Swarthmore vs Notre Dame

Swarthmore College and the University of Notre Dame stand as two distinct beacons of higher education, each offering a unique blend of academic excellence and vibrant campus life. Swarthmore, a liberal arts college nestled in Pennsylvania, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 8.5%, while Notre Dame, a renowned Catholic research university in Indiana, welcomes a broader applicant pool with an acceptance rate of 18.6%. While both institutions share a commitment to academic rigor, their student bodies diverge in terms of demographics: Swarthmore's undergraduate population is predominantly female (56%) and ethnically diverse (44% students of color), while Notre Dame's student body leans male (53%) and predominantly white (73%). Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further distinctions between these esteemed institutions, encompassing popular majors, graduation rates, and other key factors, to help you discern the ideal fit for your academic aspirations and personal growth.
Swarthmore College logo

Swarthmore College

University of Notre Dame logo

University of Notre Dame

Overview

Location Swarthmore, Pennsylvania Notre Dame, Indiana
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 Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 95.0% 98.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation Catholic

Admission

Acceptance rate 7.8% 15.1%
Application fees $60
Undergraduate: $75

Graduate: $75
SAT range 1430 - 1560 1410 - 1550
ACT range 33 - 35 32 - 35
Students submitting SAT score 39.0% 33.0%
Students submitting ACT score 21.0% 36.0%
Total number of applicants 13,012 23,642
Total number of admissions given out 1,013 3,562
Admitted students who chose to enroll 454 2,059
Yield rate 44.8% 57.8%
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 $75,793 $78,347
Average net price $19,733 $30,513
Tuition $55,856 $58,336
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $8,796

Meal plan: $8,354
$16,304
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

76.0%
Average amount $40,072
57.0%
Average amount $46,306
Students receiving federal student loan 6.0%
Average amount $5,191
30.0%
Average amount $4,134
Students taking out private loans 1.0%
Average amount $30,543
12.0%
Average amount $8,564

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 1,651
Men 49.7% Women 50.3%
8,973
Men 51.6% Women 48.4%
Graduate students N/A 4,166
Men 56.5% Women 43.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Low
Out-of-state students 89.9% 93.1%
International students 15.4% 12.1%
Campus local/setting Suburb: Large Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity 1,605 6,919
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 Illinois California Texas Indiana New York

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Engineering
  • Social Sciences
  • Mathematics and Statistics
  • Business
  • Engineering
  • Multidisciplinary Studies
  • Social Sciences
  • Legal Profession
Students to faculty ratio 8:1 9:1
Institutional accreditation Middle States Commission on Higher Education Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 94.1% 95.9%
Dropout rate 5.7% 3.9%
Transferred out N/A N/A
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
Business Administration, Management and Operations (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $124,439
  • Year 2: $123,601
  • Year 3: $135,572
Finance and Financial Management Services (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $89,269
  • Year 2: $89,674
  • Year 3: $126,773
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $120,074
  • Year 2: $108,092
  • Year 3: $123,182
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $87,638
  • Year 2: $85,243
  • Year 3: $110,135
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $80,593
  • Year 2: $89,968
  • Year 3: $105,831
Mathematics and Statistics, Other (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $74,224
  • Year 2: $80,273
  • Year 3: $99,815
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $84,618
  • Year 2: $86,375
  • Year 3: $95,904
Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $74,178
  • Year 2: $74,307
  • Year 3: $92,866
Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $73,118
  • Year 2: $76,460
  • Year 3: $87,393
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $69,070
  • Year 2: $69,338
  • Year 3: $85,821

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