Swarthmore College (/ˈswɔːrθmɔːr/, locally [swɑθ-]) is a private liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1864, Swarthmore was one of the earliest coeducational colleges in the United States.[7] It was established to be a college "...under the care of Friends, at which an education may be obtained equal to that of the best institutions of learning in our country."[8] By 1906, Swarthmore had dropped its religious affiliation and became officially non-sectarian.[9]