by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at Swarthmore? Find out how many students return after their freshman year, how long it takes to graduate, and what happens to the students who don't.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 86% students making it past their freshmen year, Swarthmore has freshmen retention rates above the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Pennsylvania, the average is 73.24%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Swarthmore | 86% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Pennsylvania | 73.24% |
There were approximately 373 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 89% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 94% of the students had graduated and after eight years 95% of this class completed their degree.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a student is considered to have graduated on time if they complete their degree within six years, making the official Swarthmore graduation rate 94%.
The typical Swarthmore student takes 4.10 years to complete their bachelor's degree.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 353 | 89% |
| Six Years | 373 | 94% |
| Eight Years | 2 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 21 | 5% |
Approximately 21 students or 5% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 21 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
14 transferred to another institution.
Swarthmore lost contact with the remaining 7 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 14 | 66.7% |
| Dropped Out | 7 | 33.3% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Asian | 98% |
| Black / African-American | 100% |
| Hawaiian | 100% |
| Hispanic | 96% |
| International | 98% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 94% |
| Unknown | 100% |
| White | 97% |
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are much more likely to graduate in four years. Some schools cater to mostly traditional students while others cater to 'non-traditional' students. So called 'non-traditional' students include part-time students or those who may be returning after an absense. It is common for part-time and/or adult students to take longer to graduate.
Traditional Students:
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25.
Non-Traditional Students:
Any student that is not first-time, full-time, and under the age of 25.
The majority of students at Swarthmore are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Examining the graduation rates of the specific cohorts shown below may be more revealing than looking at the overall graduaton rates.
First-time / full-time students at Swarthmore College represent 97% of the students in the class of 2015, and 97.32% of Swarthmore bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 89%, first-time students in the Swarthmore class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Swarthmore graduation rate was 94%, and by the eight year mark, 95% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.
| First-Time / Full-Time Completions | Swarthmore | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 89% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 94% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 95% | 47.82% |
21 first-time / full-time students or 5% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
14 transferred to another institution.
Swarthmore lost contact with the remaining 7 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 14 | 66.67% |
| Dropped Out | 7 | 33.33% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Swarthmore first-time, part-time students.
10 Swarthmore students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 2.53% of the students in the class of 2015.
Non first-time students could include transfer students or adults who have returned to school after an absense.
With a six year graduation rate of 100%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 100%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 49.57% after four years, 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.
| Returning / Full-Time Completions | Swarthmore | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 100% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 100% | 55.07% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Swarthmore returning, full-time students.
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Swarthmore returning, part-time students.
