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Connect with Admissions

Swarthmore College is open to visitors! Prospective students and families are welcome to register for a fully outdoors on-campus information session and guided tour.

Be sure to review our COVID-19 website for the latest information on visitor safety, masking, and vaccination policies. The College continues to monitor the changing circumstances around COVID-19, and may update its safety policies and protocols at any time.

In addition to on-campus programming, we are excited to continue our virtual visit offerings and self-guided campus tours. Please see below for more ways to get to know Swarthmore.

We encourage prospective students to join our mailing list to receive more information about Swarthmore, including information about application fee waivers through SwatPass. We also encourage you to check out this information session from members of our team to learn more about what makes Swarthmore unique. 

On-Campus Programming

Admissions-Guided Campus Tours

We are pleased to welcome students and families to our campus for fully outdoors Admissions programming on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and select Saturdays. Please register in advance as space is highly limited and registration is required. 

Self-Guided Campus Tours

Need more flexibility? Explore Swarthmore's idyllic campus grounds through your own self-guided tour.  If you plan to visit our campus for a self-guided tour, please register in advance so you can receive instructions, directions, and safety protocols. You can pick up a copy of the campus map and a list of top spots at the Campus & Community Store located at 4 South Chester Road in Swarthmore. 

Check back frequently as we continue to update this page with additional programs.

Virtual Programming

Explore a wide variety of live online events, pre-recorded information sessions, virtual campus tour options, resources, and more below.

Attend a Virtual Campus Tour

Hear from current students about their Swarthmore experiences through photos and stories of their time as Swatties in this one-hour live virtual tour.

Register for a Virtual Session with an Admissions Dean

Join our Admissions Deans (i.e. someone who reads admissions applications) for a live virtual session. Choose whichever format works best for you, or combine them to get the most out of your virtual visit experience: 

Virtual Information Sessions (1 Hour)

  • If you are new to Swarthmore, or would just like to learn more through a webinar format, register for a one-hour Virtual Information Session. The first half of the session will consist of a presentation about Swarthmore, including information about our academics, student support, admissions process, financial aid policies, and more. The presentation will be followed by Q&A. Virtual Information Sessions take place each Tuesday.

Ask an Admissions Officer Virtual Sessions (30 Minutes)

  • If you have attended an information session or tour before and have some questions about Swarthmore that you'd like to ask live, register for an Ask an Admissions Officer session. There is no presentation during this 30-minute live session, so come with your questions! Ask an Admissions Officer sessions take place each Thursday.
Attend an Upcoming Virtual Event

Swarthmore in Your (Virtual) Area

Join us to learn about the value of a liberal arts education, what makes Swarthmore unique, selective admissions, and financial aid and scholarship processes. Meet regional admissions deans and a current student and ask questions about Swarthmore and the college application process. 


  • Students from  ID, MT, WY, UT, CO, ND, SD, MN, WI, IA, IL, NE: November 1, 7 PM EDT
  • Students from  TX, KS, OK, MO, AR, LA, MS, AL, TN, KY, GA, FL: November 3, 8 PM EDT
  • Students from Central & South America: October 21, 7 PM EDT
  • Students from the Middle East & North Africa: October 28, 11 AM EDT

Building a Community: Equity and Inclusion at Swarthmore: October 27, 6 PM EDT

Join Interim Associate Dean of Inclusive Excellence, Tiffany Thompson, and Assistant Dean and Director of the Intercultural Center, Imaani El-Burki, for a conversation about diversity, equity, and inclusion at Swarthmore.

Swatties on Swarthmore: October 28, 6 PM EDT

Hear from current Swatties about why they chose Swarthmore and what they love (and would change) now that they're here.

Nuclear Fusion: Bringing a Star to Earth (and Swarthmore): November 2, 8 PM EDT

Fusion energy is the process that fuels the Sun, the stars, the universe. For 50 years, scientists have worked to create fusion energy in the lab, bringing a star to Earth. Recent breakthroughs at large national laboratories have created excitement among fusion scientists. Professor Brown will discuss fusion energy in general, and progress towards fusion in the SSX laboratory at Swarthmore College.

Behavioral Economics and Decision Making: November 3, 7 PM EDT

In the past 50 years, economists have increasingly used insights from psychology to explore the limitations of the standard economic model of rational decision making - a field now known as “behavioral economics.” Professor Bhanot will provide a fun and fast introduction to some central concepts of behavioral economics, touching on related research in psychology and experimental economics.

Engineering & the Liberal Arts: November 10, 6 PM EDT

Join faculty and current students to learn more about Swarthmore’s unique Engineering Major. Swarthmore’s Engineering Department provides a strong technical education in the context of a word-class liberal arts program. Learn more about the benefits of engineering in a liberal arts environment.

Six Colleges Joint Events

Amherst, Bowdoin, Carleton, Pomona, Swarthmore, and Williams are teaming up to host a series of virtual events for students, families, and counselors. To learn more, visit sixcolleges.org.

Virtual College Fairs

Join us and other colleges and universities at a virtual college fair. Continue to check back for more opportunities to connect with us. 

Watch a Recorded Webinar

Dig deeper into what makes Swarthmore unique, gain insight into how we read and evaluate applications, and hear from members of the Swarthmore community in one of our themed recorded webinars.  

Applying to Swarthmore: Which Application is Right for You: Swarthmore accepts the Common Application, Coalition Application, and the QuestBridge Application. Hear from our Director of Admissions as he explains the differences among these three applications. Get your questions answered as you decide which application might be the best fit for you. (Recorded 7/7/2021)

Behind the Curtain: Holistic Admissions at Swarthmore: What happens when a college admissions officer gets your application? Learn how Swarthmore Admissions deans approach reading applications, and get tips on the different parts of your application, including your extracurricular activities list, short answer questions, and, of course, the college essay. (Recorded 7/18/2021)

Swarthmore’s Questbridge Community

A Taste of the Social Sciences at Swarthmore: A Faculty Lecture on Behavioral Economics and Its Real-World Applications

Building a Community: Equity and Inclusion at Swarthmore

Why I Chose Swat: Student Life (and more) at Swarthmore

A Taste of the Humanities at Swarthmore: An Ethnographer Among Dancers

Engineering and the Liberal Arts 

The Honors Program at Swarthmore

A Taste of the Natural Sciences at Swarthmore: A Faculty Lecture on Black Holes and Gravitational Waves

Ask a Swattie about their Swarthmore Experience

Email a current Swarthmore student to ask about their time at Swarthmore.

Read our Students' SwatStories Blog

Read first-hand accounts of Swarthmore from those who know it best: our students.

Explore our Online Resources
Contact Your Regional Dean

Email your regional dean with questions about Swarthmore, our admissions process, or financial aid.