Swarthmore College welcomes 417 first-year students and 29 transfer students to the campus community this week, as the 2018–19 academic year officially begins. This is the start of the College’s 150th year of instruction.

The first-year class was selected from 10,749 applicants, of whom 9 percent were offered admission.

“Our incoming students are enthusiastic and creative problem-solvers who embrace collaboration and civic engagement,” says Jim Bock ’90, vice president and dean of admissions. “The Class of 2022 represents broad diversity in terms of geography, personal identity, and life experience. I look forward to seeing how these students will apply their intellectual curiosity and incredible talents to the range of opportunities that await them on campus.”

Among the domestic students in the Class of 2022, 7 percent identify as African-American, 14 percent as Hispanic/Latinx, 16 percent as Asian-American, 7 percent as multiracial, and 1 percent as Native American/Hawaiian. In addition, 22 percent are the first generation in their family to attend college, and 23 percent receive Pell Grants. The first-year class includes 58 QuestBridge-affiliated students.

Members of the incoming class represent 46 states as well as the District of Columbia. California is the most popular location for high schools among the new class, followed by New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Illinois, Virginia, Florida, Maryland, Connecticut, and Texas.

The Class of 2022 includes 99 total members who are either dual citizens, permanent residents, or non-U.S. citizens, representing Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, China, Colombia, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Rwanda, Singapore, Somalia, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

The most popular anticipated majors among Swarthmore’s newest students are engineering, economics, biology, political science, mathematics and statistics, computer science, English literature, psychology, biochemistry, and philosophy.