Penn State Beaver vs. Swarthmore

Should I go to Penn State Beaver or Swarthmore College? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if Penn State Beaver or Swarthmore is the better college for you. The CollegeSimply comparison tool allows side-by-side comparison of 50+ statistics and facts for over 2,500 colleges and universities.

Add a college to compare up to four schools

Frequently compared to these colleges. Click a college to add to the comparison. 

Haverford College Amherst Williams Vassar Bryn Mawr Johns Hopkins Pomona Cornell Carnegie Mellon Georgetown Penn Middlebury
Penn State Beaver vs. Swarthmore College comparison
Penn State Beaver Swarthmore College College 3 College 4
Swarthmore College
Remove Remove +Add +Add

Overview

Penn State Beaver Swarthmore
Location Monaca, PA Swarthmore, PA
Setting Large Suburban Large Suburban
Enrollment 522 1,625
Type Public 4 Year Private 4 Year
National Ranking #40
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website psu.edu swarthmore.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

Penn State Beaver Swarthmore
Tuition (In State) $13,824 $58,928
Tuition (Out of State) $23,086 $58,928
Room & Board $12,254 $18,026
Avg Net Price $18,113 $20,715
Avg Grant Aid $9,274 $47,703
% Receiving Grant Aid 87% 63%

Admission

Penn State Beaver Swarthmore
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 1,707 14,707
Admitted 1,591 1,019
Acceptance Rate 93.2% 6.9%
Enrolled % 10.6% 42.5%
Avg High School GPA - 3.9
Typical High School Grades - A-
Admissions Standards Challenging Elite
Applicant Competition Extreme
ACT Range 20/28 32/35
SAT Range 1050/1260 1440/1560
Submit Test Scores Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional) Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline Jan 4, 2024

Academics

Penn State Beaver Swarthmore
Student to Faculty Ratio 11:1 8:1
Popular Majors
  • Business (54%)
  • Psychology (24%)
  • Communication (18%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (3%)
  • Computer and Information Sciences (1%)
  • Social Sciences (29%)
  • Biology (11%)
  • Foreign Languages (8%)
  • Psychology (7%)
  • English and Literature (7%)

Outcomes

Penn State Beaver Swarthmore
Graduation Rate 47% 95%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $55,300 $65,800
Making Student Loan Payments 69% 87%
Median Student Loan Debt $26,818 $19,500
Median Loan Payment $277 $201

Diversity

Penn State Beaver Swarthmore
% Men 55% 49%
% Women 45% 51%
Racial Diversity Low Very High
HBCU No No
% White 75% 42%
% Black 9% 6%
% Hispanic 5% 13%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 2% 8%
% International 3% 11%
% Unknown Race 1% 3%

Students

Penn State Beaver Swarthmore
% In-State 63% 10%
% Out-of-State 34% 75%

Campus

Penn State Beaver Swarthmore
Campus Housing Yes Yes
Freshman Dorm Required No Yes
Meal Plan Yes Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes No No
Daycare Facility No No
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • Swarthmore College is larger than than Penn State Beaver based on total student enrollment (1,625 students vs. 522 students)

Penn State Beaver vs. Swarthmore Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Penn State Beaver or Swarthmore?

  • Swarthmore College is 326.3% more expensive to attend than Penn State Beaver for in-state tuition ($58,928.00 vs. $13,824.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 155.3% higher at Swarthmore than Penn State Beaver ($58,928.00 vs. $23,086.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Beaver than Swarthmore ($18,113 vs. $20,715)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Penn State Beaver are 47.1% lower than costs at Swarthmore College ($12,254 vs. $18,026)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Penn State Beaver than Swarthmore College (87% vs. 63%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Swarthmore College students is 414.4% larger than aid received Penn State Beaver ($47,703 vs. $9,274)

Penn State Beaver vs. Swarthmore Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Penn State Beaver or Swarthmore? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Swarthmore or Penn State Beaver .

  • The average SAT score at Swarthmore College (1431) is 432 points higher than at Penn State Beaver (999)
  • Incoming Swarthmore students have a 11 point higher average ACT score (32) than students at Penn State Beaver (21)
  • Penn State Beaver has a higher acceptance rate (93.2%) than Swarthmore (6.9%)

Penn State Beaver vs. Swarthmore Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Penn State Beaver or Swarthmore? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Swarthmore and Penn State Beaver.

  • The graduation rate at Swarthmore is higher than Penn State Beaver (95% vs. 47%)
  • Graduates from Swarthmore College earn on average $10,500 more per year than Penn State Beaver graduates after ten years. ($65,800 vs. $55,300)
  • Swarthmore College students graduate with a $7,318 lower median federal student loan debt than Penn State Beaver graduates. ($19,500 vs. $26,818)
  • Swarthmore graduates are paying $76 less per month on federal student loans than Penn State Beaver graduates. ($201 vs. $277)
  • More Swarthmore graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Penn State Beaver students, three years after graduation. (87% vs. 69%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/