Swarthmore, PA · private · 1,613 undergraduates
Swarthmore College acceptance rate, SAT range and net price
Swarthmore admitted 7.44% of applicants for fall 2026, and from fall 2027 families earning $200,000 or less with typical assets will pay no tuition.
Net price per year at Swarthmore
$22,443
Reach · admit rate 7.44%
| Admit rate, Fall 2026 entering class (Class of 2030), as of June 2026 | 7.44% (1 in 13) |
| Middle 50% of enrolled students (SAT) | 1,480 to 1,550 |
| Enrolled students scoring below you (approx.) | 1% |
| This site’s label | Reach |
| Sticker price 2026-27 | $98,370 |
| Paid by families with $75,001-$110,000 (2023-24) | $22,443 |
| Share of the sticker price | 23% |
Net price: average paid after grants by students on federal aid in that income band (2023-24), not a quote. The label is a fixed rule of this site (admit rate under 15% is a reach for everyone), not a prediction. Your exact price: Swarthmore net price calculator. How this is calculated.
Admissions: Swarthmore by the Numbers, Enrollment Information for Fall 2026 (as of June 2026) · net price: College Scorecard, 2023-24 · figures checked · Built by Radif Partners · Method and data
- Admit rate, newest cycle
- 7.44%
- SAT middle 50%
- 1,480 to 1,550
- Sticker price 2026-27
- $98,370
- Net price, income $48k to $75k
- $11,444
Swarthmore's newest admission figure covers the Class of 2030: 969 students admitted out of 13,029 applicants for fall 2026, an acceptance rate of 7.44%, with 445 enrolled as of June 2026. The year before, its Common Data Set 2025-2026 counted 977 admits from 12,995 applications. The college suspended its testing requirement for the 2026-27 cycle; in the fall 2025 class 40% sent an SAT, scoring 1,480 to 1,550 in the middle half. The 2026-27 cost of attendance is $98,370, of which billed charges are $95,770. Aid meets full need without loans, and a new tuition guarantee starts in fall 2027 for families earning $200,000 or less. Federal averages for 2023-24 show what aided families paid: $4,951 between $30,001 and $48,000 and $22,443 between $75,001 and $110,000.
Two Early Decision dates and a three-application limit
Swarthmore splits its binding round in two: Fall Early Decision closes November 15 and Winter Early Decision January 4, the same day as Regular Decision. For fall 2025, 1,281 students applied early and 228 were admitted, about 23% of all offers. The college also caps persistence: a student may apply at most three times, first-year and transfer applications combined, and a fourth application is withdrawn.
The fall 2026 numbers are early. Swarthmore published them in June 2026, and they can shift slightly before the Common Data Set 2026-2027 fixes the final count.
Swarthmore: where your SAT score lands
Enrolled students scoring below you (approx.)
54%
| Middle 50% | 1,480 to 1,550 |
| Your score is | inside the middle 50% |
Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029), CDS 2025-2026, C9 (171 SAT submitters, 63 ACT submitters). Normal curve fitted to the two published percentiles.
Testing suspended again for the 2026-27 cycle
Swarthmore's standardized testing page now says scores are optional and that applicants who leave them out are not penalized. Applicants pick one of two options at submission, consider all SAT and ACT scores or suppress them all, and cannot change that choice afterward. The SAT is superscored by section; the ACT is read by its best single-sitting composite. With only 40% of the last class sending an SAT and 15% an ACT, the range of 1,480 to 1,550 is a portrait of the students who chose to show a score.
Billed charges, published increases and the 2027 guarantee
For 2026-27 Swarthmore bills $72,722 for tuition and books (an $800 textbook credit is folded into tuition), $22,566 for housing and food and a $482 activities fee, then adds $825 for course materials and $1,775 for personal expenses to reach $98,370. Pennsylvania's Act 69 makes the college publish estimates three years ahead: billed costs of $99,961 for 2027-28 and $110,197 for 2029-30. The Swarthmore Tuition Guarantee, starting in fall 2027, covers at least full tuition for domestic families earning $200,000 or less with typical assets, on top of a need-blind admission policy for domestic students and loan-free aid. Above $110,000, families paid an average of $47,544 in 2023-24.
Swarthmore: net price for your family income
Average net price, 2023-24
$11,444
| Income band | $48,001-$75,000 |
| Share of the 2023-24 cost | 14% |
Federal figure for first-year students on federal aid.
Swarthmore, the Tri-College Consortium and Penn
Students can cross-register at Bryn Mawr and Haverford and at the University of Pennsylvania, and Swarthmore offers an engineering degree inside a liberal arts college. Weigh it against Pomona, Williams and Penn in the comparison tool.
From Swarthmore College’s own documents
- For fall 2025, 1,281 students applied Early Decision and 228 were admitted, so ED admits made up about 23% of the 977 total admits. source
- Starting fall 2027, the Swarthmore Tuition Guarantee covers at least full tuition for domestic families earning $200,000 or less with typical assets. source
- Under Pennsylvania Act 69 of 2024, Swarthmore publishes estimated billed costs of $99,961 for 2027-28, $104,954 for 2028-29 and $110,197 for 2029-30. source
- Fall 2026 (Class of 2030): 13,029 applicants, 969 admitted and 445 enrolled as of June 2026, an admit rate near 7.4%. source
- Swarthmore students can cross-register at Bryn Mawr and Haverford (Tri-College Consortium) and at the University of Pennsylvania, and the college offers an engineering degree inside a liberal arts college. source
- A student may apply to Swarthmore a maximum of three times, first-year and transfer applications combined. source
Net price at Swarthmore College by family income
| Family income | Average net price 2023-24 | Share of the 2023-24 cost |
|---|---|---|
| $0-$30,000 | $7,690 | 9% |
| $30,001-$48,000 | $4,951 | 6% |
| $48,001-$75,000 | $11,444 | 14% |
| $75,001-$110,000 | $22,443 | 27% |
| $110,001 and up | $47,544 | 57% |
| All aided students | $23,149 | 28% |
Cost of attendance at Swarthmore College, 2026-27
| Item | Amount | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $72,722 | |
| Fees | $482 | |
| Housing and food | $22,566 | |
| Books and supplies | $825 | |
| Personal | $1,775 | |
| Total | $98,370 |
Swarthmore College admissions by cycle
| Entering class | Applicants | Admitted | Enrolled | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2026 entering class (Class of 2030), as of June 2026 | 13,029 | 969 | 445 | 7.44% |
| Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029) | 12,995 | 977 | 426 | 7.52% |
| Fall 2024 (federal IPEDS figure) | n/a | n/a | n/a | 7.46% |
SAT and ACT scores at Swarthmore College
| Score | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT total (Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029), CDS 2025-2026, C9 (171 SAT submitters, 63 ACT submitters)) | 1,480 | 1,520 | 1,550 |
| ACT composite (Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029) (CDS 2025-2026, C9 (171 SAT submitters, 63 ACT submitters))) | 33 | 34 | 35 |
| SAT sections, fall 2024 (Scorecard) | 740 + 750 | n/a | 770 + 790 |
Outcomes at Swarthmore College
| Measure | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Graduated within 6 years | 92% | fall 2018 entering cohort |
| Returned for a second year | 94% | fall 2023 entering cohort |
| Median earnings 10 years after entry | $80,257 | measured 2020-2021, 10 years after entry, 2022 dollars |
| Median federal debt of graduates | $17,500 | students who finished in 2019-20 and 2020-21 |
| Undergraduates | 1,613 | fall 2024 |
| Students with a Pell Grant | 19% | 2023-24 |