Cost & financial aid brief
Swarthmore College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Swarthmore College cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 72% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a reduction of $60,954 from the sticker price. The pattern across income bands shows the lowest average net price in the $30,001–$48,000 band at $4,951, with costs rising at higher incomes to $47,544 in the top band.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that for the 2025-26 academic year, the average share of need met for first-year aid recipients with need was 100%. The average need-based grant was $74,043, and the average need-based aid package was $75,926.
Among the 426 first-year students, 240 were determined to have financial need, and all 240 had their need fully met. For the 2025-26 academic year, merit aid was awarded to 1 student, at an average of $64,946.
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.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Borrowers who complete at Swarthmore College carry a median of $17,500 in federal loans. 51.8% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
That median is $7,500 below the peer median of $25,000 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $65,862.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 18% of graduates borrowed from any source. The average cumulative debt per borrower was $22,817.
Federal loans were held by 15% of graduates, averaging $14,343. Private loans were held by 4% of graduates, averaging $46,772.
Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of Swarthmore College who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $65,618. That figure is $9,703 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), and sits at the 67th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $49,428 on the downside to $136,949 on the upside, with a typical scenario of $65,618. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $17,500 in federal student loans, which is $7,500 below the peer median of $25,000.
If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $199 a month. The return pillar sits at the 84th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, while affordability is the weakest pillar at the 33rd percentile.
The earnings advantage over peers and the relatively low federal debt point in the same direction.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $65,862. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $199 a month if repaid over ten years.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $65,862
- Estimated parent payment
- $837/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $150,000 | High pressure |
| $200,000 | Caution |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $17,500
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $65,862
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $199/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $837/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $1,036/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $65,618, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
5.5% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.