This article will not tell you whether Swarthmore College is the right college for your child. No one can tell you that without knowing your child. What I can do is show you, using the official data the federal government collects from this institution, what kind of place it is, how it admits students, what it costs in real life, and what happens to the students who enroll there. You put that piece together with what your child wants and what your family can afford. A plan emerges from those three pieces together.
What kind of school it is, in a nutshell
Swarthmore College is classified by the Carnegie system as a baccalaureate college focused on arts and sciences: small, four-year, and highly residential. That last term has a concrete meaning, not a decorative one: in the count used for this classification, at least half of degree-seeking students lived in housing owned by or affiliated with the institution, and at least 80 out of every 100 studied full-time. It also appears in the most selective admissions group within Carnegie’s undergraduate profile.
What does that label not tell you? How many out of every hundred applicants get in. That is a different figure, and we will look at it later, before your child finishes building a college list.
It is a private, nonprofit institution offering programs of four years or more. IPEDS—the system through which the United States government collects these data—records the bachelor’s degree as the highest level it reports offering. That is a general institutional fact: it does not confirm that the exact major your child is interested in is offered there. That must be checked program by program.
Swarthmore has none of three specific designations tracked by the government: it is not a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 colleges and universities in this national directory, 138 have at least one of the three. Swarthmore’s lack of any of them says nothing about which students it serves or how your child will feel there. Ask directly: what cultural centers exist today, what student organizations are active, and, better yet, talk with someone who already studies there.
Where it is. Swarthmore is in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, in Delaware County, within the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metropolitan area. Its census code places it in a suburb: within the urbanized area but outside the principal city. If your child plans to live at home, do not trust the map: drive the route on a weekday at the actual time of the classes. The time shown by the navigation app is almost never the real travel time.
A medium-sized community, and what that means
Swarthmore had 1,644 students enrolled in the official fall count, all of them undergraduates—there is no graduate enrollment there. It is medium-sized, within the range of 1,000 to 4,999 students. Compared with the 941 selective private four-year schools in this census that report the figure, its size is among the most common: neither among the largest nor among the smallest.
Almost everyone studies full-time. Based on those 1,644 enrolled students, IPEDS estimates an institutional full-time equivalent enrollment of 1,642 students.
As for who makes up that undergraduate population: 15 out of every 100 students were reported as Hispanic or Latino in the fall of 2023. That is not a majority, but neither is it unusual. Compared with the 941 selective private schools in this census that report the figure, Swarthmore is above the midpoint of the group but below the highest quarter. That comparison has a real limitation: it is constructed by school type and control, not by state, and it does not reach the program level. All of this describes the school as a whole.
The undergraduate population is almost evenly divided between men and women: 52 out of every 100 are women. There are almost no students between the ages of 25 and 64: just 1 out of every 100. And where incoming students came from—which states, which countries—simply is not reported for this school in the 2023 cycle. It is not estimated or invented.
Being large does not mean having more options. Being small does not mean more attention for your child. The right question is always about the specific program, not the entire school.
How academics work
Swarthmore’s academic year is organized into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The school accepts credit from AP exams, but it did not indicate that it awards credit for life experience, and it reported that it does not enroll high school students in college courses for credit. Accepting AP does not mean that credit is automatic: the data do not say what scores are required or whether those credits will count toward your child’s exact program. Ask for that in writing before enrolling; do not assume it in advance.
As for what students study: in the most recently reported year, Swarthmore awarded 409 bachelor’s degrees across 20 program families—what the government calls CIP families. The largest family was social sciences, with 26 out of every 100 degrees awarded that year—no other area exceeded it, but it does not dominate the whole. The range is broad: no family accounted for 30 out of every 100 degrees. Keep in mind: 20 families with a row in the report do not mean 20 distinct majors or 20 families with degrees awarded—some rows may report zero. Verify the exact program.
Regarding the relationship between students and faculty: Swarthmore reports 8 full-time equivalent students for each full-time equivalent member of the instructional staff. This is among the lowest ratios across the 941 comparable schools in this census—it is in the bottom quarter, meaning that three out of every four similar schools have a higher ratio. But a low ratio by itself does not measure class size or actual faculty availability. Ask specifically how many students are in first-year classes.
The institution also reports structured academic opportunities: study abroad, cocurricular undergraduate research, and several pathways related to teacher certification, whether completed there or at another institution with state approval.
Getting in: what is required and who succeeds
Let us start with the most direct point: Swarthmore does not have open admissions. It reviews specific components before saying yes. Of the nine admissions considerations tracked by this count, it marked three as required: the high school record, the personal essay, and letters of recommendation. Put simply, gathering paperwork is not enough at this college. The essay is required, so your child has to write one.
Other components are not required but are considered if submitted: grade point average, class rank, completion of the college-preparatory program the college requires, a portfolio or competency exam, work experience, an English proficiency exam when applicable, and whether a family member attended the college. On that last point: if it does not apply to you, do not spend energy on it. Spend it on what is within your child’s control.
The published application fee is $60.
Now selectivity, in raw numbers. In the 2023 cycle, Swarthmore received 14,287 first-time applications and offered admission to 992. That is 7 out of every 100. Compared with the 942 selective private schools in this census, it is among those that admit the fewest: nine out of ten schools in that group, or more, admitted a larger percentage of their applicants. On the other side, 13,295 applicants received no offer of admission.
I want to be direct with you here: this number does not distinguish denial of admission, placement on a waitlist, or withdrawal of an application. Above all, this figure says how many offers of admission were made. It says nothing about your child’s worth. A low percentage does not make a school better; a high one does not make it worse. It measures supply against demand. Make sure your child’s list includes schools at several levels of selectivity, not just this one.
Of those admitted, how many enroll there? In 2023, for every 100 admitted first-time students, 42 enrolled at Swarthmore. The other 58 did not enroll there—the data do not say whether they attended another school or why they do not appear as enrolled here. Compared with its peers, this figure is on the high side: at most of those schools, a smaller proportion of admitted students enroll. But this number does not measure quality or satisfaction. When the admission letters arrive, this figure is not what decides: place the offers side by side and compare net price, program, and distance before the deposit deadline.
On standardized tests: the SAT and ACT are not required at Swarthmore. If your child submits them, they are considered; if not, the application remains active just the same. Of the first-time students who enrolled, 40 out of every 100 submitted SAT scores—a submission rate that places Swarthmore in the highest quarter among 653 comparable colleges and universities. Among those who submitted SAT scores, the middle half scored between 720 and 770 in reading and writing, and between 740 and 790 in mathematics. Importantly, those ranges describe students who had already enrolled, not all applicants, and they do not prove that a score determined anyone’s admission. That 720 is not a minimum, and that 770 does not guarantee anything either.
On transfers: in the fall of 2023, 15 undergraduate students entered Swarthmore for the first time after studying at another institution. This is a count of people, not a proportion, and compared with its 942 selective peers, it places Swarthmore in the bottom half of the group. What is not reported is the transfer-out rate—how many of those who entered there in 2017 transferred elsewhere. That does not mean no one transfers; it means that figure is not included in the file.
The sticker price, and why it is not your price
At Swarthmore College, among 35 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $8,580. Among 31 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $8,292; among 31 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $47,429. For dependent students, the band combines their parents’ income with their own.
There is a difference of $38,849 between the average for the lowest-income band (35 students) and the average for the highest-income band (31 students). These are group averages, not a prediction of your family’s price. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $17,930.
Among the 937 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same time coverage, Swarthmore falls in the least expensive quarter for lower-income families after grants and scholarships are subtracted. That does not mean it will be inexpensive for your family. It is a meaningful data point when you build the list of schools to which your child will apply.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, identifying yours correctly is the first step. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average with grant or scholarship aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The aid letter you receive is what matters.
How it is paid for: grants, Pell, and loans
At Swarthmore, 58 out of every 100 degree-seeking students received aid that does not have to be repaid—more than half, but not everyone. Compared with its 942 selective peers, it falls in the quarter where grant or scholarship aid reaches fewer students. Among those who did receive it, the annual average was $57,170.
Pell—the federal aid for students with demonstrated financial need—reached 20 out of every 100 students.
An average grant or scholarship amount of $57,170 is real money, but it is not a price: what matters is what remains after aid, and you have to request that school by school. A high average among those who received aid does not predict the size of yours.
On loans, the figure I most want you to see clearly: in the 2022-23 academic year, only 10 out of every 100 Swarthmore undergraduate students received a federal student loan. Most were not awarded a federal loan that year. Among those who did borrow, the average amount per borrower was $6,013 for that academic year.
Compared with its 942 selective peers, students here use federal loans less often than at nearly all of them: nine out of ten in that group, or more, had a higher proportion of students with loans.
But be careful about what this does not tell you. The fact that most students did not use a federal loan that year does not mean that grants, work, or family resources covered everything for all of them—the data do not capture grants or scholarships, work, family savings, or other kinds of debt. And that average of $6,013 covers a single year and only federal loans in the student’s name: it does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes sign for, bank debt, or credit card debt, and it is not the total debt with which someone graduates. That would require adding together all years, and that number is not in this report.
Swarthmore also reports a tuition payment plan that allows payments in installments as a way to manage the cost.
Life on campus
If your child enters the first year as a full-time student, living on campus is not optional: the school requires it for first-time, full-time students. It also offers meal plans, including a large plan with a fixed number of meals per week. The maximum capacity of institutionally controlled housing reported to IPEDS is 1,574 students.
This has a direct practical consequence: when you compare Swarthmore’s price with another school’s, include room and board from the beginning. Where living there is required, that expense cannot be removed from the bill. Tuition alone, without housing, is misleading.
Swarthmore did not indicate any ROTC opportunity in its report—not in the general field or in any of the three service branches. Of the 1,786 four-year institutions in this guide, 926 did indicate at least one. If your child’s plan involves ROTC, ask admissions directly: the fact that it is not marked in this field does not prove that no nearby pathway exists.
It does compete in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with national athletic associations, including the NCAA, with reported membership in basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. If athletics matter in your child’s plan, write directly to the coach: ask whether there is space, which division they compete in, and whether that sport awards scholarships. Request the answer in writing.
Swarthmore reports that it does not offer distance education—not a single course, either at the undergraduate or graduate level. In the fall count, 0 out of every 100 undergraduate students were taking all of their classes at a distance. If your child needs flexibility because of work or caring for someone at home, the schedule would have to fit entirely in person. This figure is from a specific year: ask whether this is still the case before deciding.
The library operates with paid staff and annual expenditures above the $100,000 threshold tracked by the federal government. It has physical and digital collections and participates in interlibrary lending. Exceeding that threshold does not guarantee that the specific databases your child’s program needs are available—ask about them by program name.
And regarding support, the institution reports combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services upon program completion, participation in Yellow Ribbon, a dedicated point of contact for veterans and service members, and a web address for disability services published in IPEDS.
Do those who enroll stay and graduate?
This is where Swarthmore shows its most striking figure.
Of the cohort that entered for the first time as full-time, bachelor’s-degree-seeking students in the fall of 2022—433 students—421 met the official retention criterion: 97 out of every 100 were still enrolled or had already completed a bachelor’s degree by the following year. Compared with 930 selective private schools in this census, Swarthmore is among those that retain the largest share of their cohort: nine out of ten in that group, or more, retained an equal or smaller proportion.
A result this high is not the same as a graduation rate—the criterion combines those who remain enrolled with those who have already earned a degree, without distinguishing which outcome applied to each person, and it says nothing about the 12 who fell outside that count.
On actual graduation: for every 100 students who entered a bachelor’s degree program at Swarthmore in 2017, 94 left with a degree within six years—369 out of 392 people, counting only those who entered full-time without having previously attended another college. Compared with 920 selective schools in this census, it is among those that graduate the most students.
But here is the nuance that truly matters for your budget: within four years, the figure is 76 out of every 100—18 points lower than within six years. Four years is the time frame most families have built into their budgets. The data do not say how many semesters each person attended and do not report tuition, rent, or wages. Before signing anything, ask in writing how long the program your child is interested in typically takes, how its required courses are scheduled, and how the total cost changes if the path takes longer.
Finally, the longest window: of an annual cohort that entered between July 2015 and June 2016—413 students—by the August 2023 reporting date, eight years later, 95 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from Swarthmore. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure was 93 out of every 100—a difference of just 2 points from those who did not receive one. Compared with 935 selective schools in this census, Swarthmore is among those that graduate the most students within eight years.
A high figure like this does not predict the outcome of any individual student. It describes a specific group that entered in a specific year. It is worth asking about the program’s current support and the outcomes of more recent cohorts, not just this historical number.
What you can do with all of this
According to its own data, Swarthmore is a small, highly selective school with a high sticker price and notably generous net prices for lower-income families. Almost no one ends up with a federal loan in their own name. Almost everyone who enrolls finishes. That is the baseline established by the data.
What the data do not tell you is whether your child will be happy there, whether your child will get in, or whether your family should place this school at the top, middle, or bottom of the list. That depends on three things only you know: what your child wants to study and has built so far, what your family can and is willing to pay, and what this information—now stripped of its mystery—tells you about whether it is worth your child’s time to write that required essay.
No one is going to hand you that decision already made. But you will no longer make it blindly. Complete the FAFSA. Request the aid letter in writing. Ask about the exact program, not the entire school. And sit down with your child to decide, together, whether this path makes sense for the life your child is trying to build.
Source note: the data in this article come from IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) and the United States Department of Education, primarily covering the 2022–23 and 2023–24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent Swarthmore College or the United States government; this article organizes public information to help families understand it.