Swarthmore College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the United States. It is considered one of the top liberal arts colleges in the world. All of its 1,400 students are undergraduates. Swarthmore is located in the town of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, around 11 miles (17.7km) southwest of Philadelphia. The school was founded in 1864 by the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Quakers. Swarthmore dropped its religious affiliation and became officially non-sectarian in the early 20th century; however, strong Quaker influences remain.

The pronounciation of Swarthmore is either as spelled or, more commonly, with a dropped 'r'. The school is thus often called Swat for short, and students usually refer to themselves as Swatties. The student body is around 60 percent Caucasian, 15 percent Asian, 10 percent Hispanic, and 10 percent black. The school newspaper is the Phoenix; the yearbook is the Halcyon. Only two fraternities are on campus, with around 5 percent participation. The most popular majors at Swarthmore are political science, English literature, and economics.

Swarthmore's sprawling suburban campus is often described as scenic. Much of the campus is home to the Scott Arboretum, explaining why most trees and shrubs at Swarthmore are labeled by genus and species.