How to get into Swarthmore
What 98 admitted applicants actually had: their grades, test scores, activities, awards and intended majors, counted from 404 Swarthmore results that students posted for the 2017 to 2026 cycles. Every number below is counted, not estimated.
Applying to Swarthmore? Book a free call with a Specialist to see how your student’s file compares.
Swarthmore admits by the numbers
Median unweighted GPA
4.00
Middle half 3.94 to 4.00
Median SAT
1,520
Middle half 1,480 to 1,560
Median ACT
34
Middle half 31 to 35
Median weighted GPA
4.50
Middle half 4.33 to 4.70
Results posted: 98 admitted, 224 rejected, 82 waitlisted. People who post results are a self-selected group, so this is not the Swarthmore acceptance rate; the official rate is in Swarthmore’s Common Data Set.
Admitted vs. rejected: grades are not the difference
| Median | Admitted | Rejected |
|---|---|---|
| Unweighted GPA | 4.00 | 3.91 |
| SAT | 1,520 | 1,525 |
| ACT | 34 | 34 |
When the rejected applicants’ numbers sit this close to the admitted ones, the decision was made somewhere else in the file: the activities, the essays and the letters. That is where the rest of this page looks.
What Swarthmore admits did outside class
Share of admitted applicants listing at least one activity of each type.
- Nonprofit/Service63%
- Athletics47%
- Music43%
- Tutoring/Teaching38%
- Journalism/Writing36%
- Research34%
- Internship31%
- Debate/MUN/Speech30%
Held a leadership role
86%
Founded something
39%
National or intl. award
72%
Did research
34%
Early vs. regular decision at Swarthmore
- Early (25 results)32%
- Regular (174 results)28%
Share of posters in each round who were admitted. Early applicants are a different group (often stronger and more certain), so read this as a description of these posts, not as odds.
Intended majors of Swarthmore admits
- Economics12%
- Engineering11%
- English/Writing10%
- Political Science8%
- Biology7%
- Undecided5%
Who got in
Of the admitted posters, 38% first-generation, 36% low income, 27% underrepresented minority, 7% legacy, 4% recruited athlete and 11% international. Of those who said where they enrolled, 21% chose Swarthmore.
Three recent Swarthmore admits
2026 cycle · RD · Undecided
Humanities-focused musician and artist who led Model UN and freelanced for a newspaper.
GPA 4.00 UW · SAT 1500 · Original post
2026 cycle · RD · Data Science
Rural first-gen low-income applicant with student council, band, and quizbowl leadership.
GPA 4.00 UW · ACT 32 · Original post
2026 cycle · RD · Physics
Physics and English applicant with published literature research, music performance, and quiz bowl and literary magazine leadership.
GPA 4.00 UW · SAT 1570 · Original post
Where else Swarthmore admits got in
Swarthmore admissions questions
- What GPA do you need to get into Swarthmore?
- Among 98 applicants who posted a Swarthmore admission on r/collegeresults, the median unweighted GPA was 4.00 and the middle half reported 3.94 to 4.00 (72 reported a GPA). Swarthmore sets no minimum GPA; these are what admitted posters reported.
- What SAT score do you need for Swarthmore?
- Among 98 applicants who posted a Swarthmore admission on r/collegeresults, the median SAT was 1,520 and the middle half scored 1,480 to 1,560 (66 reported an SAT). The median ACT was 34.
- Does applying early help at Swarthmore?
- In these posts, 32% of early applicants who reported a result were admitted (8 of 25), against 28% in regular decision (48 of 174). Early pools differ in who applies, so this is a description, not a promise.
- What extracurriculars do Swarthmore admits have?
- The most common activity types among admitted posters were nonprofit/service (63%), athletics (47%), music (43%), tutoring/teaching (38%). 86% held at least one leadership role and 72% listed a national or international award.
- What is the Swarthmore acceptance rate?
- The official rate is published by Swarthmore in its Common Data Set. These pages do not compute one: people who post results are a self-selected group, so the share of admits among them is far higher than the real rate.
Applying to Swarthmore?
A Specialist who got into a school like Swarthmore can read your student’s file against these numbers and say where it stands out and where it doesn’t.
Source: self-reported results posts on r/collegeresults, each linked from our Database, counted across the 2017 to 2026 cycles with transfer applicants excluded. Aristo Scholars is not affiliated with Swarthmore. All colleges