Swarthmore, PA · Private nonprofit
7.5%
Acceptance rate
1,527
SAT Average
$18,686
Avg net price
1,627
Enrollment
| All fields, 2024-25Bachelor’s 456 |
| Bachelor’s 112 |
| Bachelor’s 52 |
| Bachelor’s 51 |
| Bachelor’s 43 |
| Bachelor’s 34 |
| Bachelor’s 27 |
| Bachelor’s 19 |
| Bachelor’s 19 |
| Bachelor’s 17 |
| Bachelor’s 16 |
| Bachelor’s 16 |
| Bachelor’s 15 |
| Bachelor’s 13 |
| Bachelor’s 11 |
| Bachelor’s 8 |
| Bachelor’s 2 |
| Bachelor’s 1 |
| Bachelor’s 0 |
| Bachelor’s 0 |
NCAA program details
- Primary division
- Division III
- Primary conference
- Centennial Conference
Projected sponsored sports21
Athletic participation
438 unique student-athletes · 18 varsity teams
Fall Early Decision
Binding · Questbridge National College Match due Nov 1 · Fall Early Decision due Nov 15
Winter Early Decision
Binding · Winter Early Decision due Jan 4
Regular Decision
Regular Decision due Jan 4
· Apply with Common App, Coalition, or QuestBridge Application
Published on-campus price, 2024–25
- Tuition
- $65,058
- Required fees
- $436
- Food and housing
- $20,308
- Books and supplies
- $760
- Other expenses
- $2,134
- Total
- $88,696
- $73,9322019–2019–20
- $73,6892020–2120–21
- $75,7932021–2221–22
- $80,0142022–2322–23
- $84,1032023–2423–24
- $88,6962024–2524–25
Net price by family income, 2022–23
Students of all incomes paid $18,686 on average. Grants and scholarships covered the rest of the cost.
Net price covers first-time, full-time students who received federal aid.
Need-based aid, 2025–26
- First-years with need-based aid
- 56%
- Average share of need met
- 100%
- Average need-based grant
- $74,043
- Required forms
- FAFSA, CSS Profile, Institution's own form, and CSS Noncustodial Profile
Sources
- IPEDS Institutional Characteristics · National Center for Education Statistics · 2025–26
- IPEDS Admissions · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024–25
- College Scorecard · U.S. Department of Education · 2025-10-03
- Application process · College websites · 2026–27
- NCAA Projected Sports Sponsorship by School · National Collegiate Athletic Association · 2025–26
- Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act · U.S. Department of Education · 2024–25
- Common Data Set · Reporting institutions · 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26
- IPEDS Completions · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024–25
- IPEDS Student Charges · National Center for Education Statistics · 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25
Every figure below is read directly from Swarthmore College’s own reported data, with no scores, ratings, or estimates added. Derived from 5 Common Data Set filings (2021–22 to 2025–26).
Swarthmore College admitted of applicants, a admit rate. Of those, enrolled, a yield, across 5 years of Common Data Set filings.
Swarthmore College runs two binding Early Decision rounds. ED applicants were admitted at versus for the regular pool, a edge, and ED admits fill of the class.
The enrolled class is roughly international, and about of its domestic students come from out of state. Swarthmore College withholds applicants and admits by residency, so in-state, out-of-state, and international admit odds can't be computed.
Enrolled first-years by geography
426 first-years
Admit odds by pool
Test scores are considered but not required. Of enrolled first-years, submitted an SAT and an ACT, down from 21% in 2021–22.
Some students submit both an SAT and an ACT, so the two shares overlap. They don’t add up to a single “submitted a test” rate.
SAT composite
40.1% of the class submitted an SAT
Middle 50%
Shape smoothed from reported percentiles and score bands
ACT composite
14.8% of the class submitted an ACT
Middle 50%
Shape smoothed from reported percentiles and score bands
ranked in the top tenth of their high-school class, among the 30.1% who submitted class rank.
High-school class rank
Among the 30.1% of first-years who submitted class rank. Shares are cumulative — students in the top tenth also count in the top quarter and top half.
Swarthmore College rates 6 factors "very important." Each column reads strongest first.
Academic
- Rigor of secondary school record
- Very important
- Class rank
- Very important
- Academic GPA
- Very important
- Application essay
- Very important
- Recommendation(s)
- Very important
- Standardized test scores
- Considered
Nonacademic
- Character / personal qualities
- Very important
- Interview
- Considered
- Extracurricular activities
- Considered
- Talent / ability
- Considered
- First generation
- Considered
- Alumni/ae relation
- Considered
- Geographical residence
- Considered
- State residency
- Considered
- Religious affiliation/commitment
- Considered
- Volunteer work
- Considered
- Work experience
- Considered
- Level of applicant's interest
- Not considered
Swarthmore College leaves 4 Common Data Set answers blank — each one hidden below with what it would tell you.
Without the residency split, there’s no way to see whether admit rates shift for out-of-state or international applicants.
Without the GPA spread, a family can’t see where their transcript lands within the class.
Without the average GPA, there’s no single midpoint to place a transcript against.
With the pool size hidden, a student’s odds of clearing the waitlist can’t be computed.
Does disclose: SAT / ACT score bands (C9) · Admissions factor grid (C7) · Early Decision applicants & admits (C21) · Students admitted off the waitlist (C2)
Swarthmore College’s sticker drops once grant aid is applied, and what a family actually pays depends on income. of first-years received need-based aid; a family with no aid pays the full sticker. The school meets of demonstrated need, split into .
What aid recipients pay, by income
net price
Bars read against the $91,477 sticker. Each figure averages only families who received federal aid in that income band (College Scorecard); $18,686 across all aid recipients. Aid share: 240 of 426 first-years in the 2025–26 Common Data Set.
How need-based aid is determined
Cost of attendance − expected family contribution = demonstrated need
Forms a family files to be considered
What that meant in 2025–26
Cost of attendance $91,477
Averages among the 240 first-years awarded need-based aid.
Merit aid reached of the class, or of enrolled first-years. For international applicants, Swarthmore College offers need-based aid only (no merit for nonresidents): nonresidents received aid, averaging .
Avg merit award
Not disclosedSwarthmore College admitted students off the waitlist, about of the class, but withholds how many were offered or accepted a place.
Offered a place
Not disclosedAccepted a place
Not disclosed97.2% of Swarthmore College’s first-years return for a second year and 94.1% graduate within six. Median earnings ten years out are against of median federal debt, roughly a earnings-to-debt ratio.
Sources
- Common Data Set · Reporting institutions · 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26
- College Scorecard · U.S. Department of Education · 2025-10-03