Swarthmore College might raise connotations of peace loving Quakers, but make no mistake: this school is as hard and cutthroat to get into as any private liberal arts college. And perhaps the most influential factor going into the decision making process that admission officers at this college must make each year is academics. So that begs the question: What kind of GPA is necessary to earn admission to Swarthmore, and how much wiggle room is there for the student who might not have the most stellar grades?

What is a Good GPA To Get into Swarthmore?

Just how competitive is the Swarthmore admission process? For applicants to Swarthmore’s Class of 2029, 7.52% earned admission. For the Class of 2028, this figure stood at 7.46%, and at 6.94% for the Class of 2027.

GPA Percentage of Swarthmore College Class of 2028

The following is the class rank breakdown of Swarthmore’s Class of 2028 members, as reported in the 2024-25 Common Data Set. Unfortunately, the college hasn’t reported any GPA data for recently admitted cohorts, so the class rank data below is the closest to gauging the GPA requirements for admission in the Swarthmore competitive admissions process.

Assessment	Percent in Swarthmore Class of 2028
Percent in top tenth of high school graduating class	89%
Percent in top quarter of high school graduating class	99%
Percent in top half of high school graduating class	100%
Percent in bottom half of high school graduating class	0%
Percent of total first-time, first-year (freshman) students who submitted high school class rank:	31%

GPA Percentage of Swarthmore College Class of 2027

The following is the class rank breakdown of the members of Swarthmore’s Class of 2027:

Assessment	Percent in Swarthmore Class of 2027
Percent in top tenth of high school graduating class	92%
Percent in top quarter of high school graduating class	98%
Percent in top half of high school graduating class	100%
Percent in bottom half of high school graduating class	0%
Percent of total first-time, first-year (freshman) students who submitted high school class rank:	29%

GPA Percentage of Swarthmore College Class of 2026

The following is the class rank breakdown of the members of Swarthmore’s Class of 2026:

Assessment	Percent in Swarthmore Class of 2026
Percent in top tenth of high school graduating class	89%
Percent in top quarter of high school graduating class	100%
Percent in top half of high school graduating class	100%
Percent in bottom half of high school graduating class	0%
Percent of total first-time, first-year (freshman) students who submitted high school class rank:	36%

Further Context on GPAs of Swarthmore College Students

Swarthmore routinely admits 90% of any given cohort of students exclusively from the pool of applicants who graduated in the top tenth percentile of their high school graduating class. In other words, it’s pretty much a de facto requirement for competitive Swarthmore applicants to have near-perfect grades if they want to stand a shot at earning admission. 

However, Swarthmore’s holistic admission approach means that grades are just one of many factors taken into account (albeit one of the more important ones!).

Can I Get into Swarthmore with a Low GPA?

While we don’t have straightforward GPA data to draw on, the class rank data published above do suggest that there is a little bit of wiggle room in the Swarthmore admission process, but not that much. In all likelihood, students with high school GPAs below 3.5 don’t stand much of a chance to earn admission to this highly selective school.

How Ivy Coach Can Help Your Child’s Chances at Swarthmore College

If your child has their sights set on Swarthmore, we recommend setting up Ivy Coach’s Strategy Session. Not only will you find out if your child has a chance of getting into Swarthmore, but you’ll come away with a strategy for optimizing their odds of admission to all elite schools within reach. To learn more about Ivy Coach’s Strategy Session led by a member of our team of former elite college admission officers, fill out our complimentary consultation form, and we’ll be in touch with an outline of our services.