Swarthmore College welcomes 418 first-year students and 23 transfer students to the campus community this week, as the 2019–20 academic year officially begins. This is the start of the College’s 151st year of instruction.
 
The first-year class was selected from 11,442 applicants, of whom 9 percent were offered admission.
 
“The Class of 2023 is characterized by a remarkable diversity of cultures, experiences, and ideas,” says Jim Bock ’90, vice president and dean of admissions. “Our first-year students are willing to work hard, have a strong sense of empathy, and crave intellectual collaboration. We welcome them to campus with excitement, and are ready to support them with the full range of opportunities Swarthmore has to offer.”
 
Among the domestic students in the class, 8 percent identify as African American, 14 percent as Hispanic/Latinx, 15 percent as Asian American, 8 percent as multiracial, and three individuals as Native American/Hawaiian. In addition, 22 percent are the first generation in their family to attend college, and 20 percent receive Pell Grants. The first-year class includes 65 QuestBridge-affiliated students.
 
Members of the incoming class represent 42 states as well as the District of Columbia and American Samoa. California is the most popular location for high schools among the new class, followed by New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Washington, Maryland, Illinois, Texas, Colorado, Florida, and North Carolina.
 
The Class of 2023 includes 107 total members who are dual citizens, permanent residents, or non-U.S. citizens, representing Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Bhutan, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Malawi, Mexico, Myanmar, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Poland, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, the United Kingdom, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.
 
The most popular anticipated majors among Swarthmore’s newest students are engineering, economics, biology, political science, computer science, mathematics and statistics, English literature, physics, environmental studies, and philosophy.