Swarthmore College brings everything to the table: a close-knit community of diverse thinkers, a rigorous curriculum that challenges as it enriches, and a prestigious reputation that fares well in the ecosystem of highly selective colleges. But with this stellar report card comes a highly competitive admissions process, in which far more applicants are rejected than accepted. One way certain strategically minded applicants try to circumvent the competition is by applying in one of the two Early Decision rounds, since admissions officers at Swarthmore, like those at other elite schools, prefer to admit ED applicants over Regular Decision applicants. But just how much of an advantage does applying Early confer?

Well, since Fall and Winter Early Decision applicants to Swarthmore (A.K.A. Early Decision I and Early Decision II applicants) demonstrate their interest in attending by making a binding commitment to enroll if admitted, they are rewarded for this commitment with a heightened shot of admission. For example, only 7.52% of total applicants to the Class of 2029 received acceptance letters, whereas 18% of those who applied in one of the two ED rounds did. That’s at least a 100% increase in acceptance rate!

Swarthmore College Early Decision Acceptance Rate Over 23+ Years

For those of you reading who applied to the Class of 2030, take a gander at the historical data to get the clearest picture of where the competition stands this year.

To state the obvious, the Early Decision round competition at Swarthmore has intensified over the last quarter-century. Yes, there is still an undeniable advantage to applying Early to Swarthmore, but the competition grows more fierce with each passing year.

Admissions Cycle	Swarthmore College Class Year	Early Decision (Fall and Winter Combined) Acceptance Rate
2025-26	Class of 2030	Not Yet Published
2024-25	Class of 2029	18%
2023-24	Class of 2028	15.91%
2022-23	Class of 2027	19.17%
2021-22	Class of 2026	23.78%
2020-21	Class of 2025	24%
2019-20	Class of 2024	24%
2018-19	Class of 2023	26%
2017-18	Class of 2022	28%
2016-17	Class of 2021	34%
2015-16	Class of 2020	36%
2014-15	Class of 2019	36%
2013-14	Class of 2018	33%
2012-13	Class of 2017	31%
2011-12	Class of 2016	29%
2010-11	Class of 2015	34%
2009-10	Class of 2014	33%
2008-09	Class of 2013	34%
2007-08	Class of 2012	36%
2006-07	Class of 2011	37%
2005-06	Class of 2010	50%
2004-05	Class of 2009	45.34%
2003-04	Class of 2008	45.39%
2002-03	Class of 2007	42.78%
2001-02	Class of 2006	49.83%
2000-01	Class of 2005	44.88%

Breakdown of the Swarthmore College’s Class of 2029 Early Decision Applicants

As you may have noticed, the ED acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 was higher than that of the Class of 2028 (18% compared to 15.91%). Despite this bump in acceptance, Swarthmore actually curated a slightly smaller class this year compared to last year, as reported in The Phoenix: “The college also accepted a smaller class than last year to save room for transfer students.” Moreover, Swarthmore admissions officers also noted that “the acceptance rate [for the Class of 2030] could shift slightly if Swarthmore allows students to defer enrollment while selecting others from the waitlist to start in Fall 2025 in their place.”

Ivy Coach’s Assistance Moving Forward for Deferred or Rejected Swarthmore College Applicants

If you’re deferred or rejected for admission to Swarthmore, time is of the essence. Acting within hours or days of receiving this unfortunate news could make a huge difference in your admissions odds for remaining schools. Consider turning to Ivy Coach to get a clearer sense of what went wrong and how to pivot.

First, contact us to schedule a complimentary consultation. For deferred Swarthmore candidates, we offer a PostMortem application review and assistance in crafting a powerful Letter of Continued Interest. For rejected candidates, we provide a PostMortem application review. After probing the strengths and weaknesses of your ED applications, we’ll then equip you with the tools you need to make sense of Regular Decision applications with the help of our team of former elite college admissions officers. But the cart can’t come ahead of the horse, so it all starts with your Swarthmore application.