Student Handbook :: Swarthmore College

Swarthmore College Official Student Handbook 2024–2025

Since its founding in 1864 by the Religious Society of Friends (aka Quakers), Swarthmore College has given students the knowledge, insight, skills, and experience to become leaders for the common good. The diversity of perspectives represented by Swarthmore students, faculty, and staff — including different viewpoints, identities, and histories — contributes to the community’s strong sense of open dialogue and engagement with ideas and issues. As such, we are a community that prioritizes the intellectual, physical, social, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing of all our members.

Swarthmore aspires to create an academic environment grounded in intellectual discovery and guided by rational discourse and civility. In that regard, Swarthmore promotes and fosters personal growth and learning; preserves both individual rights and the wellbeing and respect of others and the community; encourages healthy choices, not only in one's self but also in relation to others; and creates opportunities to make positive impacts at Swarthmore.

To assist Swarthmore in establishing a vibrant, respectful, and inclusive community, the College has identified both support resources and developed policies and procedures that outline and support our shared community values. To that end, and as members of the community, students have a shared responsibility to ensure that their actions and behaviors are grounded in integrity, respect, and trust. As members of the Swarthmore community, it is important to remember that each of us holds the responsibility for the wellbeing of all of our members, including students, faculty, and staff. The vitality and vibrancy of our community deteriorate and diminish when an individual’s behaviors work against our shared values.

When conflict or disagreement arises, students are encouraged to turn toward one another and work through dialogue as an important step to restoring the community. Together we all share the responsibility of creating an inclusive community that values both its members and the academic environment in which we live, learn, and work.

The Swarthmore College Student Handbook (Handbook) is produced by the Division of Student Affairs (DoSA) and is a compilation of official policies of the College. Pursuant to its discretion and authority, the College has created these policies and may at any time update, amend, and/or set other parameters pertaining to the use of College resources, as it deems necessary. The Handbook assists the College in framing our community expectations for students and creating a mechanism to inform students of these expectations. Overall the Handbook includes information regarding student support resources and services; policies and procedures that help establish a healthy and inclusive College community; and serves as a companion piece to the Swarthmore College Bulletin. Though the Handbook addresses some academic and other administrative resources and guidelines, the College Bulletin includes detailed information about academic programs, academic requirements and policies, course descriptions, off-campus study, and graduation requirements.

This Handbook and the College Bulletin are shared with every student of the College, and students are expected to read and adhere to the policies, regulations, and procedures within the Handbook and College Bulletin. Students are responsible for abiding by all College rules and regulations, as soon as they arrive on campus. Students should contact any member of the Division of Student Affairs staff if they have questions or need advice regarding College policies.

The College defines a matriculated student as any individual who has engaged in any matriculation activity at the College [i.e. Swarthmore Summer Scholars Program (S3P), pre-season athletics, Swarthmore Social Justice Institute, etc.] and/or enrolled to take courses at the College, including but not limited to:

Full time enrollment;
Individuals who have completed eight (8) semesters of enrollment and are eligible for part-time enrollment;
Individuals on a Leave of Absence from the College;
Individuals who withdraw from the College, after an allegation of misconduct;
Individuals who graduate from the College with a pending allegation of misconduct; or
Individuals participating in any off-campus study programs, affiliated with or without the College.

The Handbook and specifically, the Student Code of Conduct, creates a set of expectations for student conduct, ensures a balanced process for determining responsibility when behavior may have deviated from those expectations, and provides appropriate sanctions when a student or student organization/team has violated the Student Code of Conduct. When addressing allegations of misconduct, effort will be made to balance the needs and rights of the student or student organization/team with the welfare of the greater College community, as a whole.

Rules and policies are reviewed annually and may be changed at any time without prior notice; in general, the community will be notified of significant changes that occur after the Student Handbook is published each fall. [Handbook pdf]