Santa Clara U vs Swarthmore

Santa Clara University and Swarthmore College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Santa Clara, a Jesuit university located in the heart of Silicon Valley, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on entrepreneurship and innovation. Swarthmore, a private liberal arts college in Pennsylvania, is known for its rigorous academic programs and its commitment to social justice. With acceptance rates of 54% and 11%, respectively, both universities are highly selective. While Santa Clara's popular majors include engineering, computer science, and business, Swarthmore's strengths lie in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these institutions' student demographics, graduation rates, and other key factors, and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Santa Clara University logo

Santa Clara University

Swarthmore College logo

Swarthmore College

Overview

Location Santa Clara, California Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Campus setting City: Midsize Suburb: Large
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system Quarter Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate
Students retention rate 94.0% 95.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation Catholic

Admission

Acceptance rate 54.0% 7.8%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $70

Graduate: $73
$60
SAT range 1330 - 1490 1430 - 1560
ACT range 30 - 33 33 - 35
Students submitting SAT score 23.0% 39.0%
Students submitting ACT score 16.0% 21.0%
Total number of applicants 16,848 13,012
Total number of admissions given out 9,095 1,013
Admitted students who chose to enroll 1,549 454
Yield rate 17.0% 44.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Not required
Recommendation letters Required Required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Not required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $78,999 $75,793
Average net price $48,469 $19,733
Tuition $55,224 $55,856
Room & board $16,533
Room/dormitory: $8,796

Meal plan: $8,354
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

73.0%
Average amount $23,770
76.0%
Average amount $40,072
Students receiving federal student loan 24.0%
Average amount $5,138
6.0%
Average amount $5,191
Students taking out private loans 2.0%
Average amount $30,446
1.0%
Average amount $30,543

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 5,895
Men 52.7% Women 47.3%
1,651
Men 49.7% Women 50.3%
Graduate students 3,023
Men 46.0% Women 54.0%
N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Moderate
Out-of-state students 44.6% 89.9%
International students 12.6% 15.4%
Campus local/setting City: Midsize Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity 3,551 1,605
First year students are required to live on campus? No Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from California Washington Colorado Oregon Texas New York California Pennsylvania New Jersey Texas

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Engineering
  • Legal Profession
  • Education
  • Psychology
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Engineering
  • Social Sciences
  • Mathematics and Statistics
Students to faculty ratio 11:1 8:1
Institutional accreditation Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 90.9% 94.1%
Dropout rate 9.0% 5.7%
Transferred out N/A N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $125,643
  • Year 2: $128,588
  • Year 3: $140,820
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $83,523
  • Year 2: $103,449
  • Year 3: $131,051
Computer Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $125,788
  • Year 2: $104,192
  • Year 3: $129,018
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $74,729
  • Year 2: $68,379
  • Year 3: $100,639
Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $99,066
  • Year 2: $86,424
  • Year 3: $96,312
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $74,547
  • Year 2: $74,576
  • Year 3: $94,288
Law (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $86,424
  • Year 3: $93,193
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $68,821
  • Year 2: $70,456
  • Year 3: $90,013
Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $79,473
  • Year 3: $88,047
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $67,828
  • Year 2: $69,740
  • Year 3: $87,254
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $97,897
  • Year 2: $94,408
  • Year 3: $113,966
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,029
  • Year 2: $81,702
  • Year 3: $88,391
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $43,119
  • Year 2: $39,369
  • Year 3: $44,841
Education, Other (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $47,260
  • Year 3: $42,944
Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $34,425
  • Year 2: $25,194
  • Year 3: $36,220
Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $68,963
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: N/A
Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $59,964
  • Year 2: $125,015
  • Year 3: N/A
Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $43,426
  • Year 3: N/A

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