Swarthmore College
PA-8: Affordability and Access

1. Swarthmore has a Need Based Financial Assistance policy                       
2. Loan Free Financial Aid Awards see link for brief descriptions of "1" and 2"- http://www.swarthmore.edu/admissions-aid/paying-swarthmore                                                                                                           
3. Study Abroad: 
We have equitable study abroad policies. Off-campus study (domestic and international) programs cost the same for all students, so if you are from a low-income background, your study abroad options aren't limited to low-cost programs. In addition, Swarthmore provides additional funding for plane tickets, meals, and local transportation abroad.                                                              
4. Funded Internships: You do not need to choose a paid internship over nonprofit or community work. The College provides internship funding programs to help cover your expenses while you pursue unpaid work.                               
5. Numerous Other: the Emergency Fund for low income students for a variety of uses (books, medical expenses, emergency travel, travel for externships, etc). Travel Fund for family members to attend a college event (sports, performances, graduation, etc).  And funds to assist students with taking summer courses when the student is behind in credits.

Technically the college has no official policies for non-traditional students, however, in practice, we support such students very much through other policies and practices. See descriptions of case by case programs below
a. Students who attend part-time: No official policy/program. 
b. Students with dependents other than a spouse or partner: See response to c.
c. Single parents: For b and c, Swarthmore rarely has such students and there is no official policy. However, Swarthmore does accommodate such students on a case by case bases and has, at least once in the past, assisted with finding housing and childcare and other support for a single mother student.
d. Students who work full-time while enrolled: very few students work full time at Swarthmore. No particular policies for such students.
e. Students who are financially independent from parents: Swarthmore has no specific policy for financially independent students, however, there are numerous scholarships/grants/other asst. for low income students, from which financially independent students can benefit.  
f. Students who did not receive a standard secondary school diploma but who earned some type of certificate of completion: No particular policy to assist.

Most information was assembled from the 2018-2019 Swarthmore College Fact Book. Data on low-income students was from the HEOA Graduate Rate report (see swarthmore.edu/institutional-research/higher-education-act-graduation-rates), and includes the sum of student recipients of Pell grants and Subsidized Staffor Loans. The percentage of students graduating with no student loans is from the Common Data set: http://swarthmore.edu/institutional-research/common-data-set.