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Swarthmore College is a small, deeply residential liberal arts school of about 1,437 students set in a leafy borough just southwest of Philadelphia. The campus doubles as a 425-acre arboretum, with wooded hills, gardens, and Crum Woods trails that back right up to the dorms, so it feels more like a park than a city block. Nearly everyone lives on campus, and life centers on the residence halls and the small downtown the borough nicknames the Ville, a walkable cluster of shops and events steps from campus. The Ville hosts a farmers market, a summer concert series, and seasonal celebrations. A SEPTA rail station sits at the edge of the borough, so students hop the train into Center City Philadelphia for museums and bigger nights, while daily life stays on foot.
Swarthmore is overwhelmingly residential, and new students are required to live in the residence halls for their first two semesters, so there is no first-year apartment search here. Most students stay on campus all eight semesters, which keeps social life centered on the dorms. Plan on living on campus when you start.
Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors have the option to live in non-college housing, but the share who actually do is small. If you want to move off, you give formal notice to the Office of Student Engagement before the spring or December housing lottery and file an Intent to Live Off-Campus application on the housing portal in MySwarthmore, so it runs through a campus process rather than just signing a lease. The college does not provide off-campus housing services or mediate landlord disputes, so you are on your own once approved.
The few who move off rent in Swarthmore or spread into nearby towns along the train line, where standard suburban Pennsylvania renting applies. Expect year-long leases, a credit and income check, a security deposit, and often a guarantor. Confirm occupancy limits and which utilities are included before signing.
Housing policies change frequently. Always verify current requirements directly with Swarthmore College before signing a lease.
Because nearly everyone lives on campus, the real first step is the college's process, so file your Intent to Live Off-Campus and give notice to the Office of Student Engagement before the spring or December housing lottery. That campus deadline matters more than any market rush. If you are moving off, the borough has almost no purpose-built student housing, so start looking in late winter or spring for a fall move-in. Check listings often, since the handful of rentals in Swarthmore go quietly and early.
The few rentals close to campus turn over in late winter and spring, so the well-located units are claimed early. Be ready to widen your search to nearby towns along the SEPTA line like Media or Springfield if nothing opens close. Classes start in late August and most leases run a full year, so line your dates up with the academic calendar. Acting during this stretch gives you the best shot at staying near campus.
If you miss the spring window, summer is when units turn over, so it is a reasonable time to catch a vacancy. Subletting is limited in such a small market, so do not bank on a short-term option to bridge a gap. Widening your radius along the train line to Media or Springfield opens up more rentals when the borough is full. Plan around the late-August start so you are not scrambling at the last minute.
The walkable downtown beside campus, the heart of the borough and the easiest spot to live near class, the train, and community events.
Quiet blocks offering houses and the occasional apartment, trading nightlife for calm and greenery.
Livelier towns along the SEPTA line with more rentals, shops, and suburban apartment options a short ride away.
Common questions from students searching for housing.
The borough is tiny with very little rental supply, so a per-person share of a house or apartment near campus usually runs about $700-$1,200/month. Older houses split among roommates land at the bottom, while newer units or places in livelier nearby towns like Media along the train line sit higher. Most students share to keep the number workable.