Swarthmore College

What is the cost of studying for a year at Swarthmore College?

Swarthmore has a high published price, but a student's actual cost depends heavily on financial aid. In the reported 2024-25 cost figures, full-time undergraduate tuition was $65,058 and required fees were $436. The reported typical room charge was $11,076, with a typical dining charge of $10,390; adding those four items gives $86,960 for that academic year before books, travel, and personal expenses. Swarthmore does not have different published tuition rates for Pennsylvania residents and out-of-state students.

• 2025-26 tuition and required fees: $69,226.
• 2025-26 typical housing and dining charges: $21,466.
• Reported books and supplies allowance: $785; transportation and personal costs vary.

These amounts are a historical illustration, not a current-year bill or a complete individual cost-of-attendance estimate. Another reported tuition figure of $68,766 comes from a different reporting basis and should not be substituted into the 2024-25 calculation. Applicants should use the college's current published budget and net-price calculator for a comparable estimate.

Swarthmore provides need-based institutional aid and says it meets admitted students' demonstrated financial need without requiring loans in its aid packages. Federal grants, Pennsylvania grants where eligible, and federal loans may also be relevant; Swarthmore does not generally frame its institutional awards as merit scholarships. Aid applicants should follow the current instructions for the FAFSA and, when applicable, the CSS Profile and other financial documents.

Reported average net prices illustrate the difference between sticker price and cost after grant aid: among the relevant aid recipients, the average was $4,951 for families earning $48,000 or less and $22,443 for those earning $75,001-$110,000. Those are group averages, not quotes for a particular household. About 66% of students received financial aid in the reported data, and 11% had student loans. Veterans should ask the financial-aid office how their specific education benefits interact with institutional aid rather than assuming an average benefit amount applies to them.

What are the work-study opportunities at Swarthmore College?

Swarthmore students can seek campus employment, and eligible students may receive a Federal Work-Study allocation as part of a financial-aid package. Work-Study is earned through hours worked: it is not a grant paid automatically toward a tuition bill, and an award does not by itself assign a job.

Students should review the college's student-employment postings and payroll requirements when they are ready to apply. Eligibility and available hours can differ between a federally funded Work-Study position and an ordinary campus job. Some positions can build research, technical, administrative, or peer-support experience, but students should weigh work hours against coursework.

Separately, Swarthmore's career services offer individual and group advising, résumé and interview help, employer events, job-search resources, and alumni networking. Those services can support internship and career planning; they are not evidence that every student secures a particular job or salary. An internship is not a college-wide graduation requirement.