenHiddenHidden
Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other0HiddenHiddenHidden
Public Policy Analysis0HiddenHiddenHidden
Research and Experimental Psychology54HiddenHiddenHidden
Social Sciences, General1HiddenHiddenHidden
Social Sciences, Other6HiddenHiddenHidden
Sociology0HiddenHiddenHidden
Sociology and Anthropology29HiddenHiddenHidden
Urban Studies/Affairs0HiddenHiddenHidden

Arts and humanities

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics3HiddenHiddenHidden
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics8HiddenHiddenHidden
English Language and Literature, General35HiddenHiddenHidden
English Language and Literature/Letters, Other0HiddenHiddenHidden
History14HiddenHiddenHidden
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services17HiddenHiddenHidden
Literature0HiddenHiddenHidden
Philosophy25HiddenHiddenHidden
Philosophy and Religious Studies, Other0HiddenHiddenHidden
Religion/Religious Studies18HiddenHiddenHidden
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics17HiddenHiddenHidden
Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics7HiddenHiddenHidden

Education (teaching)

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education0HiddenHiddenHidden
Education, General19HiddenHiddenHidden
Education, Other25HiddenHiddenHidden

Fine and performing arts

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Dance5HiddenHiddenHidden
Design and Applied Arts0HiddenHiddenHidden
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft10HiddenHiddenHidden
Film/Video and Photographic Arts10HiddenHiddenHidden
Fine and Studio Arts40HiddenHiddenHidden
Music11HiddenHiddenHidden
Visual and Performing Arts, Other0HiddenHiddenHidden

General arts and science (major chosen later)

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Biological and Physical Sciences0HiddenHiddenHidden
Classical and Ancient Studies12HiddenHiddenHidden
Cognitive Science11HiddenHiddenHidden
Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis0HiddenHiddenHidden
International/Globalization Studies4HiddenHiddenHidden
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities0HiddenHiddenHidden
Mathematics and Computer Science0HiddenHiddenHidden
Medieval and Renaissance Studies0HiddenHiddenHidden
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General1HiddenHiddenHidden
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other0HiddenHiddenHidden
Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution12$41,890HiddenHidden
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics0HiddenHiddenHidden
Sustainability Studies0HiddenHiddenHidden

Compare Swarthmore with other universities

Side by side: acceptance rates, scores, costs and pay.

Or the list of every university, by state.

Where these numbers come from

College Scorecard release 10152026, Most Recent Cohorts files, fetched 2026-10-20. Test policy: the school's page (opens in a new tab). Tuition history, housing and the school's own grants: the federal IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) survey.

How every figure in this part of the site is sourced, and the check of every link.

Careerhelp is not affiliated with Swarthmore College. Figures describe past students; check the school's own pages before you apply.

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