Swarthmore College is a small, elite liberal arts institution located just outside of Philadelphia. Founded in 1864 by Quakers, the school has long been known for its academic rigor, commitment to social responsibility, and close-knit campus culture. Swarthmore is part of both the Tri-College consortium (with Bryn Mawr and Haverford) and the Quaker Consortium with Penn – which means you have a lot of flexibility and can take classes at any of these schools.
With an overall acceptance rate that hovers around 7–8%, Swarthmore is incredibly selective. However, their yield rate, estimated around 40%, is noticeably lower than some of their peer institutions. That means the admissions office pays close attention to how likely applicants are to enroll, and applying ED or ED2 signals that you will enroll. Their ED acceptance rate, while not a guarantee, is still ~16%, which gives you a significant boost. If Swarthmore is at the top of your list and you’re a strong match, applying ED2 is a move worth serious consideration.
Why You Should Apply ED2
Let’s talk strategy. If you're feeling unsure about committing to another binding decision, still holding out for an RD admit to your deferred school, or didn’t apply ED the first time around, you're not alone. It’s perfectly normal to hesitate. But from a purely tactical perspective, skipping out on ED2 can put you at a disadvantage.
As we mentioned above, colleges track their yield rates, aka the percentage of accepted students who actually enroll. When you apply ED or ED2, you’re signaling that you're serious. Swarthmore, in particular, pays attention to demonstrated interest and enrollment likelihood. Applying ED2 shows them that you’re serious about them and that you are incredibly likely to enroll. That can help you.
If your college list is way too heavy on reach schools, Swarthmore ED2 might be the strongest strategic card left to play. While much of the admissions process is out of your control, ED2 is one of the few remaining choices that can meaningfully influence your outcome. Swarthmore values students who know what they want. If that’s you, ED2 might just tip the scales.
If you’re dealing with a deferral or rejection from your Early Decision school, we can help. Whether you need a deferral letter, a college list for Regular Decision, polishing your Common App essay, an Early Decision 2 application, or even a complete rehaul for this next round, we have you covered. Reach out to us ASAP. Everything will be okay.
The Supplement
Swarthmore has two supplemental questions.
SUPPLEMENT #1
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.
Swarthmore wants to understand how your identity, culture, or background has influenced your growth, and also how your background influences how you interact with others. The best way to tackle this is with a story.
It might be a good starting exercise to think about what values you were brought up with that are important to you. Then, think about times you’ve exercised those values. Now, you don’t need a dramatic story here – you just need something personal, thoughtful, and grounded in your experience. Honestly, smaller is better.
You might want to write about cultural differences with friends, generational differences between you and your grandparents, or how you’ve shared your values with other people. Try to pinpoint a singular experience, maybe a conversation, a community service trip, or study hall with friends.
And of course, tell a complete story with a specific beginning, middle, and end. You don’t have to spell out exactly what you want them to know about you from your conclusion, either. A subtle, well-crafted ending often says more than a neat little moral summary can.
SUPPLEMENT #2
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?
We really love the intellectual curiosity prompts, and this is a great one. Our big, main piece of advice is to avoid writing about what you put down for your major interest – think outside the box. Swarthmore is a liberal arts school looking for liberal arts students, so they want to hear about what you’re passionate about that’s not necessarily related to your major. They want to see learning for learning’s sake!
Now, they do talk about connections to other topics, so don’t think you have to totally swing the other way and write a whole essay about English if you’re an engineering hopeful. You could talk about your newfound passion for fixing cars and bring the reader with you to the junkyard to find the perfect piece of car equipment you need to complete your task.
You can also write about something that’s just totally fun and separate! As long as you’re telling a story and showing off your passion and excitement for the topic, then you can’t really go wrong. They want you to really share who you are in these supplements, so go for it.
Submit and Wait
You’ll submit your ED2 application to Swarthmore on the same day as their Regular Decision deadline, January 4th. Since this is one of the busiest days of the year on the Common App, expect plenty of students rushing to hit submit at the last possible moment. We know it’s a crunch, but do yourself a favor and aim to finalize everything at least a few days early – just to avoid any last-min technical issues.
Swarthmore typically releases ED2 decisions around, if not a tad earlier than their Regular Decision ones. Once you hit submit, take a deep breath. Your part’s done. You’ve got this!
Deferred or rejected and need help with an ED2 app? Don’t hesitate to reach out to us ASAP.