Swarthmore College welcomes 389 first-year students and 11 transfer students into the campus community this week, as the 2013-14 academic year officially begins on Monday, Sept. 2.  This is the start of the College's 145th year of instruction.

The first-year class was selected from among a record 6,615 applicants, of whom 14 percent were offered admission.

"I am excited to welcome a most talented and diverse class to Swarthmore College," says Jim Bock '90, vice president and dean of admissions. "The Class of 2017's collective skills, passion for learning, and strong desire to make a meaningful impact on the world will help lead these 400 students to thrive in our vibrant community of engaged scholars."

The Class of 2017 comprises 195 women and 194 men. Among the domestic students, five percent identify themselves as African American, 14 percent as Hispanic/Latina/o, 18 percent as Asian American, and 8 percent as multiracial. International students represent eight percent of the class. In addition, 13 percent are the first generation in their family to attend college.

Forty states are represented by the members of the incoming class as well as the District of Columbia and Guam. California is the most popular location for high schools of the among the new class, followed by Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Texas, Connecticut, and Florida.

The Class of 2017 contains 81 members who are either dual citizens, permanent residents, or non-U.S. citizens representing Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bhutan, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Great Britain, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Romania, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.

Fifty-seven percent of the new students attended public high schools, 31 percent private independent schools, three percent parochial schools, and nine percent schools overseas. At least four students were home-schooled.

The most popular anticipated majors among Swarthmore's newest students are engineering, biology, political science, economics, English, mathematics, history, psychology, peace and conflict studies, and sociology and anthropology.