Whitman College vs Swarthmore

Whitman College and Swarthmore College, both highly regarded liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Whitman, nestled in the picturesque town of Walla Walla, Washington, boasts a vibrant campus culture and a strong focus on undergraduate research. Swarthmore, located in the historic town of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, is known for its rigorous academic programs and its commitment to social justice. With acceptance rates of 29% and 11%, respectively, both colleges are highly selective. Whitman's student body is slightly larger, with an undergraduate enrollment of 1,600 compared to Swarthmore's 1,500. While both colleges offer a wide range of majors, Whitman is known for its strengths in the sciences and social sciences, while Swarthmore excels in engineering and the humanities. Explore the comparison table below to delve deeper into the differences between these two exceptional institutions and find the best fit for your academic and personal aspirations.

	Swarthmore College	Whitman College
Overview
Location	Swarthmore, Pennsylvania	Walla Walla, Washington
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
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	95.0%	89.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	7.8%	59.0%
Application fees	$60	$50
SAT range	1430 - 1560	1295 - 1455
ACT range	33 - 35	29 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	39.0%	21.0%
Students submitting ACT score	21.0%	19.0%
Total number of applicants	13,012	5,155
Total number of admissions given out	1,013	3,039
Admitted students who chose to enroll	454	477
Yield rate	44.8%	15.7%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$75,793	$71,982
Average net price	$19,733	$35,627
Tuition	$55,856	$55,560
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,796 Meal plan: $8,354	Room/dormitory: $6,080 Meal plan: $7,720
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	76.0% Average amount $40,072	91.0% Average amount $30,781
Students receiving federal student loan	6.0% Average amount $5,191	42.0% Average amount $4,853
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $30,543	2.0% Average amount $14,105

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,651 Men 49.7% Women 50.3%	1,559 Men 43.9% Women 56.1%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	89.9%	65.0%
International students	15.4%	10.2%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,605	886
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	Washington California Oregon Colorado Minnesota

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	94.1%	88.7%
Dropout rate	5.7%	1.6%
Transferred out	N/A	8.0%
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	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,596 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $64,407 Visual and Performing Arts, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $43,330 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,051 Year 2: $22,999 Year 3: $41,844 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,549 Year 2: $27,584 Year 3: $39,355 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $18,868 Year 3: N/A Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,472 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: N/A Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: N/A Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A

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