Swarthmore College vs Williams College

Swarthmore, PA · Williamstown, MA · largest Scorecard gap: median debt at graduation

Scorecard match plate

Pair PA:MA

PRIVATE-NP-PAIR · CROSS-STATE · ACCEPT-TIGHT · NET-SPLIT · EARN-SPLIT · DEBT-SPLIT · COMPLETE-HIGH · GAP-DEBT

  • PRIVATE-NP-PAIR Private nonprofit pair
  • CROSS-STATE PA × MA
  • ACCEPT-TIGHT Tight admission
  • NET-SPLIT Net-price split
  • EARN-SPLIT Earnings split
  • DEBT-SPLIT Debt split
  • COMPLETE-HIGH High completion
  • GAP-DEBT Largest gap · Median Debt at Graduation

Instrument codes from this pair's College Scorecard ownership, geography, acceptance, net price, earnings, debt, and completion, plus the TWIN-TIGHTEN · adm · 2013–2023 decade-path stamp below, not a ranking or recommendation.

Decade path · College Scorecard

Both acceptance rates tightened, 2013–2023

TWIN-TIGHTEN · adm · 2013–2023

Swarthmore College and Williams College each posted a directional decline in acceptance rate over the same College Scorecard window. The squeeze is shared; the magnitude is close.

  • Swarthmore College: acceptance rate tightened -51.5% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.88).
  • Williams College: acceptance rate tightened -41.3% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.80).
  • Swarthmore College: net price ranged $18,157–$24,166 across 11 years (2013–2023); endpoint change -22.7% is not a trend (r² 0.29).
  • Williams College: net price ranged $14,739–$26,775 across 11 years (2013–2023); endpoint change -29.1% is not a trend (r² 0.09).

College Scorecard institution series; dollars are nominal. Direction claims require r² ≥ 0.40 on the fitted annual slope, otherwise the page reports the observed range. Descriptive history, not a recommendation.

Scorecard metrics

Cards ordered by relative gap on this pair. Teal = better side.

Largest gaps: Swarthmore College vs Williams College

  1. MEDIAN-DEBT-AT-GRA Williams College leads on median debt at graduation ($12,761 vs $17,500 at Swarthmore College)
  2. AVG-NET-PRICE Williams College leads on avg net price ($17,716 vs $23,149 at Swarthmore College)
  3. MEDIAN-EARNINGS-(6 Williams College leads on median earnings (6 yr) ($71,754 vs $56,211 at Swarthmore College)

Swarthmore College profile · Williams College profile · Compare other colleges

Median Debt at Graduation and other Scorecard questions

On median debt at graduation, who leads between Swarthmore College and Williams College?
Williams College leads on median debt at graduation at $12,761 versus $17,500 at Swarthmore College. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On avg net price, who leads between Swarthmore College and Williams College?
Williams College leads on avg net price at $17,716 versus $23,149 at Swarthmore College. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On median earnings (6 yr), who leads between Swarthmore College and Williams College?
Williams College leads on median earnings (6 yr) at $71,754 versus $56,211 at Swarthmore College. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard College Scorecard institution outcomes (earnings, completion, debt); median debt at graduation focus for this pair · 2025