Swarthmore College

The published cost of attendance at Swarthmore College is $84,103, an average across living arrangements. Tuition and fees are $65,494, and room and board are $20,308.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported sticker charges of $460 in required fees and $21,466 for on-campus food and housing. After grants and scholarships, the average price students actually pay is $23,149, a savings of $60,954 against the sticker price.

That net price is $802 above the $22,347 median at comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the university #941 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The published cost of attendance at Swarthmore College is $84,103 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the college #941 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $7,690, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $11,444, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $47,544. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $39,854.

Aid covers about 72% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, bringing the overall average net price to $23,149. That figure is $802 above the $22,347 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $17,500 in federal student loans, which is $7,500 below the $25,000 peer median. About 51.8% of federal aid recipients take out federal loans.

Parents who borrow through the separate Parent PLUS program hold a median of $65,862. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $199 a month.

Azimuth places the return pillar for Swarthmore College in the 84th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $65,618.

That places the college in the 67th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The median is $9,703 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The median earnings for Swarthmore College graduates sit at $65,618 four years after completion, drawn from a cohort of 200 federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. Azimuth places that figure at the 67th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios based on the program mix give a sense of the range. The typical earnings scenario is $65,618, with a downside scenario of $49,428 and an upside scenario of $136,949.

These are estimates from the mix of fields, not observed groups of graduates. An estimated 38.2% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

That share means the four-year earnings picture captures most but not all of the early-career outcomes.

Graduates of Swarthmore College earn a median of $65,618 four years after completion, at the 67th percentile nationally. That figure is $9,703 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the college #241 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. The largest degree families include Social Sciences, Biological Sciences, and Computer & Information Sciences.

Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from a downside of $49,428 to an upside of $136,949. An estimated 38.2% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

The earnings scenarios show a wide range, from $49,428 on the downside to $136,949 on the upside. The scenarios reflect lower- and higher-earning program clusters.

At the higher end, Computer and Information Sciences graduates earn a median of $150,942 four years after completion, and Economics graduates earn $128,051. Both sit well above the college-wide median.

Borrowers who finish at Swarthmore College hold a median federal debt of $17,500, $7,500 below a median of $25,000 for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, that balance comes to an estimated $199 a month.

Parent borrowers hold a separate median of $65,862 through Parent PLUS. The published cost of attendance is $84,103 (an average across living arrangements), yet the average first-time full-time Title IV aid recipient pays $23,149.

That average sits $802 above a median of $22,347 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Debt sits below the peer median, while net price sits above the peer median.

Swarthmore College admits 7.5% of applicants, a rate far below the median of 75.7% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The highest-earning programs at Swarthmore College are also among its largest. Computer and Information Sciences graduates earn a median of $150,942 four years after completion, from 54 degrees awarded.

Economics is the largest single program, with 80 degrees awarded and median earnings of $128,051. Azimuth ranks it #19 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field, and #3 in Pennsylvania.

Further down the earnings scale, Political Science awards 36 degrees and its graduates earn a median of $58,372. Biology is similar in size and outcome, with 30 degrees awarded and median earnings of $57,754.

The spread between the top and bottom of these large programs is wide, and the fields that pay the most are not the ones that award the most degrees.

Social Sciences accounts for 24.3% of bachelor's degrees awarded, ahead of Biological Sciences at 10.0% and Computer & Information Sciences at 10.0%. Azimuth ranks 1 program nationally.

Economics is the largest, at 80 degrees awarded a year, and Azimuth ranks it #19 within its field. The highest-earning program is Computer and Information Sciences, at $150,942 from 54 degrees a year.

Economics follows, and Engineering at $78,519. The largest program is also one of the best-paid.