Apply as a First-Year Student

Students sit on bench underneath fall foliage

First-year applicants may apply to Swarthmore via Common Application, the Coalition on Scoir Application, or the QuestBridge Application. Swarthmore does not have a preference among any of our application options. Please submit only one application in an application year. International students, homeschooled students, undocumented students, and transfer students should review information specific to their situation. 

Swarthmore considers you a domestic student if at least one of the following is true:

  • You are a U.S. citizen, U.S. dual citizen, or a U.S. Permanent Resident in possession of a valid Green Card*
  • You are eligible to complete and submit a valid FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
  • You are undocumented or in the Asylee/Refugee status application process, and you reside in the U.S., and are a graduate from a U.S. high school.

* Individuals currently applying for permanent residency but who do not possess a Green Card at the time of application are not considered a domestic student.

If you don’t fall in any of the above categories, you are considered an international student. 

Please note that the financial aid application process and required financial documents are different for domestic and international students and we encourage you to visit the financial aid website for guidance on how to apply. 

Applying via the Common Application

Swarthmore College is one of more than 700 members of the Common Application. The Common Application allows you to submit one application to as many colleges as you want from their list of members. Each college may ask you to answer member-specific questions, or require you to submit a supplement to the Common Application. You can easily add Swarthmore to your list of colleges in the Common Application.

In addition to the Common Application's personal statement (you can choose one of seven essay prompts), we ask you to submit no more than 250 words in response to each short answer question. For the 2024-2025 admissions cycle, students will be asked to answer both of the following questions: 

  • Swarthmore College maintains an ongoing commitment of building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive residential community dedicated to rigorous intellectual inquiry.

    All who engage in our community are empowered through the open exchange of ideas guided by equity and social responsibility to thrive and contribute as bridge builders within global communities.

    Our identities and perspectives are supported and developed by our immediate contexts and lived experiences – in our neighborhoods, families, classrooms, communities of faith, and more.  

     

    • What aspects of your self-identity or personal background are most significant to you? Reflecting on the elements of your home, school, or other communities that have shaped your life, explain how you have grown in your ability to navigate differences when engaging with others, or demonstrated your ability to collaborate in communities other than your own.
  • Swarthmore’s community of learners inspire one another through their collaborative and flexible approach to learning. Swarthmore students are comfortable with intellectual experimentation and connection of ideas across the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and interdisciplinary studies through a liberal arts education.
    • Tell us about a topic that has fascinated you recently – either inside or outside of the classroom. What made you curious about this? Has this topic connected across other areas of your interests? How has this experience shaped you and what encourages you to keep exploring?

Applying via the Coalition on Scoir Application

 

Swarthmore is one of more than 100 members who accept the Coalition Application. On the Scoir platform, students can search and discover colleges & universities, collaborate with the people who support them, and apply to Coalition schools. You can easily add Swarthmore to your list of schools in the Coalition App. 

In addition to the Coalition Application's personal statement (you can choose one of six essay prompts), we ask you to submit no more than 250 words in response to each short answer question. For the 2024-2025 admissions cycle, students will be asked to answer both of the following questions: 

  • Swarthmore College maintains an ongoing commitment of building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive residential community dedicated to rigorous intellectual inquiry.

    All who engage in our community are empowered through the open exchange of ideas guided by equity and social responsibility to thrive and contribute as bridge builders within global communities.

    Our identities and perspectives are supported and developed by our immediate contexts and lived experiences – in our neighborhoods, families, classrooms, communities of faith, and more.  

     

    • What aspects of your self-identity or personal background are most significant to you? Reflecting on the elements of your home, school, or other communities that have shaped your life, explain how you have grown in your ability to navigate differences when engaging with others, or demonstrated your ability to collaborate in communities other than your own.
  • Swarthmore’s community of learners inspire one another through their collaborative and flexible approach to learning. Swarthmore students are comfortable with intellectual experimentation and connection of ideas across the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and interdisciplinary studies through a liberal arts education.
    • Tell us about a topic that has fascinated you recently – either inside or outside of the classroom. What made you curious about this? Has this topic connected across other areas of your interests? How has this experience shaped you and what encourages you to keep exploring?
 

Applying via the QuestBridge Application

Swarthmore is a proud partner of QuestBridge, a program that links low-income students with educational and scholarship opportunities at some of the nation’s best colleges and universities. The QuestBridge National College Match helps high-achieving, low-income high school seniors gain admission to a variety of selective colleges with full four-year scholarships through an early application process. The QuestBridge application is completely free to students.

National College Match Program

QuestBridge’s National College Match program consists of two parts:

  • Students submit the College Match application to QuestBridge and rank up to 15 of QuestBridge’s partner schools based on their preferences. QuestBridge evaluates these students and selects finalists. QuestBridge forwards the applications of finalists to partner schools that the students have identified as their top choices (up to 15).
  • The partner schools evaluate the students’ applications and select students for admission; these students are “matched” with their choice schools. Students who are selected for admission to multiple colleges attend—and “match” with—the institution at the top of the ranking list that was submitted with their application. You can see how National College Match works on the QuestBridge website or watch this helpful video.

Students who match with a partner college receive a full four-year scholarship. This scholarship covers the entire cost of college (tuition, room, board, and other expenses), is loan-free, and requires no parental contribution.

How to Apply

Students must follow the application timeline designated by QuestBridge. Students choosing to participate in the National College Match must also submit additional materials, such as financial aid documents, to Swarthmore by the stated deadlines on Swarthmore’s QuestBridge requirements site. The Swarthmore-QuestBridge Intent to Apply form and Swarthmore Supplement Questions are not required for any National College Match applicants prior to Dec. 1

Non-finalists and those finalists who do not match to a partner college may convert their QuestBridge application to a Swarthmore application by completing the Swarthmore-QuestBridge Intent to Apply form and indicating an application plan (Fall Early Decision, Winter Early Decision, or Regular Decision). This eliminates the need to submit a separate application for admission to Swarthmore beyond the QuestBridge application. Swarthmore is committed to meeting full financial need with loan-free financial aid packages for all students admitted to the College

Resources

  • You can search Frequently Asked Questions on the QuestBridge website.
  • If you have specific questions about the QuestBridge partnership with Swarthmore, please email us.
  • If you need to submit financial aid documents as part of your QuestBridge application to Swarthmore, please upload them via IDOC.
  • Our current QuestBridge Scholars are here to talk with you! If you have questions for a current QB Swattie, please email the Executive Board; your email will be answered by a current Swarthmore student who participated in QuestBridge while in high school.