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Swarthmore College

Swarthmore College is a private campus in suburban Swarthmore, PA. International students are a visible presence at Swarthmore College — 13.4% of its 1,613 undergraduates come from outside the U.S.

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What could it cost?

Start with net price after grants, then read the published costs. Each chart names its academic year and the students it covers.

Net price by family income

key chart

Average annual cost after grants for each family-income band. These group averages are not personal price quotes.

IPEDS Income brackets, 2022–23

family-income band

$8,580

family income
under $30k

$5,592

$30–48k

$8,292

$48–75k

$20,977

$75–110k

$47,429

over $110k

These figures don't always rise with income — aid formulas can make a higher bracket cheaper.

Average net price

$23,1492023–24Skip to data table

Average annual attendance cost after grants for the reported student group. Your own aid offer and costs may differ.

Average net price at Swarthmore College rose from $20,982 (2008) to $23,149 (2023).

Average net price — data
Year	Net price
2008	$20,982
2009	$20,680
2010	$21,509
2011	$19,121
2012	$24,166
2013	$22,937
2014	$21,858
2015	$18,157
2016	$20,511
2017	$21,067
2018	$19,184
2019	$20,813
2020	$20,780
2021	$21,595
2022	$18,686
2023	$23,149

IPEDS 16 federal reports, 2008–2023

Total cost of attendance

$84,1032024–25Skip to data table

Estimated annual attendance budget before grants, including tuition, fees, housing, food and books. Not every expense is billed by the school.

Total cost at Swarthmore College rose from $50,381 (2009) to $84,103 (2024).

Total cost of attendance — data
Year	Cost
2009	$50,381
2010	$52,265
2011	$54,153
2012	$55,895
2013	$58,481
2014	$60,671
2015	$62,450
2016	$64,363
2017	$66,549
2018	$68,846
2019	$71,167
2020	$73,932
2021	$73,689
2022	$75,793
2023	$80,014
2024	$84,103

IPEDS Academic-year cost 2009–2024

Tuition & fees

Skip to data table

Published tuition and fees before grants. Housing, food, books and other attendance costs are separate.

Tuition & fees — data
Year	Tuition & fees
2001	$26,376
2002	$27,562
2003	$28,802
2004	$30,094
2005	$31,516
2006	$33,232
2007	$34,884
2008	$36,490
2013	$44,718
2014	$46,060
2015	$47,442
2016	$49,104
2017	$50,822
2018	$52,588
2019	$54,656
2020	$54,456
2021	$56,056
2022	$59,328
2023	$62,412

IPEDS Published price 2001–02 to 2023–24 (not adjusted for inflation)

Cost, size & completion summary

Cost, size & completion

Reported tuition is $65,494 before grants and other attendance costs. At Swarthmore College, aid and other costs change the bill. Scorecard snapshot: 2026-06-10; historical charts show their own years.

Enrollment sits at 1,613 — Swarthmore College is one of the smaller campuses on this site.

92.3% of first-time, full-time bachelor's entrants completed at Swarthmore College within six years (2026-06-10 release). This measure excludes other student groups.

Do students finish — and what comes after?

Graduation, debt and earnings cover different groups. Read each chart's entering class or fiscal period; they are not one group's journey.

Six-year graduation rate

key chart

92.3%entered Fall 2018Skip to data table

The share of first-time, full-time bachelor's entrants who completed at this institution within six years. Other students are not included.

The six-year graduation rate at Swarthmore College has held near 92.3% from Fall 1991 to Fall 2018 entering cohorts.

A six-year rate can only describe a class that entered six or more years ago — by definition the last point on the line is that old.

Six-year graduation rate — data
Year	Graduated within 6 yrs
1991 cohort	92.2%
1992 cohort	91.8%
1993 cohort	92.3%
1994 cohort	92%
1995 cohort	91.5%
1996 cohort	92%
1997 cohort	91.7%
1998 cohort	91.1%
1999 cohort	92.7%
2000 cohort	92.3%
2001 cohort	94%
2002 cohort	92.2%
2003 cohort	92.9%
2004 cohort	92.9%
2005 cohort	94.6%
2006 cohort	91.6%
2007 cohort	93.4%
2008 cohort	94.1%
2009 cohort	93.9%
2010 cohort	94.1%
2011 cohort	94%
2012 cohort	94.4%
2013 cohort	94.1%
2014 cohort	97.3%
2015 cohort	94.1%
2016 cohort	93.7%
2017 cohort	94.1%
2018 cohort	92.3%

IPEDS Entering cohorts 1991–2018

Median debt at exit (completers vs non-completers)

Historical student groups

key chart

Skip to data table

Median federal student loan debt when students left school, shown separately for those who completed and those who did not.

CompletedLeft without degree

Each point combines two years. Neighboring points share one year, so changes should be read with that overlap in mind.

These two-year windows closed before today's students borrowed — they describe past cohorts, not the current price of a degree.

Median debt at exit — data
Year	Completed	Left without degree
Left school in fiscal years 1997 and 1998 (FY1997/98)	$15,143	$2,625
Left school in fiscal years 1998 and 1999 (FY1998/99)	$14,800	$13,463
Left school in fiscal years 1999 and 2000 (FY1999/00)	$15,920	$11,730
Left school in fiscal years 2000 and 2001 (FY2000/01)	$15,920	$3,500
Left school in fiscal years 2001 and 2002 (FY2001/02)	$16,000	$10,961
Left school in fiscal years 2002 and 2003 (FY2002/03)	$16,838	$11,000
Left school in fiscal years 2003 and 2004 (FY2003/04)	$15,625	$9,625
Left school in fiscal years 2004 and 2005 (FY2004/05)	$15,125	$6,125
Left school in fiscal years 2005 and 2006 (FY2005/06)	$15,593	$5,185
Left school in fiscal years 2006 and 2007 (FY2006/07)	$16,125	$6,063
Left school in fiscal years 2007 and 2008 (FY2007/08)	$15,150	$6,125
Left school in fiscal years 2008 and 2009 (FY2008/09)	$14,125	$4,500
Left school in fiscal years 2009 and 2010 (FY2009/10)	$14,125	$5,500
Left school in fiscal years 2010 and 2011 (FY2010/11)	$14,625	$6,500
Left school in fiscal years 2011 and 2012 (FY2011/12)	$15,000	$6,500
Left school in fiscal years 2012 and 2013 (FY2012/13)	$17,500	$6,500
Left school in fiscal years 2013 and 2014 (FY2013/14)	$19,000	$5,500
Left school in fiscal years 2014 and 2015 (FY2014/15)	$18,100	$6,426
Left school in fiscal years 2015 and 2016 (FY2015/16)	$19,500	$13,250
Left school in fiscal years 2016 and 2017 (FY2016/17)	$19,500	$13,580
Left school in fiscal years 2017 and 2018 (FY2017/18)	$20,000	$7,500
Left school in fiscal years 2018 and 2019 (FY2018/19)	$19,750	$8,599
Left school in fiscal years 2019 and 2020 (FY2019/20)	$18,000	$10,249
Left school in fiscal years 2020 and 2021 (FY2020/21)	$17,500	$7,028

NSLDS GRAD_DEBT_MDN / WDRAW_DEBT_MDN, merged FY periods · via College Scorecard

Earnings after entry

Historical student groups

Median annual earnings after entering college, for federally aided students who were working and not enrolled when measured.

Entered: academic years 2013–14 or 2014–15

$56,211

6 years after entry

Entered: academic years 2011–12 or 2012–13

$72,890

8 years after entry

Entered: academic years 2009–10 or 2010–11

$80,257

10 years after entry

Each figure covers a different group of students who entered college in the stated years. Earnings were measured in the same two years; these are not one group followed over time.

Measured in 2020–21, adjusted for inflation to 2022 dollars. Each figure pools two entering academic years.

Treasury Pooled entering cohorts · Scorecard 2020–21 historical file

What does the admissions record show?

Rates and score ranges describe a past admissions cycle. Submitted scores are not cutoffs or a prediction of admission.

Admissions snapshot & test policies

Swarthmore College admitted 975 of 13,065 applicants in Fall 2024. The 7.5% rate describes that application pool.

7.5%

acceptance rate · Fall 2024 admissions cycle

rate trend $62,412 tuition · 2023–24 1,613 undergraduates · Fall 2024

Test-optional (considered) · Fall 2024

400SAT range (section 25th/75th sums): 1490–15601600

Not sure where you stand? Estimate your GPA →

Admissions

In the Fall 2024 cycle, Swarthmore College received 13,065 applications and admitted 975 (7.5%), with 427 enrolling.

Swarthmore College reported scores as considered but not required for the Fall 2024 admissions cycle. For Swarthmore College’s enrolled SAT submitters, Reading and Writing was 740–770 and Math was 750–790 (25th–75th percentiles). The section-percentile sums 1490–1560 are not composite-score percentiles. These are not admission cutoffs.

Check current requirements with admissions.

Score	25th	50th	75th
SAT Reading & Writing	740	760	770
SAT Math	750	780	790
ACT Composite	33	34	35

25th / 75th: a quarter of enrolled submitters scored below the first number, a quarter above the second. These are not cutoffs.

Only students who submitted scores are counted — at test-optional schools, many enrolled students aren't in this table.

Percentiles are among enrolled students who submitted scores (Fall 2024 admissions cycle).

Acceptance rate

7.5%Fall 2024Skip to data table

The share of applicants offered a spot — lower means more selective; read it alongside the score ranges below.

Read Swarthmore College's change from 25.9% to 7.5% as a share of applications, not an explanation of admissions decisions. This describes Fall 2001 to Fall 2024.

Acceptance rate — data
Year	Acceptance rate
Fall 2001	25.9%
Fall 2002	24%
Fall 2003	23.5%
Fall 2004	25.4%
Fall 2005	22.4%
Fall 2006	19%
Fall 2007	17.7%
Fall 2008	15.7%
Fall 2009	17.4%
Fall 2010	16.1%
Fall 2011	15.1%
Fall 2012	14.2%
Fall 2013	14.3%
Fall 2014	17%
Fall 2015	12.5%
Fall 2016	12.8%
Fall 2017	10.7%
Fall 2018	9.5%
Fall 2019	8.9%
Fall 2020	9.1%
Fall 2021	7.8%
Fall 2022	6.9%
Fall 2023	6.9%
Fall 2024	7.5%

IPEDS Fall cycles 2001–2024

SAT range (section sums, 25th–75th)

1490–1560Fall 2024 · submittersSkip to data table

Sums of the reading/writing and math percentiles among enrolled submitters — not percentiles of total SAT scores or admission cutoffs.

SAT range (section sums) — data
Year	25th	75th
Fall 2001	1360	1530
Fall 2002	1350	1530
Fall 2003	1340	1530
Fall 2004	1350	1530
Fall 2005	1350	1530
Fall 2006	1320	1530
Fall 2007	1360	1540
Fall 2008	1350	1520
Fall 2009	1340	1530
Fall 2010	1340	1530
Fall 2011	1350	1530
Fall 2012	1350	1550
Fall 2013	1350	1530
Fall 2014	1360	1540
Fall 2015	1340	1530
Fall 2016	1305	1530
Fall 2017	1380	1540
Fall 2018	1380	1550
Fall 2019	1380	1540
Fall 2020	1395	1540
Fall 2021	1430	1560
Fall 2022	1440	1560
Fall 2023	1460	1560
Fall 2024	1490	1560

IPEDS Fall 2001–2024, submitters only

ACT middle 50%

33–35Fall 2024 · submittersSkip to data table

The middle half of enrolled ACT submitters, using published composite-score percentiles — not admission cutoffs.

ACT middle 50% — data
Year	25th	75th
Fall 2006	28	34
Fall 2007	27	33
Fall 2008	28	33
Fall 2009	30	33
Fall 2010	29	33
Fall 2011	30	34
Fall 2012	30	33
Fall 2013	31	34
Fall 2014	29	34
Fall 2015	30	34
Fall 2016	30	34
Fall 2017	31	34
Fall 2018	31	34
Fall 2019	31	35
Fall 2020	31	34
Fall 2021	33	35
Fall 2022	32	35
Fall 2023	33	34
Fall 2024	33	35

IPEDS Fall 2006–2024, submitters only

What is the campus like?

Enrollment counts a campus population; retention follows first-years returning. Their dates and populations are shown separately.

Undergraduate enrollment

1,613Fall 2024Skip to data table

Reported undergraduate enrollment. This count does not measure class size or teaching access.

Undergraduate enrollment at Swarthmore College has held near 1,613 from Fall 2002 to Fall 2024.

Undergraduate enrollment — data
Year	Undergraduates
Fall 2002	1,479
Fall 2003	1,477
Fall 2004	1,459
Fall 2005	1,461
Fall 2006	1,472
Fall 2007	1,480
Fall 2008	1,477
Fall 2009	1,505
Fall 2010	1,509
Fall 2011	1,536
Fall 2012	1,532
Fall 2013	1,524
Fall 2014	1,530
Fall 2015	1,566
Fall 2016	1,540
Fall 2017	1,565
Fall 2018	1,544
Fall 2019	1,584
Fall 2020	1,435
Fall 2021	1,643
Fall 2022	1,619
Fall 2023	1,627
Fall 2024	1,613

IPEDS Fall headcounts 2002–2024

First-year retention (full-time)

94%Fall 2023 cohortSkip to data table

The share of the reported first-time student group who returned the following year. This rate does not explain why others left.

First-year retention at Swarthmore College has held near 94% from Fall 2002 to Fall 2023.

First-year retention — data
Year	Retention
Fall 2002 cohort	97%
Fall 2003 cohort	95%
Fall 2004 cohort	96%
Fall 2005 cohort	96%
Fall 2006 cohort	97%
Fall 2007 cohort	96%
Fall 2008 cohort	99%
Fall 2009 cohort	94%
Fall 2010 cohort	97%
Fall 2011 cohort	97%
Fall 2012 cohort	96%
Fall 2013 cohort	95%
Fall 2014 cohort	98%
Fall 2015 cohort	98%
Fall 2016 cohort	98%
Fall 2017 cohort	97%
Fall 2018 cohort	98%
Fall 2019 cohort	86%
Fall 2020 cohort	95%
Fall 2021 cohort	96%
Fall 2022 cohort	97%
Fall 2023 cohort	94%

IPEDS Full-time cohorts 2002–2023

More about Swarthmore College

19.5% of Swarthmore College's undergraduates carry Pell grants — the standard federal marker of lower-income enrollment. Carnegie classes Swarthmore College as a primarily residential campus of 1,613 undergraduates — and 94% of the reported first-time, full-time student group returned for a second year.

Swarthmore College's SAT section-percentile sums are 1490–1560 — their midpoint is above the PA four-year benchmark. These are not total-score percentiles. Put your own practice estimate on Swarthmore College's range with the SAT calculator, or bring a saved GPA from the grade tools.

Why some charts are marked “key chart”

key chart

Start with three useful questions: what costs were reported for families in your income band, how many first-time full-time students finished, and what federal debt borrowers held when leaving.

How Swarthmore College compares

State and national medians cover active bachelor-primary institutions, mixing public and private schools. Tuition uses in-state rates at public schools. These are broad reference points, not a ranking of similar schools or your likely bill.

Scorecard dates identify the release snapshot, not a shared measurement year. Earnings describe federally aided students who were working and not enrolled ten years after entry; cohorts and populations differ from the admissions and tuition figures.

Acceptance rate

Fall 2024 admissions cycle · IPEDS

Swarthmore College7.5%

Pennsylvania median81.7%

National median76.8%

Tuition

Scorecard 2026-06-10 snapshot · published tuition before aid

Swarthmore College$65,494

Pennsylvania median$33,730

National median$19,591

Median earnings (10 yr)

Ten years after entry · Scorecard 2026-06-10 snapshot

Swarthmore College's snapshot: calendar years and dollar basis unverified.

Swarthmore College$80,257

Pennsylvania median$62,101

National median$53,781

View comparison data & dates

Swarthmore College, Pennsylvania and national reference values
Metric & basis	Swarthmore College	Pennsylvania median	National median
Acceptance rateFall 2024 admissions cycle · IPEDS	7.5%	81.7%	76.8%
TuitionScorecard 2026-06-10 snapshot · published tuition before aid	$65,494	$33,730	$19,591
Median earnings (10 yr)Ten years after entry · Scorecard 2026-06-10 snapshot	$80,257	$62,101	$53,781

Published earnings by bachelor's field of study

For Swarthmore College, these are federal subject groups (CIP), not departments. Median is the middle annual income.

Swarthmore College federal-aid recipients · graduated 2017–18 or 2018–19 · income measured 2022 or 2023 · inflation-adjusted to 2024 dollars. Definitions and limits.

View 5 fields & earnings

Bachelor's field of study (CIP category)	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

These 5 fields listed for Swarthmore College measure earnings after completion. The $80,257 institution-level snapshot above measures earnings after entry; it is not the same cohort or a total for these fields. 64 additional Swarthmore College fields have earnings withheld under federal privacy rules.

Frequently asked questions

What test-score data does Swarthmore College report?

Swarthmore College's enrolled submitters had SAT section-percentile sums of 1490–1560 in Fall 2024. These are not total-score percentiles or a GPA requirement.

What is Swarthmore College's acceptance rate?

7.5% in the Fall 2024 cycle — 975 admitted from 13,065 applicants.

How much does Swarthmore College cost?

At Swarthmore College, tuition is $65,494. Tuition is not the total cost of attendance; aid can reduce your bill.

What earnings data does Swarthmore College report?

Median earnings ten years after entry: $80,257. Major figures measure four years after completion. Source and date limits.

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: IPEDS ADM2024 (Fall 2024 admissions, provisional) · IPEDS HD2024/IC2024 directory · College Scorecard 2026-06-10 release (institution and field-of-study files; earnings from Treasury records). Retrieved 2026-09-01. Chart dates follow this institution's available observations; the release date is not an academic year or an earnings year. Some records end earlier than others. Field-of-study cohort dates are shown with the table. Read the date and population definitions.