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Swarthmore College
With a 7.5% admission rate, no GPA makes Swarthmore College a safety. The numbers below tell you what the admitted few look like.
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Swarthmore College occupies suburban Swarthmore, PA — a private campus quieter than a downtown one, closer to one than a rural seat. International students are a visible presence here — 13.4% of undergraduates come from outside the U.S.
Its highest-earning path is Computer and Information Sciences, General, where graduates median $150,942 four years out. 19.5% of undergraduates carry Pell grants — a plain read on who the campus actually serves. With 1,613 undergraduates and a residential core, weekends happen on campus — and 94% of first-years come back for a second year.
Submitters admitted here typically landed between 1460 and 1560 — above the PA middle for four-year schools. Put your own practice estimate on Swarthmore College's range with the SAT calculator, or bring a saved GPA from the grade tools.
Admissions
In the Fall 2023 cycle, Swarthmore College received 14,287 applications and admitted 992 (6.9%), with 415 enrolling.
Scores help here but aren't the gate. If your SAT sits inside the 1460–1560 submitter range, sending it likely helps; below it, Swarthmore College's own policy says you can leave it out.
| Score | 25th | 50th | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Reading & Writing | 720 | 750 | 770 |
| SAT Math | 740 | 780 | 790 |
| ACT Composite | 33 | 34 | 34 |
Percentiles are among students who submitted scores (Fall 2023 admissions cycle).
How Swarthmore College compares
| Swarthmore College | Pennsylvania median | National median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 7.5% | 82% | 77.2% |
| Tuition (in-state) | $65,494 | $33,730 | $19,591 |
| Median earnings (10 yr) | $80,257 | $62,101 | $53,781 |
Earnings data favors Swarthmore College: $80,257 median at year ten, versus $62,101 across Pennsylvania institutions.
Cost, size & completion
Tuition runs $65,494 regardless of where you're from. At Swarthmore College, that sticker is a starting point for aid talks — not what the median family pays.
Enrollment sits at 1,613 — Swarthmore College is one of the smaller campuses on this site.
92.3% of Swarthmore College students finish a bachelor's within six years — 37.4 points above the national 54.9% — and the single best predictor that the $65,494 price above buys a degree, not just enrollment.
Top majors by earnings at Swarthmore College
| Bachelor's program | Median earnings, 4 yrs after completion |
|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | $150,942 |
| Economics | $128,051 |
| Engineering, General | $78,519 |
| Political Science and Government | $58,372 |
| Biology, General | $57,754 |
Median earnings for these 5 Swarthmore College programs come from a different federal cohort than the campus-wide $80,257 above — compare rows to each other, not to that 10-year figure. 64 additional Swarthmore College programs have earnings withheld under federal privacy rules.
Frequently asked questions
What GPA and test scores do you need for Swarthmore College?
Among admitted students who submitted scores, the middle 50% scored 1460–1560 on the SAT. There's no published GPA cutoff — pair these ranges with the 7.5% admission rate to judge your odds.
What is Swarthmore College's acceptance rate?
6.9% in the Fall 2023 cycle — 992 admitted from 14,287 applicants.
How much does Swarthmore College cost?
At Swarthmore College, published tuition is $65,494 — net price after aid usually comes in lower. That number is Swarthmore College's ceiling, not a quote.
What do Swarthmore College graduates earn?
Federal data puts median earnings at $80,257 ten years after enrolling. The table above breaks this down by major.
Similar colleges in Pennsylvania
- University of Pennsylvania — 5.4% admitted
- Haverford College — 12.4% admitted
- Carnegie Mellon University — 11.7% admitted
- Susquehanna University — 81.4% admitted
Run your own numbers
Data: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (Jun 2026), IPEDS ADM2023/HD2024. Retrieved 2026-09-01. Figures reflect the latest federal cohorts, which lag the current admissions cycle.