How to Get Into Swarthmore College: Acceptance Rate & Admissions Strategies

Swarthmore College is one of the most competitive liberal arts colleges in the country, in the same league with the likes of Williams, Amherst, and Pomona. While lesser-known to the general public than the Ivy League universities, these schools (including Swat) sport single-digit acceptance rates and are a challenge to gain acceptance into even for students at the very top of the high school class who possess near-perfect SAT/ACT scores. While this may come as surprise to anyone who doesn’t follow the latest admissions trends, a quick look at the historical Swarthmore College acceptance rate data reveals the following numbers:

• 1980: 40%
• 1990: 32%
• 2000: 24%
• 2010: 16%
• 2022: 6.9%

To give prospective Swarthmore applicants a better sense of their admissions chances in 2021-22, this blog will touch on the following topics:

• Swarthmore College’s Class of 2026 acceptance rate
• Swarthmore College’s Early Decision acceptance rate
• SAT, ACT, and class rank of accepted Swarthmore College applicants
• Admissions trends for the Class of 2026
• Swarthmore College’s system for rating applicants
• A look at the demographics of current Swarthmore College undergraduates
• The percent of accepted students that attend the Swarthmore College (yield rate)
• Tips for applying to Swarthmore College
• Swarthmore essay prompts 
• How to assess whether applying to the Swarthmore College is even worth the $60 application fee (for you)

Let’s begin with an examination of the most recent admissions data.

Swarthmore College Acceptance Rate – Class of 2026

Swarthmore received more than 14,700 applications (official stats have yet to be released) for a place in the Class of 2026 and accepted just 1,021. Based on these preliminary numbers, we can estimate that the acceptance rate was around 6.9%. This represents a more selective admissions campaign than the previous year; the Class of 2026 saw 1,013 of 13,012 applicants selected for an acceptance rate of 7.8%.

Swarthmore College Early Decision Acceptance Rate

The most recent Swarthmore College ED acceptance rate data is from the Class of 2025, which saw 984 students apply via binding Early Decision and 234 gain acceptance. This 23.7% acceptance rate is far higher than that of the regular round.

Swarthmore College Admissions – SAT, ACT, and Class Rank

For Class of 2025 members, the mid-50% SAT range was 1440-1540. The average SAT score was 1489 and the median score was a 1500. The average Math score (752) was higher than the average reading score (737). The ACT range was 33-35 with an average of 33.8 and a median score of 34.  Ninety percent of enrolled freshmen finished in the top 10% of their high school class and 99% were in the top quartile.

Admissions Trends & Notes – Class of 2026

• Swarthmore was test-optional during the 2021-22 admissions cycle and will remain so through the 2024-25 cycle.
• 66% of admitted Class of 2026 attended public high schools; 24% attended independent schools.
• Swarthmore admitted students from 79 nations and all 50 U.S. states.
• Swarthmore is expecting a freshman class in 2022-23 of approximately 420 students.
• 33% of admitted Class of 2026 students are first-generation.

How Swarthmore College Rates Applicants

Swarthmore College view six factors as “very important” to the admissions process: rigor of high school course load, class rank, GPA, application essays, recommendations, and character/personal qualities. The lone factor designated as “important” was extracurricular activities. At least for this test-optional stretch (2020-21 & 2021-22), standardized test are relegated to mere “considered” status.

Straight from the Swarthmore admissions office: “We work hard to identify a potential ‘match’ between you and Swarthmore. We look for students who are most likely to thrive in our classrooms, living spaces, and campus community.” To dive into a more school-specific examination of how Swarthmore holistically evaluates applicants, the following traits and valued deeply:

• Intellectual curiosity and an enthusiasm for learning
• Creative and proactive problem-solving Generosity toward others
• Civic engagement
• Willingness to work hard and to seek help
• Potential contributions to campus life
• Sustained commitment.
• Open-mindedness in general and to the liberal arts writ large

Swarthmore College Demographics

Let’s look at the demographics of Swarthmore College undergraduate student body. The states that saw the greatest number of applicants enrolled in the Class of 2025 were:

1. New York
2. California
3. Pennsylvania
4. Massachusetts
5. New Jersey
6. Texas
7. Connecticut
8. Illinois
9. Virginia
10. Washington

The regional representation among the undergraduate student body is as follows:

• Mid-Atlantic: 37%
• West: 16%
• International: 14%
• Southeast: 11%
• Midwest: 8%
• New England: 7%
• Southwest: 6%
• Mountain States: 2%

The greatest percentage of international students come from the following countries:

• China
• India
• South Korea
• Mexico
• United Kingdom
• Japan

In terms of ethnic identity, the breakdown is as follows:

• White: 33%
• Asian: 17%
• Hispanic: 14%
• African American: 8%
• Two or More Races: 9%

A look at the gender split reveals that university enrolls a roughly even number of men and women.

• Men: 51%
• Women: 49%

Members of the incoming Class of 2025 attended the following types of high schools:

• Public: 65%
• Independent: 25%
• Parochial: 9%
• International: 12%

Swarthmore College’s “Yield Rate”

Swarthmore College’s yield rate—the percentage of accepted students who elect to enroll, divided by the total number of students who are admitted is 45%. This places them close to other top liberal arts schools such as: Williams College, Pomona College, and Amherst College.

Tips for Applying to Swarthmore College

If you plan on joining the 14,000+ Swarthmore College hopefuls for the next admissions cycle, you should know the following:

• If Swarthmore is your top choice, you’ll want to strongly consider applying ED by November 15. The Regular Decision deadline falls in the first week of January, but the acceptance rates are significantly lower in this round.
• This school does offer both virtual fellow interviews with an admissions officer as well as alumni interviews but not neither are required. For tips on how to ace your college interview, check out this blog.
• Swarthmore College does not consider “demonstrated interest” so you will not be judged on whether or not you made a campus visit, contacted an admissions officer, etc.
• You can apply through the Common Application or Coalition Application.
• You’ll need to submit a Mid-Year Report in late February so remember to keep those grades up throughout your senior year of high school.
• Lastly, make sure to dedicate sufficient time and effort to the supplemental essay prompts offered by Swarthmore College. In the 2021-22 cycle, the directions and three choices were as follows:

Essays

In addition to the Common Application’s personal statement (you can choose one of seven essay prompts), we ask you to submit no more than 250 words in response to a short answer question. For the 2021-2022 admissions cycle, students will be asked to choose one of the following three questions: 

• Swarthmore students’ worldviews are often forged by their prior experiences and exposure to ideas and values. Our students are often mentored, supported, and developed by their immediate context—in their neighborhoods, communities of faith, families, and classrooms. Reflect on what elements of your home, school, or community have shaped you or positively impacted you. How have you grown or changed because of the influence of your community?
• We are inspired by students who are flexible in their approach to learning, who are comfortable with experimentation, and who are willing to take intellectual risks that move them out of their comfort zone. Reflect on a time that you were intellectually challenged, inspired, or took an intellectual risk—inside or outside of the classroom. How has that experience shaped you, and what questions still linger?
• Why are you interested in applying to and attending Swarthmore?

 College Transitions’ Swarthmore College Essay Tips

In terms of prompt selection, pick the prompt that most allows you to express a core part of your personality that may not be evident elsewhere in the application. Whether that is a) a community b) an intellectual challenge or c) an answer to the question “Why Swarthmore?” There is simply no wrong choice here.

For detailed advice about each Swarthmore essay, visit: Swarthmore College Essay Prompts and Tips.

Should I Apply to Swarthmore?

Ninety-one percent of those accepted into Swarthmore possessed an SAT score of 1400 or better; 98% earned an ACT score of 30 or higher. Just about everyone finished at or near the top of their high school class. If you check these boxes then you’ll certainly be a competitive applicant at Swarthmore, but those with additional attributes and talents will fare best.

Any student applying to a school of Swat’s caliber also needs to also have a proper mix or “target” and “safety” schools on their college list. More on creating a balanced college list can be found here.