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🇺🇸Swarthmore, PA, United States·Est. 1864Private

Swarthmore College

Rigorous academics, engineering program rare among LACs

Global rank#41
shortlist
97.7aggregate score · 1 sourceToo few sources for a meaningful chart
QS World University Rankings
2024 edition
Unranked
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
2024 edition
Unranked
US News Best Colleges (National Universities)
2024 edition
Unranked
US News Best Global Universities
2023–24 edition
Unranked
Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai Ranking)
2023 edition
Unranked
Center for World University Rankings
2024 edition
Unranked
Niche Best Colleges
2024 edition
#38
CWTS Leiden Ranking
2024 edition
Unranked

Ranking history

Real snapshots recorded each time this dataset is refreshed — never backfilled or estimated.

Ranking history over time
DateRankScore
August 3, 2026#4197.7
August 4, 2026#4197.7
August 5, 2026#4197.7
August 6, 2026#4197.7
August 7, 2026#4197.7
August 10, 2026#4197.7
August 15, 2026#4197.7
August 17, 2026#4197.7
August 20, 2026#4197.7

Admissions

Most recently published acceptance rate and enrolled-student score ranges. SAT/ACT and GPA are US-specific admissions measures, so they're only shown where applicable.

Applications / year
12,000
Acceptance rate
7.5%
SAT (25th–75th)
1440–1550
ACT (25th–75th)
33–35
Avg. GPA
3.90

Campus & outcomes

Class size, graduation and freshman retention rates, sticker tuition vs. what students actually pay after aid, how many receive it, post-graduation employment, research output, and a few real, commonly-cited top recruiters. Everything except ratio and enrollment is US-specific or approximate — papers/year and top employers in particular are rounded/illustrative, not exhaustive or precise database exports. Earnings figures and what they imply against cost are in their own section below.

Student : faculty
8:1
Undergrads
1,650
Grad rate (6-yr)
94%
Tuition
$63,616
Avg. net price
$20,000
Employed within 6mo
88%
Papers/year (approx.)
Classes under 20
75%
Freshman retention
96%
Receiving aid
50%
Where grads work
Teach for AmericaGoogleDeloitteMcKinsey & Company

Earnings after graduation

Median earnings for this institution's graduates (2024–25 published figures) and what they imply against its cost. US-reported figures — the concept doesn't translate for universities outside the US, which is why they show nothing here.

Early career
$70,000
Median, roughly 0–5 years out
Mid career
$135,000
Median, roughly 10 years out · +93% growth
Cost payback
1.1 yr
Years of early-career median equal to $80,000 of 4-year net cost
Value score 1.7× — one year of mid-career median covers 1.7× the full 4-year net cost+93% early-to-mid career growth

How to read these numbers

  • Medians, not averages, and not your salary. Half of graduates earn less. The spread within a single university is far wider than the gap between most universities.
  • Institution-wide, across all majors. Much of the difference between two universities' figures reflects what their students study — an engineering-heavy institute out-earns a liberal arts college largely through major mix, not teaching quality. Per-major earnings aren't in this dataset; the US federal College Scorecard publishes them for US federal-aid recipients.
  • Geography and selectivity are baked in. Graduates often work near where they studied, so regional cost of living inflates or deflates these figures, and selective intakes would earn well regardless of where they enrolled.
  • Payback is arithmetic, not a plan. It divides 4-year net price by early-career median and ignores aid you personally receive, loan interest, taxes and living costs.

Subject strengths

An Analects Proverbs editorial estimate — derived from this university's specialty and overall standing, not pulled from a named subject ranking.

Ranking source comparison
SourceScore
CS92 out of 100
Eng100 out of 100
Business90 out of 100
Medicine92 out of 100
Law88 out of 100
Sciences85 out of 100
Social89 out of 100
Arts88 out of 100
Strongest in
EngineeringComputer ScienceMedicine
Computer Science
Engineering
Business
Medicine
Law & Policy
Natural Sciences
Social Sciences
Arts & Humanities

Similar universities

Close in overall rank, and weighted toward the same country and type — a starting point for students who like Swarthmore College but want options to compare.

Frequently asked questions

What is Swarthmore College's ranking?

Swarthmore College ranks #41 on Analects Proverbs's combined score of 97.7/100, aggregated across 1 major published ranking.

What is Swarthmore College known for?

Rigorous academics, engineering program rare among LACs. Its strongest subject areas, by our editorial estimate, are Engineering, Computer Science, Medicine.

What is Swarthmore College's acceptance rate?

Swarthmore College's acceptance rate is approximately 7.5%, based on the most recently published admissions cycle.

What SAT or ACT scores does Swarthmore College expect?

Enrolled students typically score in the 1440–1550 range on the SAT, or 33–35 on the ACT (25th–75th percentile, most recent published cycle).

How much does it cost to attend Swarthmore College?

Swarthmore College's published annual tuition is approximately $63,616, though the average net price after institutional aid is closer to $20,000 per year.

What is Swarthmore College's graduation rate?

Swarthmore College's published 6-year graduation rate is approximately 94%.

What do Swarthmore College graduates typically earn?

Early-career graduates report a median starting salary of around $70,000, rising to roughly $135,000 at mid-career.