Editors’ Note: The complete results of the poll can be found at the bottom of this article.
On April 21, The Phoenix sent its third campus student body poll to 596 randomly selected Swarthmore students, who represent 35% of the student body. The survey asked students to indicate their approval or disapproval of twenty campus institutions, programs, and practices, including the faculty, administration, President’s Office, and Code of Conduct. Beyond these institutions, the survey also asked students for their opinions on relevant college topics, including grade inflation, generative artificial intelligence (AI), standardized test requirements, Public Safety’s presence on campus, and the administrative response to pro-Palestinian student activism.
Results
Overall, most campus institutions and groups saw a notable decrease in student approval from the fall. Even groups, institutions, and programs that remain quite popular, such as the Swarthmore faculty (+87% net approval), the college itself (+47), and the Office of Admissions (+34), declined in popularity from last semester. The only group polled whose approval rating increased was the Swarthmore Phoenix (+75), which gained seven percentage points from the fall. The fact that so many groups and institutions sustained downturns in approval in the latter half of the academic year may reflect a general trend that students are more positive about aspects of the college overall during the fall semester than in the spring.
The Board of Managers (-47) and the college administration (-40), which have been the subject of criticism among student activists over the past several years, saw the lowest net approval of any campus policy or institution polled, besides the consideration of legacy in admissions decisions (-42). These numbers reflect a notable decrease in popularity from the fall, with the net approval of the Board of Managers falling by 9% and that of the administration falling by 11%.
The student Code of Conduct, which saw significant changes at the beginning of last year, also received broad disapproval (-19), and saw a decrease of 9% from last semester. The Department of Public Safety, which has undergone a recent rebrand and has been involved with a significant increase in alcohol referrals the past few years, had a negative net approval rating (-16). 13% of student respondents said that they had faced a warning, referral, or disciplinary action for alcohol consumption on campus, and 72% thought that Public Safety’s general presence and enforcement on campus is at least somewhat too pervasive. 23% considered it to be just right, and only 5% thought Public Safety presence was at all too limited.
Career Services, Worth Health Center, and the Office of Student Engagement (OSE), which had seen strong approval in the Phoenix’s student survey last fall, all saw significant decreases in popularity this spring. The net approval of Career Services (+9) dropped by 20%, Worth Health Center (+10) by 22%, OSE (-4) by 25%. Meanwhile, the Athletics Department (+16) and the Honors program (+30) maintained consistently strong net approval from last semester.
President Val Smith, who recently announced that she will depart Swarthmore College next year after her twelve-year tenure, decreased in popularity from a net approval of -26% in the fall to -36% this spring.
With the search for President Smith’s successor underway, students were asked to select up to six of what they believe to be the most important traits for Swarthmore’s next president. Respondents were given a list of 16 options to choose from. There were four traits that stood out as significantly more important to students than the rest: 87% of respondents selected “commitment to building and maintaining connection/trust with the student body,” 70% selected “Commitment to building and maintaining connection/trust with faculty,” 69% chose “commitment to social justice values,” and 65% chose “transparent leadership style”.
The least important traits to students were “belonging to an underrepresented group/background” which was selected by only 22% of respondents and “fundraising ability,” selected by only 13%.
The Phoenix also asked for students’ thoughts regarding how the college treats workers on campus. While treatment of student workers — specifically their compensation, workplace conditions, etc. — saw significant net approval (+33), respondents felt much more negatively (-33) about the college’s treatment of its staff, which saw a 19% decrease from last semester.
Students were also polled on their beliefs regarding the implications of the generative AI boom for higher education. While more than a third (34%) of Swarthmore students surveyed responded that they never use AI “for anything relating to [their] academics,” a slight majority (52%) of respondents do so at least once weekly. More broadly, a plurality of student respondents believed that there should be a college-wide policy regarding the usage of generative AI (46%).
Last semester, The Phoenix reported on the college’s controversial decision to keep its application process SAT/ACT-optional for the foreseeable future, citing what Vice President and Dean of Admissions Jim Bock ’90 called “not worrisome” differences in the success between matriculated students who submitted their scores and those who didn’t. As with last semester, a majority (56%) of student respondents support this decision, while only 25% of the poll’s respondents thought standardized testing should be required for Swarthmore applicants, the rest being unsure.
Earlier this month, The Phoenix reported that the average grade point given at Swarthmore has risen from 3.42 in 2005 to 3.62 in 2024. Last semester, in the Phoenix’s regular faculty column “Office Hours,” professors shared their thoughts on the state of grade inflation and academic rigor at Swarthmore and their responses reflected a varying degree of concern. The poll found that students were largely unbothered by the recent increase in the average grade point given out, with 73% of respondents indicating they were “not at all concerned” about this development.
Relatedly, more than half of student respondents felt that the faculty’s grading standards were generally “just right,” though almost a third felt they were slightly or much too harsh. 16% felt they were somewhat too lenient.
While the current federal administration has taken an antagonistic approach to higher education, students were divided about whether they were worried or confident about Swarthmore’s ability to fulfill its mission in spite of this. More than half (51%) were somewhat or very worried, 37% were somewhat or very confident, and 15% were neutral.
At the end of last semester, several students were charged by the college with distributing pro-Palestinian political zines containing allegedly violent language and imagery. There has been some backlash among the Swarthmore community to these charges, as well as to the college’s handling of the criminal case of the nine protestors arrested last spring during the destruction of a pro-Palestinian encampment. More than 75% of student respondents said the college’s response to pro-Palestinian activism over the past three years has been slightly or much too harsh, whereas only 15% said it had been at all too lenient. 9% felt it had been “just right.” These numbers are pretty much in line with those of last semester’s poll.
A new question this semester asked under what circumstances students would participate more in campus activism and advocacy. Respondents were given a choice from five different options and were allowed to select up to two. The two most popular reasons selected were: “if the culture or approach of current campus activism were different” and “the college had not pursued disciplinary charges for protest-related activity.” These were chosen by 50% and 49% of student respondents, respectively. The other three options — “if I had more time to devote to it”, “if there were more issues I felt I had the power to change”, and “if I didn’t feel as personally vulnerable” — were selected by significantly fewer respondents (25%, 20%, and 16%, respectively). 11% of respondents chose to write down their own reasons.
Leaders in both politics and higher education from across the ideological spectrum have long criticized elite colleges and universities for maintaining and fostering only a narrow range of political and philosophical views. 86% of student respondents felt that ideological diversity among students was at least somewhat important, with only 10% saying they were indifferent and 4% saying that it was at all unimportant.
36% of those surveyed were at all dissatisfied with the amount of ideological diversity within the student body, which represents a 12% increase from last fall. 33% were somewhat or very satisfied, and 31% were neutral.
Similarly, 77% felt that ideological diversity among the faculty was at least somewhat important. Only 26% were at all dissatisfied with the faculty’s ideological diversity, with 41% neutral, and 32% somewhat or very satisfied.
Respondents were generally positive or neutral about both Swarthmore’s food and housing options, with 92% responding either “okay,” “good,” or “excellent” regarding the college’s food and 91% responding this way about the housing.
The survey also revealed a general sense of comfort regarding class participation. 68% of respondents felt either “comfortable” or “very comfortable” speaking up in class, compared with only 14% who felt uncomfortable or very uncomfortable doing so. These numbers were relatively consistent with those of the fall semester’s poll.
Respondent Demographics
Of the survey’s 134 respondents (about a 23% response rate), 29% were first years, 28% were sophomores, 19% were juniors, and 25% were seniors. Therefore, underclassmen were overrepresented, and upperclassmen were underrepresented.
In order to compare the demographics of the respondent pool to that of the entire student body, the poll also asked students to select their racial/ethnic and gender identity from the same categories used by Swarthmore for institutional research. Due to rounding, percentages in this article may not always add up to 100. 52% of those who completed the survey identified themselves as white, an overrepresentation of the 30% of the student body that is listed as belonging to that category in college data. Of the survey takers, 5% were Black, compared to the 9% of the college’s students who are Black. 7% of respondents identified as Hispanic, while 15% of the college is Hispanic. 5% of survey-takers shared that they were international students, while international students account for 15% of the student body. This disparity could be due in part to respondent confusion over the poll’s inclusion of “international students” under the category of race/ethnicity, a choice which mirrors the demographic categories used by Swarthmore’s institutional research and thus allows for easier comparison between the poll respondent pool and the student body. 16% of respondents identified as belonging to two or more races (vs. the college’s 11%), none identified as American Indian or Alaska Native (vs. <1%), and 16% identified as Asian (vs. 17%).
59% of the survey’s respondents identified as women, 38% identified as men, and 3% identified as non-binary/non-conforming. According to the Swarthmore Office of Institutional Research, 52.5% of the student body identify as women, and 47.5% as men, though the office’s numbers don’t include any third identification option.
50% of those who filled out the poll said they received financial aid, meaning the results closely reflected the 56% of the students that the Financial Aid Office reports received aid in the 2025-26 academic year.
The form also asked respondents to list the academic division to which their primary major, intended major, or the majority of their studies belonged. 41% of those who filled out the poll said they primarily studied the natural sciences and engineering, 37% reported social sciences, and 22% said the humanities. That distribution is comparable to the percentage breakdown reported by Swarthmore’s institutional research from 2022, which shows that 18% of graduate seniors received a degree in the humanities that year, while 43% were in the natural sciences, and 45% were in the social sciences.
Raw Numbers
Response breakdowns in descending order of net approval (due to rounding, not all percentages will add up to 100%):
Swarthmore Faculty: 90% Approve, 6% Neutral, 3% Disapprove, 1% Don’t Know | +87% Net Approval
The Swarthmore Phoenix: 79% Approve, 12% Neutral, 5% Disapprove, 4% Don’t Know | +75% Net Approval
Swarthmore College: 63% Approve, 20% Neutral, 16% Disapprove, 1% Don’t Know | +47% Net Approval
Office of Admissions: 44% Approve, 39% Neutral, 10% Disapprove, 7% Don’t Know | +34% Net Approval
Treatment of student workers (compensation, workplace conditions, etc.): 50% Approve, 25% Neutral, 17% Disapprove, 8% Don’t Know | +33% Net Approval
Honors program: 36% Approve, 34% Neutral, 6% Disapprove, 24% Don’t Know | +30% Net Approval
Athletics Department: 31% Approve, 37% Neutral, 15% Disapprove, 18% Don’t Know | +16% Net Approval
Worth Health Center: 40% Approve, 21% Neutral, 30% Disapprove, 9% Don’t Know | +10% Net Approval
Career Services: 31% Approve, 36% Neutral, 22% Disapprove, 12% Don’t Know | +9% Net Approval
Student Government Organization (SGO): 27% Approve, 43% Neutral, 19% Disapprove, 12% Don’t Know | +8% Net Approval
Swarthmore Forward (strategic plan): 16% Approve, 42% Neutral, 10% Disapprove, 32% Don’t Know | +6% Net Approval
Student Budgeting Committee (SBC): 31% Approve, 33% Neutral, 25% Disapprove, 12% Don’t Know | +6% Net Approval
Office of Student Engagement (OSE): 33% Approve, 25% Neutral, 37% Disapprove, 5% Don’t Know | -4% Net Approval
Student Code of Conduct: 21% Approve, 27% Neutral, 40% Disapprove, 13% Don’t Know | -19% Net Approval
Department of Public Safety: 22% Approve, 22% Neutral, 51% Disapprove, 4% Don’t Know | -29% Net Approval
Treatment of college staff (compensation, workplace conditions, etc.): 16% Approve, 19% Neutral, 49% Disapprove, 16% Don’t Know | -33% Net Approval
President Val Smith (President’s Office): 13% Approve, 23% Neutral, 53% Disapprove, 8% Don’t Know | -37% Net Approval
Swarthmore Administration: 20% Approve, 21% Neutral, 60% Disapprove, 7% Don’t Know | -40% Net Approval
Consideration of legacy in admissions decisions: 13% Approve, 18% Neutral, 55% Disapprove, 13% Don’t Know | -42% Net Approval
Swarthmore Board of Managers: 7% Approve, 25% Neutral, 54% Disapprove, 13% Don’t Know | -47% Net Approval
The quality of food at the college is generally: 2% Terrible, 5% Poor, 24% Okay, 50% Good, 19% Excellent
The quality of housing at the college is generally: 2% Terrible, 12% Poor, 37% Okay, 46% Good, 4% Excellent
When deciding whether to speak in class, I generally feel: 2% Very uncomfortable, 13% Uncomfortable, 18% Neutral, 47% Comfortable, 21% Very comfortable
How frequently do you use generative artificial intelligence as a tool for anything relating to your academics at Swarthmore?: 34% for “Never,” 14% for “Monthly,” 34% for “Weekly,” 13% for “Daily,” 5% for “Multiple times per day”
How frequently do you use generative artificial intelligence for class in a way you think your professor would take issue with?: 55% for “Never,” 23% for “Rarely,” 17% for “Sometimes,” 4% for “Often,” 1% for “Very Often”
Do you think there should be a college-wide policy regarding the usage of generative AI?: 46% for “Yes,” 19% for “No,” 34 for “Unsure”
Should Swarthmore require applicants to submit their SAT/ACT results as part of the admissions process?: 25% for “Yes,” 56% for “No,” 19% for “Unsure”
The faculty’s grading standards are generally: 0% for “Much too lenient,” 16% for “Somewhat too lenient,” 54% for “Just right,” 28% for “Somewhat too harsh,” 3% for “Much too harsh”
The Phoenix reported earlier this month that the average grade point given at Swarthmore has risen from 3.42 in 2005 to 3.62 in 2024. How concerned are you about this change?: 3% for “Very concerned,” 24% for “Somewhat concerned,” 73% for “Not at all concerned
Public Safety’s presence and enforcement on campus is generally: 31% for “Much too pervasive”, 41% for “Somewhat too pervasive,” 23% for “Just right,” 4% for “Somewhat too limited,” 1% for “Much too limited”
Have you faced any warning, referral, or disciplinary action for alcohol consumption on campus?: 13% for “Yes,” 87% for “No”
How worried/confident are you about Swarthmore’s ability to fulfill its mission despite the federal government’s recent antagonistic approach to higher education?: 12% for “Very worried,” 36% for “Somewhat worried,” 15% for “Neutral,” 25% for “Somewhat confident,” 12% for “Very confident”
The college’s response to pro-Palestinian student activism over the last three years has generally been: 5% for “Much too lenient,” 10% for “Slightly too lenient,” 9% for “Just right,” 28% for “Slightly too harsh,” 49% for “Much too harsh”
The college’s financial aid support is generally: 37% Lacking, 60% Sufficient, 3% Excessive
Compared with peer institutions, the college’s support for students of color is generally: 14% for “Worse than peer institutions,” 53% for “The same as peer institutions,” 33% for “Better than peer institutions”
How important do you believe ideological diversity among students to be?: 37% for “Very important,” 49% for “Somewhat important,” 10% for “Indifferent,” 2% for “Somewhat unimportant,” 2% for “Very unimportant”
How satisfied are you with the amount of ideological diversity among the students at Swarthmore?: 8% for “Very dissatisfied,” 28% for “Somewhat dissatisfied,” 31% for “Neutral,” 23% for “Somewhat satisfied,” 10% for “Very satisfied”
Which traits do you think are the most important for the college’s next president to have? Select no more than six: 35% for “Strong academic background/career,” 69% for “Commitment to social justice values,” 31% for “Commitment to academic rigor,” 22% for “Belonging to an underrepresented group/background,” 70% for “Commitment to building and maintaining connection/trust with faculty,” 82% for “Commitment to building and maintaining connection/trust with the student body,” 37% for “Engagement with and attention to national and international political issues,” 38% for “Experience and skill in the management of institutions,” 32% for “Familiarity with and commitment to a specifically liberal arts education,” 31% for “Strong public-facing communication skills,” 28% for “Commitment to Swarthmore’s founding values,” 25% for “Familiarity with Swarthmore as an institution,’ 13% for “Fundraising ability,” 26% for “Imaginative and creative problem-solving approach,” 65% for “Transparent leadership style,” 43% for “Democratic approach to decision-making,” Other traits submitted by respondents: “Not hating disabled people and letting their deans walk all over them,” “Commitment to freedom of speech,” “willingness to take a stand and make hard decisions, even when it is unpopular with the student body,” “focus in divesting from genocide/disclosing Swarthmore’s investments and dropping the charges against the Swat 9”.
I would participate in campus activism or advocacy more than I do if (select up to two main reasons): 25% for “I had more time to devote to it,” 49% for “The college had not pursued disciplinary charges for protest-related activity,” 50% for “The culture or approach of current campus activism were different,” 20% for “There were more issues I felt like I had power to change,” 16% for “I didn’t feel as personally vulnerable,” Other traits submitted by respondents: “I don’t feel inclined to participate in campus activism,” “There were more memorialization of past activist’s accomplishments,” “I would never unless something truly horrible happened,” “I wouldn’t engage in campus activism in a way that is disruptive,” “I was not an international student and this would not affect my visa status at all,” “it is generally perceived as dangerous for international students,” “I felt it mattered to my future,” “/,” “Every inch of the campus wasn’t surveilled by security cameras with audio and night vision,” “None Apply,” “I do participate in campus advocacy,” “I did not feel like the repercussions of my activism would not harm someone like me and would instead leave a target on the back of more vulnerable students,” “I felt like the advocacy I would engage in at Swarthmore would make a difference,” “there was more of an organizing culture on campus,” “I understand what the activism was about.”
How important do you believe ideological diversity among faculty to be?: 38% for “Very important,” 39% for “Somewhat important,” 16% for “Indifferent,” 3% for “Somewhat unimportant,” 4% for “Very unimportant”
How satisfied are you with the amount of ideological diversity among the faculty at Swarthmore?: 5% for “Very dissatisfied,” 22% for “Somewhat dissatisfied,” 41% for “Neutral,” 23% for “Somewhat satisfied,” 10% for “Very satisfied”
