Swarthmore vs Brown University

Swarthmore College and Brown University, both highly regarded liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Swarthmore, a small, selective college in Pennsylvania, boasts a tight-knit community and a rigorous academic curriculum. Brown, located in Rhode Island, is larger and more diverse, with a wider range of academic programs and opportunities for undergraduate research. While Swarthmore has a lower acceptance rate and a higher graduation rate, Brown offers a more extensive alumni network and a more vibrant social scene. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which college better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Brown University	Swarthmore College
Overview
Location	Providence, Rhode Island	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	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	98.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	5.5%	7.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $75	$60
SAT range	1460 - 1570	1430 - 1560
ACT range	33 - 35	33 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	51.0%	39.0%
Students submitting ACT score	30.0%	21.0%
Total number of applicants	46,568	13,012
Total number of admissions given out	2,568	1,013
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,705	454
Yield rate	66.4%	44.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$82,570	$75,793
Average net price	$25,028	$19,733
Tuition	$60,944	$55,856
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,054 Meal plan: $6,292	Room/dormitory: $8,796 Meal plan: $8,354
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	46.0% Average amount $55,420	76.0% Average amount $40,072
Students receiving federal student loan	9.0% Average amount $5,159	6.0% Average amount $5,191
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $27,008	1.0% Average amount $30,543

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	7,349 Men 48.1% Women 51.9%	1,651 Men 49.7% Women 50.3%
Graduate students	3,347 Men 50.0% Women 50.0%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	96.5%	89.9%
International students	18.6%	15.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	5,013	1,605
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York California Mississippi New Jersey Texas	New York California Pennsylvania New Jersey Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Computer and Information Science Engineering	Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science Engineering Social Sciences Mathematics and Statistics
Students to faculty ratio	6:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	95.8%	94.1%
Dropout rate	3.7%	5.7%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $130,101 Year 2: $153,718 Year 3: $184,762 Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $105,532 Year 2: $88,506 Year 3: $97,037 Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,171 Year 2: $73,769 Year 3: $91,029 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,583 Year 2: $75,921 Year 3: $80,783 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,028 Year 2: $63,302 Year 3: $78,949 Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,505 Year 2: $61,020 Year 3: $74,894 Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $60,843 Year 2: $61,294 Year 3: $73,224 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,882 Year 2: $50,105 Year 3: $65,953 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,247 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $63,507 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,186 Year 2: $53,108 Year 3: $62,581	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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