Swarthmore College Description:
Swarthmore’s gorgeous 399-acre campus is a registered national arboretum situated just 11 miles from downtown Philadelphia, and students have the opportunity to take classes at neighboring Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and the University of Pennsylvania. The college can boast of an impressive 8 to 1 student / faculty ratio and a chapter of the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. Swarthmore consistently sits near the top of nearly all rankings of U.S. liberal arts colleges. In athletics, the Swarthmore Garnet compete in the NCAA Division III Centennial Conference. The college fields nine men's and eleven women's varsity sports.
Admissions Data (2011):
- Percent of Applicants Admitted: 15%
- What Are Your Chances? (from Cappex.com)
- Swarthmore GPA and Test Score Graph
- Test Scores -- 25th / 75th Percentile
- SAT Critical Reading: 680 / 770
- SAT Math: 670 / 760
- SAT Writing: 680 / 770
- ACT Composite: 30 / 34
- ACT English: 31 / 35
- ACT Math: 29 / 34
- ACT Writing: 8 / 10
Enrollment (2010):
- Total Enrollment: 1,524
- Gender Breakdown: 49% Male / 51% Female
- 99% Full-time
Costs (2011 - 12):
- Tuition and Fees: $41,150
- Books: $1,150 (why so much?)
- Room and Board: $12,100
- Other Expenses: $1,495
- Total Cost: $55,895
Swarthmore Financial Aid (2009 - 10):
- Percentage of New Students Receiving Aid: 65%
- Swarthmore College Scholarships (Cappex.com)
- Percentage of New Students Receiving Types of Aid
- Grants: 57%
- Loans: 22%
- Average Amount of Aid
- Grants: $32,286
- Loans: $5,487
Most Popular Majors:
Biology, Economics, Engineering, English, History, Political Science, Psychology
Graduation and Retention Rates:
- First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 94%
- 4-Year Graduation Rate: 89%
- 6-Year Graduation Rate: 93%
Data Source:
National Center for Educational Statistics
Swarthmore and the Common Application
Swarthmore College uses the Common Application. These articles can help guide you:Admissions Information for Other Top Liberal Arts Colleges:
Amherst | Bowdoin | Carleton | Claremont McKenna | Davidson | Grinnell | Haverford | Middlebury | Pomona | Reed | Swarthmore | Vassar | Washington and Lee | Wellesley | Wesleyan | Williams
Swarthmore Mission Statement:
Swarthmore students are expected to prepare themselves for full, balanced lives as individuals and as responsible citizens through exacting intellectual study supplemented by a varied program of sports and other extracurricular activities. The purpose of Swarthmore College is to make its students more valuable human beings and more useful members of society. Although it shares this purpose with other educational institutions, each school, college, and university seeks to realize that purpose in its own way. Swarthmore seeks to help its students realize their fullest intellectual and personal potential combined with a deep sense of ethical and social concern.
