Correction: A previous version of this article listed Feb. 28 as the letter releases date. It has now been corrected to March 21.
On March 21, Swarthmore College sent acceptance letters to 965 prospective members of the Class of 2029. The admissions office received a total of 12,995 applications, accepting 6% of those who applied during regular decision and 7% of all applicants. The early decision acceptance rate was 18%, pulling from a smaller pool of applicants. These acceptance rates are mostly similar to last year’s 7.46% acceptance rate. In the coming weeks, some admitted students will visit campus on “SwatStruck” weekends to tour and attend events such as the Crum Regatta, before committing to Swarthmore.
Potential visa delays for incoming international students could lead to students being accepted from the waitlist as well. Dean of Admissions Jim Bock ’90 pointed to the waitlist as crucial this year due to uncertain immigration policy.
“We are concerned that [international] students who choose Swarthmore may have delays in visas, and we have a robust waitlist in the event that students defer their enrollment due to visa delays,” Bock said in an email to The Phoenix. “We won’t know more until we get closer to May 1, the national candidate’s reply date. Our office, along with our many campus partners, understands the concerns admitted students have during this period and we are considering these issues with great care.”
The acceptance rate could shift slightly if Swarthmore allows students to defer enrollment while selecting others from the waitlist to start in Fall 2025 in their place. The college also accepted a smaller class than last year to save room for transfer students. Swarthmore Forward, the college’s ongoing strategic plan, has demonstrated a future commitment to increase the number of transfer students – roughly 20 to 25 – accepted from community colleges.
However, for the time being, the admissions office did not change any policies or practices from last year. According to Bock, “We continue to practice holistic admissions in accordance with the law. This means we consider the context of each application – what opportunities and resources an applicant had access to, including their high school’s curricula, geographic location, and lived experiences.”
Like other colleges and universities across the country, admissions teams had to abide by federal guidelines, including the banning of affirmative action. The ban prevented colleges from considering race in an application, but allowed them to ask students in written responses how their race, ethnicity, and background had impacted them and the resources they had available.
In 2023, directly following the Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action, Swarthmore President Val Smith released a statement reaffirming the college’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, while following federal guidelines: “Swarthmore’s own imperfect history underscores the transformative impact that considering race as one of many factors in a holistic admissions review can have on an institution of higher learning. Living and learning in diverse communities strengthens our collective ability to contribute to a better world, and research has repeatedly shown that diversity on college campuses leads to more meaningful experiences and successful learning outcomes for all students.”
