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.
< CollapseSwarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles (17.7 km) southwest of Philadelphia. It is currently ranked by US News and World Report as the third top liberal arts college in the nation.
The school was founded in 1864 by a committee of Quakers who were members of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. Swarthmore dropped its religious affiliation and became officially non-sectarian in the early 20th century. The college has been coeducational since its founding.
Swarthmore is known for its rigorous academics, symbolized and maintained by the faculty's resistance to grade inflation. The college is, after normalization for institution size, the third largest baccalaureate source of doctoral degree recipients in the United States, and the largest such source with a liberal arts curriculum.
"Swarthmore" can be pronounced with the first "r" either vocalized or dropped due to differences in rhotic and non-rhotic accents.
Swarthmore's campus is coextensive with the Scott Arboretum.
The name "Swarthmore" has its roots in early Quaker history. In England, Swarthmoor Hall in Cumbria was the home of Thomas and Margaret Fell in 1652 when George Fox, fresh from his epiphany atop Pendle Hill in 1651, came to visit. The visitation turned into a long association as Fox persuaded Thomas and Margaret Fell and the inhabitants of the nearby village of Fenmore of Friendly, and Swarthmoor was used for the first Friends' meetings.
The school was founded in 1864 by a committee of Quakers who were members of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. Edward Parrish was its first president. A more detailed history of Swarthmore can be found at Swarthmore.edu.
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| Percent of Students International: | 5% |
| On-Campus Housing Available: | Yes |
| Percent of Students Living On-Campus: | 92% |
| Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: | Yes |
| Member of: | NAA, NCAA |
| Sports Include: |
Basketball (Centennial Conference) Baseball (Centennial Conference) Track (Centennial Conference) |
| Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) | Expenses | ||
Published Tuition and Fees: |
$ 31,516 | ||
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 31,196 | ||
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 320 | ||
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 3,527 | 10% | |
State and Local Grants: |
$ 2,741 | 27% | |
Institutional Grants: |
$ 21,690 | 51% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 2,056 | 32% | |
Any Aid: |
51% |
| Acceptance Rate: | 22% (Most Selective) |
| Test Scores | |
| SAT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting SAT Scores: | 99% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Verbal: 680, Math: 670 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Verbal: 770, Math: 760 |
| Application Fee: | $ 60.00 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Not Required |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Recommended |
| High School GPA: | Recommended |
| High School Rank: | Recommended |
| High School Record: | Required |
| Recommendations: | Required |
| TOEFL: | Recommended |
| Test Scores: | Required |
