Swarthmore College was the only college in Delaware County to crack Niche’s top 50 list of bests colleges in the U.S. for 2025, but two other colleges in the county did make it on to the top 100 best, writes Ryan Mulligan for Philadelphia Business Journal.

Swarthmore ranked at No. 38 nationally, down five spots from its No. 33 ranking in 2024. 

The school comes in 4^th on a Niche sub-list of the nation’s most diverse universities. It ranked third in the category last year.

It also ranked as the fifth best liberal arts college. Haverford College ranks No. 12 in the same category.

Looking at other Delaware County colleges, Villanova University sits 64 ^th on the national list, down from 56^th last year. 

Haverford College moved up two spots from last year, coming in at No. 68 nationally for 2025.

All of the schools are in Niche’s top tier, earning “A+” grades.

Niche ranks take into account more than 500,000 reviews from college students, along with admissions data, diversity, tuition and salaries for graduates.

Student social and athletic experiences are factored in as well, along with campus appearance. 

See the entire list of Niche rankings in the Philadelphia Business Journal.