Swarthmore vs Union College

Swarthmore College and Union College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Swarthmore, a highly selective college in Pennsylvania, boasts an acceptance rate of 10%, while Union, located in New York, is slightly more accessible with an acceptance rate of 24%. Swarthmore's student body is smaller and more diverse, with 1,535 undergraduates representing 65 countries, compared to Union's 2,200 undergraduates. Both colleges excel in academics, with Swarthmore's popular majors including engineering, economics, and political science, while Union's strengths lie in engineering, economics, and psychology. While Swarthmore graduates enjoy a higher median salary of $78,100, Union alumni also fare well, earning a median salary of $66,800. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these colleges' unique offerings and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and

	Swarthmore College	Union College
Overview
Location	Swarthmore, Pennsylvania	Schenectady, New York
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Trimester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	95.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	7.8%	47.0%
Application fees	$60	$60
SAT range	1430 - 1560	1270 - 1450
ACT range	33 - 35	28 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	39.0%	37.0%
Students submitting ACT score	21.0%	16.0%
Total number of applicants	13,012	7,470
Total number of admissions given out	1,013	3,513
Admitted students who chose to enroll	454	565
Yield rate	44.8%	16.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$75,793	$77,385
Average net price	$19,733	$39,101
Tuition	$55,856	$61,308
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,796 Meal plan: $8,354	Room/dormitory: $8,370 Meal plan: $6,828
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	76.0% Average amount $40,072	87.0% Average amount $36,604
Students receiving federal student loan	6.0% Average amount $5,191	48.0% Average amount $5,087
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $30,543	14.0% Average amount $20,017

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,651 Men 49.7% Women 50.3%	2,096 Men 54.9% Women 45.1%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	89.9%	N/A
International students	15.4%	9.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,605	2,049
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York California Pennsylvania New Jersey Texas	N/A

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	94.1%	84.5%
Dropout rate	5.7%	14.6%
Transferred out	N/A	0.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,637 Year 2: $67,812 Year 3: $76,098 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,348 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $74,456 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,171 Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $54,902 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,157 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $47,142 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,375 Year 2: $34,081 Year 3: $44,570 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,903 Year 2: $39,585 Year 3: $41,845 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: N/A Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: N/A Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $63,392 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $20,824 Year 3: N/A

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Swarthmore vs Union College

Swarthmore College

Union College

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Financial Aid

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Academics

Outcome

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