Swarthmore College
Liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
About This School
How does this school stack up?
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
- Suffragist, Alice Paul
- Publisher, Victor Navasky
- Science reporter, Lulu Miller
- Political columnist, Drew Pearson
- Former US Senator, Carl Levin
- Current US Senator, Chris Van Hollen
- Former Massachusetts Governor and 1988 Democratic Party presidential candidate, Michael Dukakis
Swarthmore is regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).
Admissions
What does this school look for?
Annual Applications
10,749
Acceptance
9%
Graduation Rate
94%
Median SAT Score
1465
Median ACT Score
32
Costs
How much does it cost to attend?
Tuition (in-state)
$52,190
Fees (in-state)
$398
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0-30K | $8,909 |
| 30K-48K | $8,107 |
| 48K-75K | $12,983 |
| 75K-110K | $23,207 |
| 110K+ | $40,826 |
After Graduation
Averages for 10 years after enrolling
Avg Earnings
$70,000
Employed
87%
Campus Life
What's it like to attend this school?
The People
Full time on-campus stats
Student Body
2K
Under-Grads
2K
The Campus
Where will you be attending?
Location
500 College Ave,
Swarthmore PA
19081
City Crime Rates
Property Crime
9k per 100k
Violent Crime
1k per 100k
What is Swarthmore College known for?
Our answer to this is to show you the disciplines in which a school's faculty and alumni have had the highest historical influence. A school may be influential in a discipline even if they do not offer degrees in that area. We've organized two lists to show where they are influential and offer corresponding degrees, and where they are influential through scholarship although they don't offer degrees in the disciplines.
Top areas of influence with degrees offered
Other areas of influence
Influential People
Who are Swarthmore College's Most influential alumni?
Swarthmore College's most influential alumni faculty include professors and professionals in the fields of Political Science, Economics, and Computer Science. Swarthmore College’s most academically influential people include David Baltimore, Sally Ride, and Clark Kerr.
Ted Nelson
American information technologist, philosopher, and sociologist; coined the terms "hypertext" and "hypermedia"
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