Swarthmore College

Swarthmore College is an elite liberal arts college west of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Swarthmore boasts rigorous academics and a beautiful campus. They are in a consortium with Bryn Mawr and Haverford colleges, meaning that students can take classes at any of the three schools.

Affordability: Swarthmore meets 100% of demonstrated need without student loans. Theoretically, then, Swarthmore is affordable for any student admitted. They are among the few no-loan schools that also offer merit aid. According to NCES data, most students do not take out loans (7% of freshman borrowed an average of $9,904 in 2020-21). 

Rankings: 

• #4 liberal arts colleges, U.S. News

• #37 colleges and universities, CollegeSimply

• #5 best liberal arts colleges, Niche

Popular Majors (NCES):

• Economics 

• Computer Science 

• Engineering 

• Math 

• Biology 

• Political Science 

• English 

Students, Admissions, enrollment, graduation rates (NCES):

• 1,651 undergraduate students

• 8% acceptance rate

• 45% enrolled

• 94% graduation rate