Swarthmore vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Swarthmore College and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) stand as two beacons of academic excellence, each offering a distinct educational experience. Swarthmore, a liberal arts college nestled in Pennsylvania, boasts a tight-knit community and a focus on interdisciplinary learning, while MIT, a world-renowned research university in Massachusetts, is known for its rigorous STEM programs and cutting-edge research opportunities. With acceptance rates of 8% and 4%, respectively, both institutions are highly selective, attracting top students from around the globe. While Swarthmore's student body is more diverse in terms of ethnicity and socioeconomic background, MIT's gender ratio is more balanced. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details about these institutions, including popular majors, graduation rates, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Swarthmore College
Overview
Location	Cambridge, Massachusetts	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	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	99.0%	95.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	4.1%	7.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $75	$60
SAT range	N/A	1430 - 1560
ACT range	N/A	33 - 35
Students submitting SAT score		39.0%
Students submitting ACT score		21.0%
Total number of applicants	33,240	13,012
Total number of admissions given out	1,365	1,013
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,177	454
Yield rate	86.2%	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	$58,920	$75,793
Average net price	$30,958	$19,733
Tuition	$55,510	$55,856
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $11,550 Meal plan: $6,550	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)	100.0% Average amount $32,562	76.0% Average amount $40,072
Students receiving federal student loan	6.0% Average amount $5,112	6.0% Average amount $5,191
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $17,891	1.0% Average amount $30,543

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,638 Men 51.9% Women 48.1%	1,651 Men 49.7% Women 50.3%
Graduate students	7,296 Men 62.0% Women 38.0%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	89.9%
International students	29.2%	15.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	6,280	1,605
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Texas New York Florida New Jersey	New York California Pennsylvania New Jersey Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Business Computer and Information Science Architecture Mathematics and Statistics	Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science Engineering Social Sciences Mathematics and Statistics
Students to faculty ratio	3:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	96.2%	94.1%
Dropout rate	3.0%	5.7%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $144,716 Year 2: $150,045 Year 3: $183,153 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $170,089 Year 2: $165,236 Year 3: $182,183 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $118,191 Year 2: $127,993 Year 3: $163,496 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $82,796 Year 2: $117,572 Year 3: $155,540 Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $133,685 Year 2: $137,214 Year 3: $155,079 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $104,229 Year 2: $121,226 Year 3: $139,548 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $141,603 Year 2: $126,504 Year 3: $132,987 Mechanical Engineering (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $112,885 Year 3: $124,425 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $135,266 Year 2: $111,435 Year 3: $112,404 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $109,955 Year 2: $104,749 Year 3: $109,672	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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