Swarthmore vs. St John's

Should I go to Swarthmore College or St John's College? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if Swarthmore or St John's 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.

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Swarthmore College vs. St John's College comparison
Swarthmore College St John's College College 3 College 4
Swarthmore College St John's College
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Overview

Swarthmore St John's
Location Swarthmore, PA Annapolis, MD
Setting Large Suburban Large Suburban
Enrollment 1,625 541
Type Private 4 Year Private 4 Year
National Ranking #40
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website swarthmore.edu sjca.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

Swarthmore St John's
Tuition (In State) $58,928 $36,040
Tuition (Out of State) $58,928 $36,040
Room & Board $18,026 $14,270
Avg Net Price $20,715 $27,643
Avg Grant Aid $47,703 $23,775
% Receiving Grant Aid 63% 87%

Admission

Swarthmore St John's
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 14,707 982
Admitted 1,019 490
Acceptance Rate 6.9% 49.9%
Enrolled % 42.5% 26.5%
Avg High School GPA 3.9 3.81
Typical High School Grades A- A-
Admissions Standards Elite Exceptional
Applicant Competition Extreme Low
ACT Range 32/35 30/33
SAT Range 1440/1560 1250/1460
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

Swarthmore St John's
Student to Faculty Ratio 8:1 8:1
Popular Majors
  • Social Sciences (29%)
  • Biology (11%)
  • Foreign Languages (8%)
  • Psychology (7%)
  • English and Literature (7%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (100%)

Outcomes

Swarthmore St John's
Graduation Rate 95% 69%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $65,800 $41,200
Making Student Loan Payments 87% 74%
Median Student Loan Debt $19,500 $27,000
Median Loan Payment $201 $279

Diversity

Swarthmore St John's
% Men 49% 54%
% Women 51% 46%
Racial Diversity Very High Medium
HBCU No No
% White 42% 69%
% Black 6% 2%
% Hispanic 13% 6%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 8% 2%
% International 11% 14%
% Unknown Race 3% 3%

Students

Swarthmore St John's
% In-State 10% 12%
% Out-of-State 75% 75%

Campus

Swarthmore St John's
Campus Housing Yes Yes
Freshman Dorm Required Yes No
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 St John's based on total student enrollment (1,625 students vs. 541 students)

Swarthmore vs. St John's Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Swarthmore or St John's?

  • Swarthmore College is 63.5% more expensive to attend than St John's for in-state tuition ($58,928.00 vs. $36,040.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 63.5% higher at Swarthmore than St John's College ($58,928.00 vs. $36,040.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Swarthmore College than St John's ($20,715 vs. $27,643)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at St John's College are 26.3% lower than costs at Swarthmore College ($14,270 vs. $18,026)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at St John's College than Swarthmore College (87% vs. 63%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Swarthmore College students is 100.6% larger than aid received St John's College ($47,703 vs. $23,775)

Swarthmore vs. St John's Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • Accepted freshman Swarthmore students have a 0.09 point higher average high school GPA (3.9) than students at St John's (3.81)
  • St John's has a higher acceptance rate (49.9%) than Swarthmore (6.9%)

Swarthmore vs. St John's Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Swarthmore or St John's? 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 St John's and Swarthmore.

  • The graduation rate at Swarthmore is higher than St John's College (95% vs. 69%)
  • Graduates from Swarthmore College earn on average $24,600 more per year than St John's graduates after ten years. ($65,800 vs. $41,200)
  • Swarthmore College students graduate with a $7,500 lower median federal student loan debt than St John's graduates. ($19,500 vs. $27,000)
  • Swarthmore graduates are paying $78 less per month on federal student loans than St John's graduates. ($201 vs. $279)
  • More Swarthmore graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former St John's students, three years after graduation. (87% vs. 74%)

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