How to Apply to Economics at Swarthmore College: Admission to the College, Not a Major, an Economics Major With a Senior Comprehensive Exam That Swarthmore Says Is Not STEM-OPT Eligible, and Admission and Preparation for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

Swarthmore College is a liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, about 11 miles from Philadelphia, and has no separate schools. Economics is taught by the Department of Economics, which describes a course major, an honors major and an honors minor. This guide covers fall 2027 entry for US domestic students, international students (including applicants from China) and transfer students. Business and computer science have their own guides on this site, so they are not covered here.

1. Admission and the economics major

• Admitted to the College: Swarthmore says “We admit students to Swarthmore College, not a specific major” and that its most popular major tends to be “undecided.” You do not apply to the department. The pages I read do not say when you declare a major; ask the department (economics@swarthmore.edu) or the Registrar. Swarthmore’s catalog is hosted on an Acalog platform that I did not visit.
• Forms of the major: course major and honors major. The pages do not distinguish a B.A. from a B.S. Honors majors complete three honors preparations in the department and take an external examination on each in the spring of senior year; an honors minor takes one two-credit preparation and at least four economics credits at Swarthmore.
• Entry conditions: the pages I read state no GPA threshold or cap. The department says ECON 001 (or its waiver) is a prerequisite for all other work and must be completed before, not alongside, other courses; first-year seminars are the exception. It also says there are many paths into the field and some professors took their first economics course in their sophomore spring or later.
• Major requirements: a course major needs (1) at least eight credits in economics; (2) the theory, math and statistics requirements; and (3) a passed comprehensive exam in senior year. The theory requirement is ECON 011 (Intermediate Microeconomics) and ECON 021 (Intermediate Macroeconomics). Statistics is typically ECON 031, or ECON 035, STAT 061 with STAT 011 or 021, or STAT 111 (STAT 011 and 021 alone do not count). The department says to finish 011, 021 and 031 before the senior spring semester because the exam covers them. Any economics course may be taken Credit/No Credit within college limits and still counts toward the major.
• STEM: Swarthmore states the major carries CIP code 45.0601 and is not STEM-OPT eligible.
• Focus areas: the department lists courses in development, health, international trade, environment, macroeconomics, game theory, finance, econometrics, industrial organization, labor markets, and race and gender. A separate cross-department Philosophy, Politics and Economics program has its own page, not covered here.
• Research: students can work with faculty in summer, start their own project, or do summer research internships at places such as the Federal Reserve, World Bank or Urban Institute; the Social Science Division offers summer grants with applications in early February. Many research roles require econometrics and statistical software, so the department advises taking ECON 031 early.

2. Preparation and course sequence

• High school preparation: the pages I read do not state a high school math or other course requirement for economics. Swarthmore says it considers the curriculum and opportunities at your school, and says attending a school with AP or IB is not necessary for admission.
• College math: the math requirement is MATH 015 (calculus) or credit or placement out of it through the Math Department. It is a prerequisite for ECON 011 and 021, so complete it before theory; ECON 001 and 031 do not need it. The department strongly recommends MATH 025 or 026 (Calculus 2); for technical work, linear algebra (MATH 027), multivariable calculus (MATH 034) and differential equations (MATH 044); for a PhD, more math including real analysis (MATH 063).
• Sequence: ECON 001, then ECON 011/021 (with MATH 015) and ECON 031 (only ECON 001 needed); advanced courses include ECON 101 (needs ECON 011 and multivariable calculus; juniors and seniors), ECON 102 and ECON 135 (needs ECON 035 and linear algebra).
• AP and IB credit: Swarthmore says credit for AP or IB exams is decided by individual departments in consultation with the registrar. The pages do not say which exam waives ECON 001. AP and IB scores are optional in admission, except that students graduating with an IB Diploma must submit their official IB score.

3. Deadlines and materials

• Fall Early Decision: 15 November, decisions in mid-December; include first-quarter or trimester senior grades.
• Winter Early Decision: 4 January, decisions in mid-February.
• Regular Decision: 4 January, decisions by 1 April.
• The dates carry no printed year (the essay prompts on the same page name the 2026-2027 cycle), so confirm they apply to fall 2027 entry.
• Platforms: Common App, Coalition on Scoir or QuestBridge, with no preference. Submit one application per cycle; an applicant may apply at most three times, counting first-year and transfer. The fee is $60 or a waiver.
• Essays: the platform’s main essay plus two Swarthmore short answers of up to 250 words each.
• Recommendations and reports: school report, transcript, counselor recommendation, two academic teacher recommendations, and midyear grades (or a teacher progress report if your school has none).
• Test optional: you are not penalized for not submitting. The SAT and ACT writing sections are not accepted or considered. You can suppress SAT and ACT scores already sent, and that choice cannot be changed after submission. Swarthmore superscores the SAT but not the ACT. AP and IB scores cannot be suppressed.
• Optional materials: interviews, a video response, arts supplements, a résumé or research abstract; Swarthmore says not interviewing is no disadvantage.

4. By type of applicant

US domestic students

• Swarthmore is private; the costs page lists one tuition figure with no in-state or out-of-state split and no in-state preference.
• Admission is need-blind for US citizens, permanent residents, and undocumented, DACA and asylee/refugee-process students graduating from a US high school; aid meets 100% of determined need and the offers contain no loans. Swarthmore says 56% of students received need-based aid in 2025-26, with an average aid decision of $75,268.
• Swarthmore Tuition Guarantee: starting fall 2027, families earning $200,000 or less with typical assets receive aid that meets or exceeds the cost of tuition. It is available to domestic students only, and the family must complete the aid application (FAFSA, CSS Profile and tax documents) by the deadlines.

International students

• How to apply: first-year requirements are the same regardless of citizenship. An international student who has matriculated at another US or foreign university must apply as a transfer.
• Extra requirement: applicants at schools outside the US, regardless of citizenship, must submit one of these: the Swarthmore Video Response (free, recorded in the applicant portal after you apply), an English proficiency result (TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo; Duolingo must be official, only the highest single-sitting score counts and scores cannot be combined), or an InitialView or Vericant video. The pages I read give no minimum English score and no specific waiver conditions; they only encourage an English test if most of your education was not in English.
• Transcripts: graduates must submit leaving-exam scores if available (for example IB, A-levels, Gaokao, WASSCE) and official reports for national exams taken during high school (such as IGCSE or GCSE). Transcripts must be originals or high-quality copies certified with a school seal and signed by the head of school or counselor; recommendations go on school letterhead and non-English documents need official translations.
• Aid: admission is need-aware for international citizens, but if admitted and you applied for aid, Swarthmore meets 100% of determined need up to full tuition, fees, housing, food, supplies and some personal expenses (with an $800 annual book allowance), without loans. You must tick the aid box on the admission application; you cannot request aid later. Aid documents are submitted only after admission, within seven days of the decision, and admitted students get a CSS Profile fee waiver. Swarthmore says the average aid decision for admitted international students in the Class of 2030 was more than $93,000, and offers four-year aid decisions to the Class of 2030 and later.
• International students are about 13% of the student body.

Applicants from China

• Swarthmore has no China-specific page. It names the Gaokao among leaving-exam scores that graduates must submit if available, but says nothing about cut-offs or how it is weighed: not published. Ask admissions (admissions@swarthmore.edu).
• Regional deans, Swarthmore says, are familiar with grading systems worldwide and review transcripts in the context of your country’s system, taking into account your opportunities and resources.
• Applicants at schools outside the US submit one of the video response, an English test or a third-party video; the minimum English score is not published.
• No requirements are listed for specific Chinese curricula (international tracks, A-Level, IB); transcripts need a school seal and signature, with official translations if not in English.

5. Costs and aid

• 2026-27 (US$): tuition (including an $800 textbook credit) 72,722, housing 11,676, food 10,890, student activities fee 482, total billed charges 95,770; plus course materials and supplies 825 and personal expenses 1,775, with transportation and student health insurance varying, for a total cost of attendance of 98,370. Swarthmore estimates 2027-28 billed costs at about 99,961.
• The pages I read mention no extra charge for economics.
• For the Tuition Guarantee and international aid, see section 4.

6. Transfer students

• Deadline: 1 April, decisions in mid-May; fall entry only. The page prints no year, so confirm it is 2027.
• Eligibility: at least two semesters of college coursework by the end of the current academic year; not available to those with a bachelor’s degree, and applications from students with six or more semesters are discouraged. International students who need financial aid are not eligible to transfer, and admitted international transfers must document complete financial independence.
• Evaluation: case by case; competitive candidates typically have mostly A’s and B’s in a liberal arts curriculum. The pages do not list economics-specific prerequisites (such as calculus or principles) or a GPA threshold for the major.
• Materials: Common App or Coalition, a $60 fee (none for students currently at community or junior colleges), high school transcript or equivalent, transfer college report, official transcripts from all colleges, two academic evaluations (at least one from a recent college instructor), and a mid-term report if currently enrolled. Testing is optional; alumni interviews begin in January.
• Credit: the Registrar reviews each case and sends the evaluation with the decision; there are no articulation agreements. Credit is typically awarded for liberal arts courses, most pre-professional courses such as nursing or accounting do not transfer, and no more than four semesters (about 16 Swarthmore courses) transfer.
• Aid: transfer applicants are automatically considered for the McCabe Scholarship, which covers at least full tuition. Only US citizens, permanent residents and undocumented or DACA students who graduated from a US high school are eligible for aid.

Checklist

US domestic students:

• Apply by 15 November (Fall ED) or 4 January (Winter ED, RD) and confirm the dates are for fall 2027
• After enrolling, plan ECON 001 and MATH 015, then ECON 011/021/031; the comprehensive exam is in senior year
• Families earning $200,000 or less can read about the Tuition Guarantee

International students, including those from China:

• Submit at least one of the video response, an English test, or an InitialView/Vericant video
• Graduates send Gaokao or other leaving-exam results; sealed, signed transcripts with official translations
• Tick the aid box when you apply; ask admissions how the Gaokao is treated

Transfer students:

• 1 April deadline, fall only; at least two semesters of college work
• International students who need aid are not eligible to transfer

Sources: Swarthmore College, Economics; Economics: academic program; Economics: courses; Economics: student research; Apply to Swarthmore; Application materials and deadlines; Standardized testing policy; International students; Transfer students; Costs 2026-27; International student aid; Financial aid deadlines; Tuition Guarantee. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 figures; the deadlines page names the 2026-2027 admissions cycle in its essay prompts but prints no year beside the dates, so confirm them). Check Swarthmore for the latest details.