Swarthmore vs Hamilton College

Swarthmore College and Hamilton College, both highly regarded liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Swarthmore, located in Pennsylvania, boasts a lower acceptance rate (10%) compared to Hamilton's (15%), indicating its highly selective admissions process. Swarthmore's student body is slightly larger, with an undergraduate population of around 1,500 students, while Hamilton's is approximately 1,800. Both colleges offer a diverse range of academic programs, with popular majors including Economics, Political Science, and English at Swarthmore, and Economics, Government, and Psychology at Hamilton. While Swarthmore has a slightly higher graduation rate (91%) than Hamilton (89%), both institutions are known for their commitment to academic excellence and preparing students for successful careers. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and similarities between these two exceptional colleges, and make an informed decision about which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences

	Hamilton College	Swarthmore College
Overview
Location	Clinton, New York	Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Suburb: 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	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	94.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	14.1%	7.8%
Application fees	$60	$60
SAT range	1410 - 1540	1430 - 1560
ACT range	33 - 35	33 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	32.0%	39.0%
Students submitting ACT score	20.0%	21.0%
Total number of applicants	9,380	13,012
Total number of admissions given out	1,320	1,013
Admitted students who chose to enroll	533	454
Yield rate	40.4%	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	$76,700	$75,793
Average net price	$26,803	$19,733
Tuition	$59,380	$55,856
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,320 Meal plan: $6,910	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)	55.0% Average amount $47,867	76.0% Average amount $40,072
Students receiving federal student loan	35.0% Average amount $4,331	6.0% Average amount $5,191
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $25,195	1.0% Average amount $30,543

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,055 Men 45.8% Women 54.2%	1,651 Men 49.7% Women 50.3%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	89.9%
International students	6.8%	15.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,057	1,605
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	New York California Pennsylvania New Jersey Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Physical Science Mathematics and Statistics	Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science Engineering Social Sciences Mathematics and Statistics
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.5%	94.1%
Dropout rate	0.8%	5.7%
Transferred out	6.8%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,571 Year 2: $63,501 Year 3: $84,359 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,593 Year 2: $59,045 Year 3: $74,628 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,577 Year 2: $53,894 Year 3: $56,960 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $51,273 Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,772 Year 3: N/A International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: N/A Public Policy Analysis (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: N/A Research and Experimental Psychology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,978 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: N/A Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: N/A	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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