Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Swarthmore College Featured Rankings
- #1 Small Colleges in Pennsylvania 2026
- #1 Engineering Liberal Arts Colleges
- #1 Earth Sciences Liberal Arts Colleges
- #1 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Psychology Majors
- #1 Liberal Arts Colleges for Education Degrees
- #1 Liberal Arts Colleges in Pennsylvania 2026
- #2 Sociology Liberal Arts Colleges
- #2 Computer Science Liberal Arts Colleges
- #2 Political Science Liberal Arts Colleges
- #2 English Liberal Arts Colleges
- #2 Chemistry Liberal Arts Colleges
- #2 Philosophy Liberal Arts Colleges
- #2 History Liberal Arts Colleges
- #2 Religious Studies Liberal Arts Colleges
- #3 Private Colleges in Pennsylvania
- #3 Physics Liberal Arts Colleges
- #3 Best Small Colleges 2026
- #3 Economics Liberal Arts Colleges
- #3 Anthropology Liberal Arts Colleges
- #3 Most Influential US Universities by State
- #3 Math Liberal Arts Colleges
- #3 Liberal Arts Colleges for Biology Degrees
- #4 Best Colleges in Pennsylvania
- #4 Best Liberal Arts Colleges 2026
- #7 Sociology Colleges and Universities
- #7 Political Science Colleges and Universities
- #8 Psychology Colleges and Universities
- #8 Economics Colleges and Universities
- #9 Best Biology Colleges and Universities
- #30 Best Undergrad Private Colleges
- #34 Best Undergrad Colleges 2026
About Swarthmore College
Featured Alumni
David Baltimore ranks among our Top Influential Biologists Today.
Paul DiMaggio ranks among our Top Influential Sociologists Today.
Arlie Russell Hochschild ranks among our Top Influential Sociologists Today.
Swarthmore College, a four-year, liberal arts college, was founded in 1864. Swarthmore offers more than 600 courses in more than 40 disciplinary fields.
Among the school’s most popular programs are those in social sciences, in biological and biomedical sciences, and in mathematics and statistics. Other notable Swarthmore programs include those in peace and conflict studies, in cognitive science, and in interpretation theory.
Swarthmore does not provide a distance learning program.
Swarthmore is associated with six Nobel laureates:
- Physics—John C. Mather
- Chemistry—Christian B. Anfinsen
- Physiology or medicine—David Baltimore and Howard Temin
- Economics—Edward C. Prescott
- Peace—Ralph Bunche
Among other distinguished Swarthmore linked individuals, we may mention the following
- Mathematician, Robert MacPherson
- Computer scientists—Neil Gershenfeld, Ted Nelson, and Peter J. Weinberger
- Philosophers—Brand Blanshard, David Lewis, Elizabeth Anderson, Gilbert Harman, Allan Gibbard, Alexander Nehamas, Cora Diamond, and Peter Unger
- Poet, W.H. Auden
- Novelists, Norman Rush and Jonathan Franzen
- Genre authors, James A. Michener and Rudy Rucker
- Actors, Susan Oliver and Stephen Lang
- Comedians, Beth Littleford and Jenny Yang
- Theater critic, Ben Brantley
- Film critic, Kenneth Turan
- Composer, parodist, and music educator, Peter Schickele
- Conceptual artist, Alexandra Grant
- Cartoonist, Caroline Pietsch
- Astronomers, Charlotte Moore Sitterly and Nancy Roman
- Astrophysicist, Sandra Faber
- Biophysicist, Jane S. Richardson
- Biochemist, Judith G. Voet
- Molecular biologist, Maxine Frank Singer
- Population geneticist, Newton Morton
- Neuroscientists, John J. Hopfield and Joseph Takahashi
- Linguists—Ray Jackendoff, Barbara Partee, and Lila Gleitman
- Paleontologist, Tyler Lyson
- Biological anthropologist, Karen Strier
- Historians—Daniel J. Boorstin, John H. Morrow, Jr., and Linda Grant DePauw
- Psychologists—Wolfgang Köhler, Isabel Briggs Myers, Solomon Asch, Robert Rescorla, Kenneth Gergen, and Carol Gilligan
- Sociologist, Arlie Russell Hochschild
- Political scientists, Robert D. Putnam and Peter Berkowitz
- Economists, Scott Nearing and Eliot Roy Weintraub
- Architect, Marianne McKenna
Swarthmore is regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).
According to Wikipedia, Swarthmore College is a private liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the earliest coeducational colleges in the United States. It was established as a college under the Religious Society of Friends. By 1906, Swarthmore had dropped its religious affiliation and officially became non-sectarian.
Swarthmore College Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14,287 | 7% | 94% | 92% | 1525 | 34 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Swarthmore College Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $69,226 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $6,966 |
| 30K - 48K | $7,978 |
| 48K - 75K | $18,171 |
| 75K - 110K | $14,741 |
| 110K+ | $50,329 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Swarthmore College Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Swarthmore College students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $86,311 a year, and 93% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Swarthmore College's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads |
|---|---|
| 1,740 | 1,740 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Swarthmore College?
Swarthmore College is located at 500 College Ave, Swarthmore, PA 19081.
How Safe is Swarthmore College?
Relative to its enrollment, Swarthmore College has a violent crime rate of less than 0.01% and a property crime rate of 0.25%. Swarthmore has a violent crime rate of 0.09% and a property crime rate of 0.66%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is Swarthmore College Known For?
Swarthmore College is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Economics
- Philosophy
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Political Science
- Physics
- Mathematics
- Computer Science
- Communications
- Literature
- History
- Biology
- Education
- Anthropology
- Engineering
- Earth Sciences
- Chemistry
- Religious Studies
- Business
- Medical
Swarthmore College's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Swarthmore College's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Swarthmore College ranks #38 in the U.S. and #136 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesSwarthmore College ranks #40 in the U.S. and #126 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesSwarthmore College ranks #46 in the U.S. and #79 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesSwarthmore College ranks #46 in the U.S. and #128 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesSwarthmore College ranks #52 in the U.S. and #173 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesSwarthmore College ranks #62 in the U.S. and #227 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesSwarthmore College ranks #66 in the U.S. and #268 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesSwarthmore College ranks #73 in the U.S. and #216 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesSwarthmore College ranks #86 in the U.S. and #278 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesSwarthmore College ranks #87 in the U.S. and #225 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesSwarthmore College ranks #94 in the U.S. and #245 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesSwarthmore College ranks #101 in the U.S. and #323 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesSwarthmore College ranks #111 in the U.S. and #376 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesSwarthmore College ranks #116 in the U.S. and #324 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesSwarthmore College ranks #154 in the U.S. and #725 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesSwarthmore College ranks #157 in the U.S. and #636 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesSwarthmore College ranks #160 in the U.S. and #722 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesSwarthmore College ranks #167 in the U.S. and #749 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesSwarthmore College ranks #187 in the U.S. and #577 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesSwarthmore College ranks #198 in the U.S. and #660 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesWho Are Swarthmore College's Most Influential Alumni?
Swarthmore College's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Psychology, Sociology, and Economics. Here are some of Swarthmore College's most famous alumni:
- David Baltimore
- An American biologist, (1938– ), New York, New York, USA.
- Robert D. Putnam
- An American political scientist.
- Ted Nelson
- An American information technologist, philosopher, and sociologist.
- Clark Kerr
- An American academic .
- Carol Gilligan
- An American feminist, ethicist, and psychologist.
- John Hopfield
- An American biophysicist.
- Edward C. Prescott
- An American economist .
- Ben Brantley
- An American journalist.
- Andries van Dam
- A Dutch-born American professor of computer science at Brown University.
- Alice Paul
- An American suffragist, feminist, and activist .
- Michael Hardt
- An American philosopher.
- Sally Ride
- An American astronaut and physicist .
