Swarthmore College, located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, is a small liberal arts college known for their programs in engineering, political science, and natural sciences. At Swarthmore, you get to be a part of the Tri-College Consortium, which allows students at Swarthmore, Haverford, and Bryn Mawr to all take classes at the other schools. It’s a competitive school to transfer into, but don’t let that discourage you.
Swarthmore’s transfer acceptance rate last cycle was 7%, compared to the first-year rate of 9%. When we say 7%, that means 40 students were accepted out of 435 applicants. That’s not a lot of spots, so you need to do everything in your power to create the strongest application possible. Let’s get into it!
Requirements
To be eligible to transfer to Swarthmore, you need to have finished (or will finish) two full-time semesters of college coursework by the end of the current academic year. They also only accept fall transfers. They have a lot of info about transfers on their website, and they even offer an opportunity to talk to current Swarthmore students who transferred in. Neat!
Now, let’s get into what you need to have in order to submit:
The Common App (or Coalition App)
Supplemental essays
Official college transcript
Official high school transcript
Two academic recommendations, at least one from a college instructor
College report
Mid-term report
And the optional things:
Standardized test scores
Interview with an alum
Do the optional things. Seriously. It’s rare to offer interviews to transfer applicants, and you absolutely should take advantage of that.
Keep Your Academics on Track
If you’re aiming for Swarthmore, your grades need to be perfect. We know, so obvious, but getting (and maintaining!) excellent grades proves you can handle a rigorous school. Grades are the first (and biggest) hurdle you’ll need to pass, and the other work you’ll be doing will be undermined if you’re not acing those classes.
HOWEVER! Grades alone won’t cut it. The classes you take matter just as much as the grades you earn. Swarthmore wants students who challenge themselves! You need to take classes that prove you know what you want to study. If you’re leaning toward a major in political science, for instance, don’t shy away from tough courses in history, government, or sociology. Don’t just take easy A electives because you want the GPA boost – they can tell you’re doing that.
On top of grades and coursework, think about carving out a clear niche in your chosen major. This is your chance to show Swarthmore that you’re not just coasting through a major but actively engaging with a specific area that excites you. Maybe you’re a philosophy major obsessed with the trolley problem or a math student captivated by game theory and its applications. If you haven’t figured out your niche yet, now’s the time to build one. Swarthmore wants to see you being intentional, so make sure your resume tells a cohesive story.
Writing
Swarthmore has three questions, two of which are the same as their first-year questions. The third is simply the Common App essay. Let’s jump in:
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. (150 to 250 words)
This is a standard, run of the mill diversity essay. We have an extensive guide on how to answer this one here. You need to make sure you’re only answering this about your identity if you have an identity that is not straight, white, cis, etc. If you are those things, then you will treat this like a standard community essay. They also give you space to answer this like a disagreement question, and honestly, pick a lane, Swarthmore.
However you choose to answer this question, it needs to be in the form of a story. It should be engaging, full of details, and have a distinct beginning, middle, and end.
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? (150 to 250 words)
This prompt essentially wants you to just do the origin story part of the “Why This College” essay. You know how we told you to build a niche? This is where you talk about that niche.
It doesn’t have to be from school—it could come from an internship, independent research, or even a personal project—but it should show real curiosity and depth. Maybe there was a speaker you heard from, or you went to an international film festival because you are interested in storytelling across cultures. Whatever you choose, keep it focused and detailed, so your enthusiasm jumps off the page. Swarthmore wants to feel your excitement!
The Common App Personal Statement (choose from the seven Common App prompts) (1,250 - 3,250 characters, approx. 250 - 650 words).
The Common App prompts are familiar territory (and maybe a little traumatic to come back to!), but no matter which one you pick, the goal is to stand out by taking the road less traveled. It’s tempting to fall back on overdone topics (grandma, sports, hardships, etc., etc.,), but your essay needs to highlight the unique aspects of who you are—the things that grades, test scores, and resumes can’t fully capture. You don’t have a lot of space to be a real person in college applications, and this is a place to humanize yourself.
This isn’t just about telling a good story; it’s about telling your story in a way that only you can. Yes, it’s daunting, but it’s something we guide students through every year.
Now… wait
Swarthmore’s transfer app is due April 1st, and you should hear back around mid-May. Make sure you’ve sent in everything you need to submit well ahead of the deadline! Now, you wait. We know, annoying.
Best of luck!
If you need help with your transfer applications, reach out to us today.