🏠 Swarthmore College — Parent Guide

🏠 How housing selection works at Swarthmore College

guarantees on-campus housing for all four years and requires all students to live on campus. With approximately 1,600 undergraduates on a compact, arboretum campus, the is central to student life at Swarthmore.

First-Year Housing:Incoming students are assigned to a residence before they arrive. Assignments are based on a lifestyle questionnaire. Most freshmen are placed in traditional corridor-style halls (Wharton, Willets, Dana, Mary Lyon) located in the core of campus. Students cannot choose their first year.

Room Draw:After first year, students participate in a lottery-based room draw each spring. Students receive a random number within their class cohort; seniors draw first, then juniors, then sophomores. Students may form groups to select rooms together. A wide variety of room types is available, from traditional singles and doubles to apartment-style suites.

Senior Housing:Several residence halls and apartments are reserved specifically for seniors, including suites, and the Lodges. These offer a quieter, more independent living environment for fourth-year students.

Substance-Free Housing:Swarthmore offers designated substance-free floors and sections within existing dorms. Students request these through the room draw preferences.

Small Campus Advantage:Because Swarthmore's campus is walkable and densely laid out, virtually every within a short walk of classrooms, the dining hall, and the library. Housing location preference is usually driven by community vibe and room type rather than proximity.