Swarthmore vs Sarah Lawrence College

Swarthmore College and Sarah Lawrence College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Swarthmore, known for its rigorous academics, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 8.5%, while Sarah Lawrence, known for its individualized approach to learning, has a more accessible acceptance rate of 58%. Swarthmore's student body is slightly larger, with an undergraduate enrollment of 1,535 compared to Sarah Lawrence's 1,300. Both colleges offer a diverse range of majors, with popular choices at Swarthmore including Engineering, Economics, and Political Science, and popular choices at Sarah Lawrence including Creative Writing, Psychology, and Dance. While Swarthmore students enjoy a vibrant campus life with Division III athletics and over 200 student organizations, Sarah Lawrence students benefit from a more intimate community and a strong focus on the arts. With graduation rates of 94% and 84% respectively, both

	Sarah Lawrence College	Swarthmore College
Overview
Location	Bronxville, New York	Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	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	88.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	58.5%	7.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $60	$60
SAT range	1260 - 1470	1430 - 1560
ACT range	29 - 32	33 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	15.0%	39.0%
Students submitting ACT score	9.0%	21.0%
Total number of applicants	4,452	13,012
Total number of admissions given out	2,603	1,013
Admitted students who chose to enroll	438	454
Yield rate	16.8%	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	$77,228	$75,793
Average net price	$34,091	$19,733
Tuition	$58,936	$55,856
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,774 Meal plan: $5,584	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)	90.0% Average amount $36,103	76.0% Average amount $40,072
Students receiving federal student loan	48.0% Average amount $5,321	6.0% Average amount $5,191
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $18,443	1.0% Average amount $30,543

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,529 Men 21.8% Women 78.2%	1,651 Men 49.7% Women 50.3%
Graduate students	237 Men 16.5% Women 83.5%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	89.9%
International students	8.4%	15.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,075	1,605
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	New York California Pennsylvania New Jersey Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Health Professions English Language and Literature Education Visual & Performing Arts	Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science Engineering Social Sciences Mathematics and Statistics
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	76.5%	94.1%
Dropout rate	14.2%	5.7%
Transferred out	9.1%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $79,795 Year 2: $71,854 Year 3: $79,341 Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $34,995 Year 2: $28,443 Year 3: $34,788 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,028 Year 2: $21,873 Year 3: $29,006 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $26,708 Public Health (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: N/A Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $39,966 Year 2: $35,060 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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