St. Mary's vs. Swarthmore

Should I go to St Mary's College of Maryland or Swarthmore College? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if St. Mary's or Swarthmore is the better college for you. The CollegeSimply comparison tool allows side-by-side comparison of 50+ statistics and facts for over 2,500 colleges and universities.

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St Mary's College of Maryland vs. Swarthmore College comparison
St Mary's College of Maryland Swarthmore College College 3 College 4
St Mary's College of Maryland Swarthmore College
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Overview

St. Mary's Swarthmore
Location St. Mary's City, MD Swarthmore, PA
Setting Distant Rural Large Suburban
Enrollment 1,520 1,625
Type Public 4 Year Private 4 Year
National Ranking #143 #40
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website smcm.edu swarthmore.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

St. Mary's Swarthmore
Tuition (In State) $12,116 $58,928
Tuition (Out of State) $28,192 $58,928
Room & Board $14,146 $18,026
Avg Net Price $20,714 $20,715
Avg Grant Aid $10,265 $47,703
% Receiving Grant Aid 94% 63%

Admission

St. Mary's Swarthmore
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 2,934 14,707
Admitted 2,268 1,019
Acceptance Rate 77.3% 6.9%
Enrolled % 18.1% 42.5%
Avg High School GPA 3.45 3.9
Typical High School Grades B+ A-
Admissions Standards Difficult Elite
Applicant Competition Extreme
ACT Range 28/30 32/35
SAT Range 1130/1370 1440/1560
Submit Test Scores Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional) Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline Jan 15, 2025 Jan 4, 2025

Academics

St. Mary's Swarthmore
Student to Faculty Ratio 10:1 8:1
Popular Majors
  • Social Sciences (28%)
  • Psychology (18%)
  • English and Literature (13%)
  • Biology (11%)
  • History (6%)
  • Social Sciences (29%)
  • Biology (11%)
  • Foreign Languages (8%)
  • Psychology (7%)
  • English and Literature (7%)

Outcomes

St. Mary's Swarthmore
Graduation Rate 79% 95%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $51,500 $65,800
Making Student Loan Payments 82% 87%
Median Student Loan Debt $20,370 $19,500
Median Loan Payment $210 $201

Diversity

St. Mary's Swarthmore
% Men 41% 49%
% Women 59% 51%
Racial Diversity Low Very High
HBCU No No
% White 71% 42%
% Black 8% 6%
% Hispanic 8% 13%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 5% 8%
% International 1% 11%
% Unknown Race 3% 3%

Students

St. Mary's Swarthmore
% In-State 87% 10%
% Out-of-State 12% 75%

Campus

St. Mary's Swarthmore
Campus Housing Yes Yes
Freshman Dorm Required No Yes
Meal Plan Yes Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes No No
Daycare Facility No No
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • Swarthmore College is larger than than St. Mary's based on total student enrollment (1,625 students vs. 1,520 students)

St. Mary's vs. Swarthmore Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, St. Mary's or Swarthmore?

  • Swarthmore College is 386.4% more expensive to attend than St. Mary's for in-state tuition ($58,928.00 vs. $12,116.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 109% higher at Swarthmore than St Mary's College of Maryland ($58,928.00 vs. $28,192.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at St Mary's College of Maryland than Swarthmore ($20,714 vs. $20,715)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at St Mary's College of Maryland are 27.4% lower than costs at Swarthmore College ($14,146 vs. $18,026)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at St Mary's College of Maryland than Swarthmore College (94% vs. 63%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Swarthmore College students is 364.7% larger than aid received St Mary's College of Maryland ($47,703 vs. $10,265)

St. Mary's vs. Swarthmore Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, St. Mary's or Swarthmore? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Swarthmore or St. Mary's .

  • The average SAT score at Swarthmore College (1431) is 286 points higher than at St. Mary's (1145)
  • Incoming Swarthmore students have a 7 point higher average ACT score (32) than students at St. Mary's (25)
  • Accepted freshman Swarthmore students have a 0.45 point higher average high school GPA (3.9) than students at St. Mary's (3.45)
  • St. Mary's has a higher acceptance rate (77.3%) than Swarthmore (6.9%)

St. Mary's vs. Swarthmore Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, St. Mary's or Swarthmore? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Swarthmore and St. Mary's.

  • The graduation rate at Swarthmore is higher than St Mary's College of Maryland (95% vs. 79%)
  • Graduates from Swarthmore College earn on average $14,300 more per year than St. Mary's graduates after ten years. ($65,800 vs. $51,500)
  • Swarthmore College students graduate with a $870 lower median federal student loan debt than St. Mary's graduates. ($19,500 vs. $20,370)
  • Swarthmore graduates are paying $9 less per month on federal student loans than St. Mary's graduates. ($201 vs. $210)
  • More Swarthmore graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former St. Mary's students, three years after graduation. (87% vs. 82%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/