Student discussing with other students
female student playing the violin
student smiling while working on his laptop and looking at a piece of paper

you majored in what?!

you majored
in what?!
(The sometimes-surprising-but-always-impressive ways
our graduates spend their time after Swarthmore)
Swarthmore College logo
arrow pointing down
student working in a computer lab
student playing music
Student writing on the chalk board

No matter what you study

No matter what you study
(or what you do outside of class, no matter where you come from or where you might be headed),
At Swarthmore, you will:
Think and work harder than you ever thought you would.

Shape ideas alongside people who will challenge and inspire you.

Collaborate with professors, connect with mentors, and find yourself backed by a comprehensive system of support.

Channel thoughts into action, innovation, and positive change.

Master many modes of thought and tools of influence.

Resist easy answers and insist on better solutions.

Be determined and daring — and extraordinary.

Which is to say, wherever life after Swarthmore takes you,
You will be ready.
The examples in this booklet reflect positions held and academic programs attended by Swarthmore alumni in the last decade.

Arabic

Arabic Icon
research & program associate

Brennan Center for Justice
Washington, D.C.

investigative & research fellow

Civil Rights Corps
Washington, D.C.

software developer

Taskstream
New York City, N.Y.

CO-editor-in-chief

Berkeley Journal of Criminal Law
Berkeley, Calif.

immigration paralegal

Hogan & Vandenberg
Philadelphia, Pa.

Art

Art Icon
lead visual designer

SimpliSafe
Boston, Mass.

urban designer

Boston Planning & Development Agency
Boston, Mass.

software engineer

Chinatown Community Development Center
San Francisco, Calif.

Fundraising and Events Coordinator

Animal Care Society
Louisville, K.Y.

exhibition designer

Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia, Pa.

robotics engineer

Berkshire Grey
Bedford, Mass.

Art History

Art History Icon
Pediatric resident

Westchester Medical Center
Valhalla, N.Y.

user experience librarian

Royal Crown Law Library Stanford University
Stanford, Calif.

lead UX DESIGNER

Wikipedia
New York City, N.Y.

Architect

Moneo Brock
Madrid, Spain

film editor

Los Angeles Review of Books
Los Angeles, Calif.

Asian Studies

Asian Studies Icon
events & programs coordinator

Japanese Cultural Center
Chicago, Ill.

general surgery Resident

University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio

Senior Manager of Data Science & Analytics

MullenLowe Group
New York City, N.Y.

Operations Manager

Apple
Karnataka, India

planning officer

Ministry of Education
Singapore

Astronomy

Astronomy Icon
ASSOCIATE ENGINEER

Lockheed Martin
Moorestown, N.J.

SPACE SYSTEMS ENGINEER & FLIGHT OPERATOR

Planet Labs
San Francisco,Calif.

GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research
Boulder, Colo.

Freelance Science Writer

The Atlantic, Science, Scientific American, The Wall Street Journal, Wired
Boston, Mass.

Ph.D., MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Brown University
Providence, R.I.

Biochemistry

Biochemistry Icon
Ph.D., CHEMICAL BIOLOGY

Harvard University
Boston, Mass.

associate research fellow, molecular biology

Petry Laboratory at Princeton University
Princeton, N.J.

computational biologist

Invitae
San Francisco, Calif.

SENIOR SCIENTIST

Dow Chemical Company
Collegeville, Pa.

surgical resident

Otolaryngology Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, Ohio

Biology

Biology Icon
operations coordinator
office of ocean exploration & research

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association
Washington, D.C.

family physician

Seattle, Wash.

Independent Researcher

HIV Prevalence & Geographic Information Systems
Lilongwe, Malawi

computational genetics researcher

Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, Ga.

director of account management

Mastercard
New York City, N.Y.

Students in biology class looking at growing plants
Working well with others is perhaps the single most important skill in today’s job market. Our collaborative culture makes sure you have it.

Black Studies

Black Studies icon
Assistant Professor latinX studies

New York University
New York City, N.Y.

legislative assistant

Oregon House of Representatives
Salem, Ore.

congressional Correspondent

Spectrum News
Washington, D.C.

Research Analyst

AEA Consulting
New York City, N.Y.

Director
Contactless Portfolio Optimization

Mastercard
New York City, N.Y.

Black undergraduate student giving presentation
We provide more than $800,000 each year for undergraduate research — supporting experiences that can help shape your career.

Chemistry

Chemistry icon
Ph.D., organic Chemistry

Stanford University
Stanford, Calif.

neurologist

Northwestern University
Chicago, Ill.

Senior Chemist

Dow Chemical Company
Collegeville, Pa.

Genetic counselor

Clinic for Special Children
Strasburg, Pa.

ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMIST

Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions
Portland, Ore.

Chinese

Chinese icon
optical scientist

Luna Innovations
Blacksburg, Va.

assistant editor

Cheng & Tsui
Boston, Mass.

product owner & project manager

Sertis
Bangkok, Thailand

co-founder & coo

Options MD
Los Angeles, Calif.

Attorney & legal researcher

Paul Hastings LLP
Seoul, South Korea

Classics

Classics icon
chief research scientist of data analYtics

New York City Police Department
New York City, N.Y.

Senior Associate

PricewaterhouseCoopers
New York City, N.Y.

M.Div.

Yale University
New Haven, Conn.

project archivist, Classics

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Philadelphia, Pa.

Research and instrument analyst

Space Telescope Science Institute
Baltimore, Md.

Cognitive Science

Cognitive Science icon
Ph.D., network science

Northeastern University
Boston, Mass.

Interaction Designer, VR/AR

Google
New York City, N.Y.

cloud engineer

Northern Trust
Chicago, Ill.

robotics engineer

Exyn Technologies
Philadelphia, Pa.

Lab Manager

Trueswell Language
Development and Processing Lab, University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pa.

Comparative Literature

Comparative Literature icon
Ph.D., Comparative Literature

Columbia University
New York City, N.Y.

Literary manager

Flying V Theatre
Bethesda, Md.

lecturer

Writing Program at Princeton University
Princeton, N.J.

publicity manager

Flatiron Books
New York City, N.Y.

Computer Science

Computer Science icon
senior machine learning engineer

KUNGFU.AI
Austin, Texas

Clinical Bioinformatics Analyst

Foundation Medicine
San Diego, Calif.

Robotics Engineer

Fetch Robotics
San Jose, Calif.

assistant professor, electrical engineering & computer sciences

University of California at Berkeley
Berkeley, Calif.

Patent Examiner

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Alexandria, Va.

Dance

Dance icon
editorial assistant

Journal for the Anthropological Study of Human Movement
Champaign, Ill.

performer & teacher

JUNK Dance Company
Philadelphia, Pa.

Coordinator of Justice, Equity & Inclusion Initiatives

Dance/NYC
New York City, N.Y.

postgraduate associate

Yale School of Medicine
New Haven, Conn.

Design Your Own Major

Design your own major icon
design researcher, anti-harassment tools team

Wikimedia Foundation
San Francisco, Calif.
(Major: Gender & Digital Culture)

Neurologist

Aurora, Colo.
(Major: Psychobiology)

Curatorial Assistant

Guggenheim Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
(Major: Middle Eastern Studies)

Ph.D., behavioral Science

University of Chicago Booth School of Business
Chicago, Ill.
(Major: Theories of Decision-Making)

Digital Wealth Associate

BlackRock
Boston, Mass.
(Major: Organizational Behavior)

design Technician

Rapid Prototyping Lab
School of Engineering & Applied Science
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pa.
(Major: Industrial Design)

Economics

Economics icon
research fellow

Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity
Washington, D.C.

Senior Data Scientist

Uber
Los Angeles, Calif.

economist

UCLA Anderson Forecast
Los Angeles, Calif.

associate process architect

Tesla
San Jose, Calif.

enforcement attorney

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Washington, D.C.

Educational Studies

Educational Studies Icon
Youth Services Librarian

Austin Public Library
Austin, Texas

J.D.

Harvard Law School
Cambridge, Mass.

Art Teacher

New York City Department of Education
New York City, N.Y.

Lecturer

Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, N.Y.

Reading Specialist, Grades 3-5

Harlem Children’s Zone
New York City, N.Y.

PH.D., Curriculum & Teaching

Boston University
Boston, Mass.

Engineering

Engineering Icon
Creative Director

Electronic Arts (EA)
Redwood City, Calif.

Aircraft Systems Engineer

Garmin
New Century, Kansas

Staff Engineer, Cyber Security

Booz Allen Hamilton
Washington, D.C.

Project Manager

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
New York City, N.Y.

Engineering Manager

Idaho Transportation Department
Lewiston, Idaho

English Literature

English Literature Icon
Associate Director, Learning & Development

Sony Music
New York City, N.Y.

Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing

Oxford Brookes University
Oxford, United Kingdom

Associate Acquisitions Editor

The MIT Press
Cambridge, Mass.

Producer

CBS News
New York City, N.Y.

Software Engineer

Slack
San Fransisco, Calif.

Environmental Studies

Environmental Studies Icon
Regional Recreational Event Coordinator, Rocky Mountain Region

U.S. Forest Service
Glenwood Springs, Colo.

Biologist

Food and Drug Administration
Washington, D.C.

Assistant Professor of Environmental Politics

University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Va.

Co-Owner

Silver Leaf Frames
Corrales, N.M.

Neurologist

University of Colorado School of Medicine
Denver, Colorado

Two students use their binoculars to survey the landscape for their academic course
Life isn’t a theoretical construct. Your Swarthmore experiences will teach you how to apply your knowledge.

Film & Media Studies

Film & Media Studies Icon
head of site integrity

Twitter
San Francisco, Calif.

director of strategic initiatives

National Constitution Center
Philadelphia, Pa.

post-production assistant

Warner Bros. Pictures
Los Angeles, Calif.

associate producer

ShoulderHill Entertainment
New York City, N.Y.

independent documentary film editor

New York City, N.Y.

French & Francophone Studies

French & Francophone Studies Icon
Ph.D., French

Yale University
New Haven, Conn.

business coordinator

CNN
New York City, N.Y.

core lecturer

Columbia University
New York City, N.Y.

Attorney

Goodwin Procter LLP
Boston, Mass.

Gender & Sexuality Studies

Gender & Sexuality Studies Icon
Ph.D., psychology

University of Texas at Austin
Austin, Texas

User Experience (UX)

Morgan Stanley
New York City, N.Y.

Staff Attorney

U.S. Court of Appeals
Philadelphia, Pa.

director of communications

National Center for Transgender Equality
Washington, D.C.

German Studies

German Studies Icon
Pediatrician

Oregon Health and Science University Hospital
Portland, Ore.

PH.D., german language & literature

University of California at Berkeley
Berkeley, Calif.

historian

Harvard University
Cambridge, Mass.

business development lead

IBM Food Trust
New York City, N.Y.

Global Studies

Global Studies
Conflicts Researcher

Dechert LLP
Philadelphia, Pa.

Core Product Management

Goldman Sachs
Salt Lake City, Utah

Deputy Director

Chaldal
Dhaka, Bangladesh

Greek

Greek Icon
Ph.d., classics

Yale University
New Haven, Conn.

Professor of Classical Studies

University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pa.

Attorney

Seward & Kissel LLP
New York City, N.Y.

Classics Lecturer

University of Oxford
Oxford, United Kingdom

program manager

ABC Language
San Francisco, Calif.

Medical Student Researcher

Department of Pediatrics,
Stanford University School of Medicine
Stanford, Calif.

History

History Icon
communications director

Fight for 15
Chicago, Ill.

Ph.D., History

Harvard University
Cambridge, Mass.

deputy city attorney,
public rights division

Santa Monica City Attorney’s Office
Santa Monica, Calif.

Editorial Associate

University of Chicago Press
Chicago, Ill.

director of Baseball Operations

Detroit Tigers
Detroit, Mich.

a younger woman and an older woman have a discussion in an office
The more intimate the community, the more opportunities for leadership. Your voice will be heard here.

Interpretation Theory

Interpretation Theory Icon
legal assistant,
speech, privacy, and policy

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
New York City, N.Y.

assistant professor of economics

Bucknell University
Lewisburg, Pa.

domestic violence case manager

HIAS Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pa.

M.Div.

Harvard University
Cambridge, Mass.

digital project manager

Penn Libraries
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pa.

Islamic Studies

Islamic Studies Icon
Mental health case manager

Center for Victims of Torture
St. Paul, Minn.

Ph.D., cultural Anthropology

University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pa.

Clinical Research
Coordinator

Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas

pediatric endocrinology fellow

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pa.

Freelance Broadcast Journalist

BBC World Service
London, United Kingdom

Japanese

Japanes icon
president

Malwin Electronics Corporation
Paterson, N.J.

Head of Data & Insight

Ogilvy
Beijing, China

independent japanese-to-english translator

New York City, N.Y.

Ph.D., organic chemistry

California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, Calif.

investment analyst

BNP Paribas
New York City, N.Y.

Latin American & Latino Studies

Latin Studies Icon
latin american program coordinator

Global Exchange
San Francisco, Calif.

LEGAL Fellow

Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
Washington, D.C.

Master of Public Health

UCLA Fielding School of Public Health
Los Angeles, Calif.

Scientist

AstraZeneca
Gaithersburg, Md.

Linguistics

Linguistics Icon
clinical practice manager & psychologist

Victoria University of Wellington
Wellington, New Zealand

rights manager for nova (PBS)

WGBH
Boston, Mass.

lecturer, sociolinguistics

Newcastle University
Newcastle, United Kingdom

software engineer, text-to-speech

Google
Mountain View, Calif.

Ph.D., Linguistics

Yale University
New Haven, Conn.

special collections cataloging speciaList

Boston College
Boston, Mass.

Mathematics

Mathematics Icon
Investment Director

CVC Capital Partners
Singapore

quantitative data engineer

Moody’s Corporation
West Chester, Pa.

counsel to the assistant attorney general

U.S. Department of Justice
Washington, D.C.

Ph.D., operations research

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Mass.

senior portfolio manager

State Street Global Advisors
London, United Kingdom

Medieval Studies

Medieval Studies Icon
M.A. in Fiction Writing

Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Md.

Ph.D., CLASSICS

University of California at Berkeley
Berkeley, Calif.

assisTant professor of history

Fordham University
New York City, N.Y.

Music

Music Icon
M.D./Ph.D. Computational Neuroscience

University of Chicago
Chicago, Ill.

head of performing arts

The International School of Minnesota
Eden Prairie, Minn.

technical project manager

Portal Instruments
Cambridge, Mass.

assistant professor of musicology

University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Mich.

assistant conductor

Oratorio Society of Queens
Queens, N.Y.

Peace & Conflict Studies

Peace Icon
Staff Attorney

ACLU Capital Punishment Project
Durham, N.C.

Reparative Board Program Manager

Greater Falls Community Justice Center
Bellows Falls, Vt.

special collections librarian

Weill Medical College of Cornell University
New York City, N.Y.

Secondary Education English Teacher

Peace Corps
Benin

product owner, clean transportation growth

National Grid
Boston, Mass.

Philosophy

Philosophy Icon
Postdoctoral Fellowship

University of Oxford
Oxford, United Kingdom

Senior Fellow

McKinsey & Company
Philadelphia, Pa.

M.D., psychiatry

University of Massachusetts Medical School
Worcester, Mass.

threat Intelligence consultant

Recorded Future
Washington, D.C.

Physics

Physics Icon
research group leader

Communication and Collective Movement
University of Konstanz
Konstanz, Germany

applied artificial intelligence researcher

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
Laurel, Md.

national science foundation research fellow

University of California at Berkeley
Berkeley, Calif.

UX Engineer

Netflix
Los Gatos, Calif.

leader, advanced module design

Nokia
Seattle, Wash.

Political Science

Political Science Icon
Civil Legal Advocate

Bronx Defenders
Bronx, N.Y.

project manager, vietnam growth operations

AES Corporation
Hanoi, Vietnam

Legislative director

U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C.

special assistant, office of policy planning

U.S. Department of State
Washington, D.C.

co-founder

Korea’s Social Entrepreneurship Forum
Seoul, South Korea

Roundtable group work
Why go it alone? Our career counselors help you identify and embark on the path that’s right for you.

Psychology

Psychology Icon
Ph.D., Psychology

Yale University
New Haven, Conn.

Researcher

International Baccalaureate
The Hague, Netherlands

medical genetics Researcher

Children’s National Medical Center
Washington, D.C.

managing director, investigations & intelligence

Polaris Corporate Risk Management
New York City, N.Y.

law clerk

Alaska Supreme Court
Fairbanks, Alaska

missile squadron flight commander

United States Air Force
Malstrom Air Force Base
Great Falls, Mont.

Group of people waving and cheering upward
Swarthmore’s 20,000+ alumni are active, global citizens ready to connect with students and graduates. They know how well prepared you’ll be.

Religion

Religion Icon
policy advisor

The White House
Washington, D.C.

rabbi

Agudath Achim Synogogue
Shreveport, La.

remedial project manager

Environmental Protection Agency
New York City, N.Y.

Seminarian in Residence

Old Cambridge Baptist Church
Cambridge, Mass.

Associate Producer

60 Minutes (CBS News)
New York City, N.Y.

Russian

Russian Icon
Program Manager

Russia & Eurasia Program Center for Strategic & International Studies
Washington, D.C.

software engineer

Teachers Pay Teachers
New York City, N.Y.

independent translator & interpreter

Princeton, N.J.

threat intelligence consultant

Recorded Future
Washington, D.C.

Cryptologic Linguist

United States Air Force
Washington, D.C.

Sociology & Anthropology

Sociology & Anthropology Icon
Assistant Analyst

The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies
The Hague, Netherlands

director of policy analysis

Texas Association of Community Colleges
Austin, Texas

M.A., International Affairs

Columbia University
New York City, N.Y.

Resident Physician

Family Health Center
San Diego, Calif.

senior Manager

American Express
New York City, N.Y.

Spanish

Spanish icon
English to Speakers of Other Languages teacher

School District of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pa.

Senior Project Manager

Craft Translation
New York City, N.Y.

Immigrant Victim of Crime Project Coordinator

HIAS Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pa.

Ph.D., Education

Stanford University
Stanford, Calif.

Statistics

Statistics icon
Systems Analyst

Mathematica Policy Research
Baltimore, Md.

Software Engineer

Dropbox
San Francisco, Calif.

fiscal & policy analyst

California Legislative Analyst’s Office
Sacramento, Calif.

Vice President

JPMorgan Chase
New York City, N.Y.

Lead Data Scientist

Under Armour
Baltimore, M.D.

Theater

Theater icon
Actor

Walnut Street Theatre
Philadelphia, Pa

costume designer

Adult Swim
New York City, N.Y.

director Specialist

West Wing Writers
Washington, D.C.

theater teacher

Colegio Menor San Francisco de Quito
Quito, Ecuador

Actor

Delaware Shakespeare Festival
Wilmington, Del.

manager, learning & development

Sony Music Entertainment
New York City, N.Y.

swarthmore facts

Class of 2021
Post-Graduation Plans

Surveyed upon graduation, Swarthmore students indicated the following destinations:

Employment
66%
Graduate or professional school
30%
Travel, other study, or not yet decided
4%

Advanced Study

Swarthmore alumni regularly attend the nation’s finest graduate and professional programs, and Swarthmore ranks third-highest among U.S. colleges and universities for students who go on to earn a Ph.D.

Among those entering immediately after graduation, the top destinations are:

  • Brown University
  • Columbia University
  • Harvard University
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Princeton University
  • Stanford University
  • University of Cambridge
  • University of Chicago
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • Yale University

Employment

Graduating seniors enter a variety of rewarding professional endeavors that take them all over the globe. The most popular geographic destinations for alumni to begin their careers include:

New York City
32%
Philadelphia
22%
Washington, D.C.
12%
Boston
12%
West Coast
10%
Midwest
10%

Class of 2021
Career Fields

Technology & Engineering
28%
Finance & Consulting
27%
Research
16%
Nonprofit & Advocacy
8%
Law & Politics
8%
Education & Teaching
5%
Communications & Publishing
5%

Admission

In an effort to seek a well-rounded class, the admissions staff carefully considers every aspect of the application without a rigid emphasis on any one factor in particular.

Application Deadlines

Fall Early Decision
Nov. 15
Winter Early Decision
Jan. 4
Regular Decision
Jan. 4
Transfer Applicants
April 1

Financial Aid

Fifty-two percent of our student body received a total of nearly $46 million in need-based financial aid from Swarthmore in 2021-22. Swarthmore financial aid decisions do not include loans and do not need to be repaid.

2022-2023 Billed Costs*

Tuition
$58,928
Room
$9,104
Board
$8,922
Student activities fee
$400
Total billed costs
$77,354
Average aid award for full student body
$57,720
* Tuition includes a $750 allowance for all students toward the cost of required course materials.
Please refer to swarthmore.edu/financial-aid for more information.
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Swarthmore College logo

Admissions Office
(610) 328-8300
admissions@swarthmore.edu

Financial Aid Office
(610) 328-8358
finaid@swarthmore.edu

Swarthmore College logo
Admissions Office • 500 College Avenue • Swarthmore, PA 19081
(610) 328-8300
admissions@swarthmore.eduwww.swarthmore.edu