Is Brown harder to get into than Swarthmore?

Brown is typically harder to gain admission to than Swarthmore, based on the scale and intensity of its applicant pool and its more restrictive overall admission rate. Both schools are exceptionally selective. Brown’s larger name recognition, Ivy League affiliation, and broad national and international applicant base create especially heavy competition.

Brown also attracts many applicants because its Open Curriculum appeals to students who want substantial freedom to design their studies. That pool includes applicants with very strong academic records alongside distinctive research, creative, community, and entrepreneurial accomplishments.

Swarthmore’s applicant pool is smaller and more self-selecting. It tends to draw students specifically interested in an intensive liberal-arts environment, close faculty interaction, a residential campus, and rigorous discussion-based academics. Its admissions readers may place particular weight on evidence that a student will thrive in that collaborative, intellectually demanding setting, rather than simply on broad prestige-oriented accomplishments.

In practical terms, treat Brown as the slightly higher-reach option, but treat Swarthmore as a reach as well. A student who is compelling for one may not be equally compelling for the other: Brown may respond strongly to intellectual range and self-directed exploration, while Swarthmore may be especially persuaded by sustained academic curiosity, depth, and engagement with a close-knit learning community.