Application Materials & Deadlines

First-year applicants may apply to Swarthmore via the Common Application, Coalition on Scoir Application, or QuestBridge Application. Swarthmore does not have a preference among any of our application options. Please submit only one application in an application year. There is a limit to the number of times a student can be considered for admission to Swarthmore. A student can apply to Swarthmore a maximum of three (3) times, including first-year and transfer admission. A student who applies for a fourth time will have their application withdrawn and the application fee will be refunded if applicable.

International students, homeschooled students, undocumented students, and transfer students should review information specific to their situation.

Learn more about:

 

Required Materials

  • Common Application, Coalition on Scoir Application, or QuestBridge Application
  • Swarthmore College Short Answer

    As part of the Common Application and Coalition Application, you will be asked to submit no more than 250 words in response to each short answer question (QuestBridge applicants are asked the same question on our Swarthmore-QuestBridge Intent to Apply form). For the 2024-2025 admissions cycle, students will be asked to answer both of the following questions: 

    • Swarthmore College maintains an ongoing commitment of building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive residential community dedicated to rigorous intellectual inquiry.

      All who engage in our community are empowered through the open exchange of ideas guided by equity and social responsibility to thrive and contribute as bridge builders within global communities.

      Our identities and perspectives are supported and developed by our immediate contexts and lived experiences – in our neighborhoods, families, classrooms, communities of faith, and more.  

       

      • What aspects of your self-identity or personal background are most significant to you? Reflecting on the elements of your home, school, or other communities that have shaped your life, explain how you have grown in your ability to navigate differences when engaging with others, or demonstrated your ability to collaborate in communities other than your own.  
    • Swarthmore’s community of learners inspire one another through their collaborative and flexible approach to learning. Swarthmore students are comfortable with intellectual experimentation and connection of ideas across the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and interdisciplinary studies through a liberal arts education.
      • Tell us about a topic that has fascinated you recently – either inside or outside of the classroom. What made you curious about this? Has this topic connected across other areas of your interests? How has this experience shaped you and what encourages you to keep exploring?
  • $60 application fee or fee waiver*
  • School report: This form provides information about your school and is submitted through an application platform by your school counselor. 
  • School counselor recommendation
  • High school transcript
  • Midyear grades: If your school does not have midyear grades, please provide a midyear progress report from your teachers.
  • Two academic-subject teacher recommendations/evaluations

*Eligible students for application fee waivers to Swarthmore College are determined by Swarthmore College, Common Application, NACAC, The College Board, or the ACT. All students with financial need are welcome to complete SwatPass to find out if you qualify for an application fee waiver.

 

Optional Materials

  • Self-reported or official standardized test scores (Swarthmore's Testing Policy).  For students applying to Swarthmore in the 2024-25 admissions cycle, we have suspended our requirement that applicants submit SAT or ACT scores. Instead, test scores are optional. 
  • Swarthmore offers optional interviews. Please note that applicants who do not interview are not at a disadvantage.  
  • All students have the option to submit a video response as a supplement to your application. We want to hear directly from you and give you the chance to give us unique insight into your thought process or experiences. After you submit your application, you will have the option to record a video response in your Swarthmore application portal. Application portals open by mid-October.
  • Students with especially strong backgrounds and interest in pursuing the arts at Swarthmore can share samples of their work via SlideRoom, free of charge. We accept supplements in creative writing (written or spoken word poetry and fiction), dance (performance and choreography), music (performance and composition), theater, and the visual arts. Submissions provide our Admissions Committee with examples of students’ artistic talents and are subject to faculty review. Please know, however, that we cannot guarantee all works will be evaluated.
  • Additional materials that you feel are important to understanding who you are (such as resumes, research abstracts, Schoolhouse.world portfolios, or other items) can be uploaded in your portal after you submit your application.
  • Please review financial aid application instructions and deadlines for first-year applicants.
 

Submitting Materials

Your school documents must be submitted directly from a school official, including teacher recommendations and transcripts. School officials can submit these documents via the Common Application, Scoir, QuestBridge, Naviance, or Parchment/Docufide. In rare cases, school officials can submit relevant documents as PDFs via email.

 

Deadlines

  • Fall Early Decision Application Deadline: November 15
    All testing should be complete by early November. Admission decisions are released online in mid-December.
  • Winter Early Decision Application Deadline: January 4
    All testing should be complete by mid-December. Admission decisions are released online in mid-February. 
  • Regular Decision Application Deadline: January 4
    We strongly encourage all applicants to complete testing by mid-December, but may be able to consider scores for tests completed by early February. Admission decisions are released online by April 1.
  • Transfer Decision Application Deadline: April 1
    Admission decisions are released online, typically in mid-May, through the applicant portal.

We understand that there may be unexpected complications that impact students during the application process and prevent them from meeting certain application deadlines. We are committed to offering flexibility with deadlines for students who experience adversity, whether born out of a personal challenge or a natural disaster. Accommodations will be made on a case by case basis, please contact our office to discuss your situation.

 

Early Decision Applicants

If you will apply Early Decision, please include:

 

Admissions Privacy Policy

Admission applications and application credentials submitted to Swarthmore College are treated with confidentiality. As such, admissions staff members communicate directly with applicants about their application materials and admission decision. Admissions communicates primarily via email with applicants at the email address provided in their application. In limited circumstances, admissions staff may communicate with a parent/guardian, a school official, or a college access advisor.

The Admissions Office receives and processes admission applications and application credentials. The educational records of matriculating students are shared with appropriate campus departments, including Information Technology Services, the Registrar, the Dean’s Office, and faculty advisors. The Admissions Office purges the evaluative materials of all applicant records, including any notes from admissions reader review forms, interview reports, faculty and staff evaluations of supplementary materials, and all other supplementary material.  Application credentials for students who do not matriculate are also purged.

Note to applicants: Swarthmore College reserves the right to evaluate an application and make a final decision, even if all parts of the application have not been received. Swarthmore College may be required to report incidents of abuse that are disclosed in applications.