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Swarthmore Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

89% 4-Year Graduation Rate
94% 6-Year Graduation Rate
86% Retention Rate

Swarthmore College 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

How 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.

Swarthmore Retention Rate

86% Freshmen Retention Rate
Good Retention Rate

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%.

Swarthmore Retention  86 out of 100
0%
100%
Pennsylvania Retention  73 out of 100
0%
100%
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Retention Rate
Swarthmore86%
Nationwide70.57%
Pennsylvania73.24%

Swarthmore Graduation Rates

94% 6-Year Graduation Rate
3.54% Transfer Rate
1.77% Dropout Rate

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.

Four Year Graduation Rate  89%
0%
100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  94%
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  95%
0%
100%

Swarthmore Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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Completion WithinUndergraduatesPercentage
Four Years35389%
Six Years37394%
Eight Years21%
Did Not Complete215%
The non-completers rate is anyone who is not still enrolled at the institution after eight years. Both transfer students and drop-outs could be included in this group.
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Swarthmore Drop Out Rate

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?

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Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled00.0%
Transferred1466.7%
Dropped Out733.3%

Swarthmore Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

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Race/EthnicityGraduation Rate
American Indian or Alaskan Native100%
Asian98%
Black / African-American100%
Hawaiian100%
Hispanic96%
International98%
Multi-Ethnic94%
Unknown100%
White97%

Some Students Take More Time To Graduate

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 Swarthmore Graduation Rates

97% First-Time, Full-Time
94% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

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.

Four Year Graduation Rate  89 out of 100
0%
100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  94 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  95 out of 100
0%
100%

Swarthmore First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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First-Time / Full-Time CompletionsSwarthmoreNationwide
Four Years89%37.92%
Six Years94%46.43%
Eight Years95%47.82%

First-Time / Full-Time Swarthmore Drop Out Rates

21 first-time / full-time students or 5% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Full-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled00.00%
Transferred1466.67%
Dropped Out733.33%

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Swarthmore first-time, part-time students.

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

3% Returning, Full-Time
100% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

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.

Six Year Graduation Rate  100 out of 100
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  100 out of 100
0%
100%

Swarthmore Non First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Full-Time CompletionsSwarthmoreNationwide
Four Years0%49.57%
Six Years100%53.83%
Eight Years100%55.07%

Non First-Time / Full-Time Swarthmore Drop Out Rates

Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Swarthmore returning, full-time students.

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Swarthmore returning, part-time students.

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