Swarthmore College has received the 2026 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, in recognition of its College-wide commitment to community engagement.

More than 230 colleges and universities nationwide earned the classification, awarded by the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, this cycle. The classification reflects how deeply community engagement is embedded in an institution’s mission, curriculum, leadership, and partnerships.

“Higher education is a vital economic engine for us all,” says Timothy F. C. Knowles, president of the Carnegie Foundation. “Our colleges and universities not only fuel science and innovation, they build prosperity in rural, urban, and suburban communities nationwide.

“We celebrate each of these institutions, particularly their dedication to partnering with their neighbors — fostering civic engagement, building usable knowledge, and catalyzing real-world learning experiences for students.”

At Swarthmore, community engagement is key to many aspects of academic and co-curricular life. Rooted in its Quaker commitment to equity and ethical action, the College integrates civic learning across disciplines while building long-term, reciprocal partnerships — particularly in nearby Chester and Delaware County.

The Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility serves as the institutional hub for this work, aligning faculty research, student learning, and community collaboration. Faculty are supported through Engaged Scholarship Research Grants and Engaged Scholarship Teaching Grants, which fund community-based research projects and the development of courses that connect academic inquiry with public impact. Over the past decade, the number of community-engaged courses and participating faculty has grown significantly, reflecting sustained institutional investment.

Swarthmore’s approach emphasizes reciprocity and shared governance. The Chester-Swarthmore Fellows Council — an advisory group of Chester community leaders — collaborates with faculty and staff to shape programming, mentor students, and strengthen partnerships. In addition, the Lang Center conducts a biannual Community Partnership Impact Assessment, in which community partners complete a questionnaire, interpret findings together with staff, and guide program improvements.

The College has also expanded access to civic engagement opportunities for students. The Civic Scholars Program, in partnership with the Rubin Program, supports first-generation and low-income students through paid internships, research fellowships, and sustained mentorship. The President’s Sustainability Research Fellowship entails student research projects on environmental and sustainability issues that can have community-based applications and/or public-facing outcomes.

The Community Engagement Classification is awarded following a rigorous process of institutional self-study and documentation. For more than two decades, it has served as the leading national framework for assessing and recognizing community engagement in U.S. higher education.

Swarthmore first received the classification in 2008 and was reclassified in 2015. The 2026 cycle represents the College’s second reclassification.

The 2026 cohort includes 157 public institutions, 80 private colleges and universities, and 81 minority-serving institutions. The Carnegie Classifications are widely used by policymakers, funders, and researchers as a benchmarking framework for higher education. In 2022, the Carnegie Foundation announced a partnership with ACE to reimagine the classifications to better reflect the diversity and societal impact of postsecondary institutions.

“The institutions receiving the 2026 Community Engagement Classification exemplify American higher education’s commitment to the greater good,” says Ted Mitchell, president of ACE. “The beneficiaries of this unflagging dedication to public purpose missions are their students, their teaching and research enterprises, and their wider communities.”