How do Amherst and Swarthmore compare for undergraduate research opportunities?

Both Amherst and Swarthmore are very strong for undergraduate research, and at either school it is realistic to get involved early because neither has graduate students competing for most faculty attention.

In practice, professor access is excellent at both places. Amherst’s small classes and advising model make it easier to build close relationships quickly, and many students join labs or independent projects by reaching out directly after taking a class. Because Amherst is part of the Five College Consortium, students can also tap into research relationships and courses at UMass, Smith, Mount Holyoke, and Hampshire, which can broaden options in some fields.

Swarthmore tends to feel slightly more intensely intellectual day to day, and that can translate into a campus culture where research and close faculty mentorship are especially central. Students often take on meaningful responsibilities rather than routine support work, partly because faculty are used to working closely with undergraduates from the start.

If you want maximum flexibility in shaping your coursework while still having strong access to research, Amherst may have a slight edge. If you want a campus where the academic culture is a bit more uniformly centered on deep scholarly engagement and faculty collaboration, Swarthmore may have the edge.