Dartmouth College
The smallest Ivy: a New Hampshire college with a year-round D-Plan, required testing and need-blind admission worldwide.
- Acceptance rate
- 6.0%
- Fall 2025 entering class (Common Data Set 2025-26); applying now for fall 2027
- Students
- 7,273
- 4,715 undergraduates
- International
- 15%
- of students
- Student–faculty
- 8:1
- ratio
- Tuition
- $71,697
- 2026-27
About Dartmouth
Dartmouth College was founded in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock and Samson Occom under a charter signed by New Hampshire's royal governor, and is the smallest school in the Ivy League. In fall 2025 it had 4,715 undergraduates and 2,558 graduate students. Undergraduates study in the School of Arts and Sciences, with more than 40 departments and programs, alongside the Thayer School of Engineering, Geisel School of Medicine, Tuck School of Business and the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies on a 269-acre main campus in Hanover.
Dartmouth runs year-round on the D-Plan: four 10-week terms a year, of which students choose 12, with every class together on campus for Sophomore Summer. That leaves terms free for internships, research or study abroad, and 60% of undergraduates do research. Most classes have 20 or fewer students, the student-faculty ratio is about 8 to 1, and students declare a major in their sophomore year.
Admission is extremely selective: Dartmouth admitted 1,699 of 28,230 applicants (about 6%) for fall 2025. It requires the SAT or ACT from applicants in US high schools, is need-blind for every applicant including international students, and meets 100% of demonstrated need with no loans. It suits students who want close contact with professors and an outdoorsy, tight-knit community in a small New England town.
Vox clamantis in deserto
“A voice crying out in the wilderness” — university motto
Why students choose Dartmouth
Dartmouth is need-blind for all applicants, including international citizens, and meets 100% of demonstrated need with no required loans.
The D-Plan lets you choose which 12 of the year's 10-week terms to be on campus, freeing terms for internships, research or study abroad at the same net price.
Families earning under $125,000 with typical assets pay no parent contribution, and those earning $125,000 to $175,000 get at least full tuition covered.
The Dartmouth Outing Club, the oldest and largest collegiate outing club in the US, runs first-year trips and outdoor programs across the Upper Connecticut River Valley.
Admissions
Fall 2025 entering class (Common Data Set 2025-26); applying now for fall 2027
About 1 in 17 applicants is admitted
1,699 admitted from 28,230 applicants
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
For fall 2025, 1,699 of 28,230 first-year applicants were admitted and 1,205 enrolled. Early Decision admitted 768 of 3,552 applicants (about 22%). Dartmouth does not offer Early Action.
Typical entry requirements
| Testing options for schools outside the US | SAT or ACT; AP exams (at least one math/science and one history, social science or English recommended); IB Diploma predicted or final grades; at least three predicted or final A-levels; or final national exam results (predicted national results not accepted) |
|---|---|
| English language | An English proficiency exam score is required if your first language is not English and your curriculum has not been taught in English for at least two years. Dartmouth does not publish minimum scores on the pages reviewed. |
Deadlines
- Early Decision Binding Next deadline · In 26 daysNovember 1, 2026
Financial aid materials also due November 1; decision and tentative aid award by mid-December; intent to enroll by late December. Last testing date early November.
- Regular Decision Non-binding In ~3 monthsJanuary 1, 2027
Financial aid materials due February 1; decisions late March or early April; reply by May 1. Last testing date in December.
Dartmouth's Dates, Deadlines and Forms schedule and its Regular Decision glossary both give November 1 (ED) and January 1 (RD) for the current cycle. One QuestBridge note on the same page still says January 2; treat January 1 as the deadline. QuestBridge Finalists may use their QuestBridge application in ED or RD.
How to apply
Common App or QuestBridge: Dartmouth Writing Supplement, secondary school report with transcript, school profile and counselor evaluation, two teacher evaluations, SAT or ACT (or accepted international alternatives), and a fee or fee waiver. A peer recommendation is recommended; an art portfolio is optional. Alumni interviews are optional and offered by invitation.
What admissions looks for
- Rigor of the secondary school record, class rank, academic GPA and test scores are all rated very important, with testing read in the context of each student's school and environment.
- The application essay and recommendations are rated very important; Dartmouth recommends an additional peer recommendation.
- Extracurricular activities and character and personal qualities are rated very important, and talent is important.
- Students who value close partnerships with professors and small classes where they speak up, bringing a combination of qualities and viewpoints not duplicated by anyone else.
Tips for applying to Dartmouth
- 1 Plan your testing: Dartmouth reinstated required testing from the Class of 2029, and the last SAT/ACT date is early November for ED and December for RD.
- 2 International applicants can meet the testing requirement with IB predictions, A-levels or national exams, but predicted national exam results do not count.
- 3 Ask a friend for the recommended peer recommendation; it is a Dartmouth-specific way to show who you are outside class.
- 4 Accept an alumni interview invitation if one comes; interviews are optional and arranged after you apply.
- 5 Apply for aid on time even if you are international: admission is need-blind for everyone and aid materials are due with your application (November 1 for ED).
What are your chances?
Sign up to see your personalized admission chances for Dartmouth College
Sign up to see your chancesCosts & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in USD
Dartmouth is need-blind for all applicants, including international citizens, and meets 100% of demonstrated need for all students regardless of citizenship or round, with scholarships, grants and student employment and no required loans. Families with income under $125,000 and typical assets have no parent contribution; families earning $125,000 to $175,000 receive at least full tuition. There is no income cut-off for aid.
- $78,590
- Average scholarship offer, Class of 2030
- No parent contribution
- Families under $125,000 with typical assets
- $71,873, with 100% of need met
- Average need-based scholarship, first-years (2025-26)
- 483 students
- International undergraduates receiving institutional aid (2025-26)
Academics
Academic calendar: Quarters (four 10-week terms, D-Plan)
The D-Plan
Year-round calendar of four 10-week terms; students choose 12 terms, including a Sophomore Summer with their whole class, and financial aid travels to off-campus terms.
Economics
Listed first among the top majors for 2024 graduates, alongside government, computer science, engineering sciences and biological sciences.
Engineering Sciences (Thayer School of Engineering)
Among the top majors for 2024 graduates, taught within a liberal arts college alongside a professional engineering school.
Computer Science
A top-five major at the college where the 1956 Dartmouth workshop launched artificial intelligence as a field and BASIC was created.
Government
One of the five most popular majors among 2024 graduates.
Research
- The 1956 Dartmouth workshop is widely considered the founding event of artificial intelligence as a field.
- Dartmouth faculty developed the Dartmouth Time-Sharing System and the BASIC programming language.
- More than 75 centers and institutes, including the Irving Institute for Energy and Society, support interdisciplinary research.
- 60% of undergraduates take part in research.
Schools & faculties
- School of Arts and Sciences
- Thayer School of Engineering
- Geisel School of Medicine
- Tuck School of Business
- Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies
College Scorecard reports median earnings of $97,434 ten years after entry for students who received federal aid.
Student life
Every student belongs to one of six house communities, each based in a cluster of residence halls with an affiliated faculty residence, and new students arrive with house T-shirts and flags. Undergraduates run more than 160 groups, including the Dartmouth Outing Club, the oldest and largest collegiate outing club in the country, and The Dartmouth, founded in 1799 as America's first college newspaper. Greek life, the Hopkins Center for the Arts and the Hood Museum's 70,000-work collection round out campus life, and Winter Carnival has been held since 1911.
- Six house communities, each with an affiliated faculty residence.
- The Dartmouth Outing Club, the nation's oldest and largest collegiate outing club.
- Winter Carnival, a tradition started by the Outing Club in 1911.
- The Big Green compete in NCAA Division I in the Ivy League, and first-year students start with pre-orientation trips run by the Outing Club.
Housing. All undergraduates are members of one of six house communities based in clusters of residence halls.
Location
Hanover is a small New England town on the Connecticut River in western New Hampshire, across from Vermont. The Upper Connecticut River Valley offers mountains, rivers, lakes and scenic byways, and the Outing Club makes the most of long, snowy winters. Dartmouth Coach buses run from Hanover to Boston's South Station and Logan Airport and to New York City.
Nearest airport: Lebanon Municipal Airport (LEB); Boston Logan (BOS) for most flights
Notable alumni
- TG Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss)Children's author; graduated 1925, and Dartmouth's medical school is named for him and his wife
- DW Daniel WebsterUS senator and secretary of state who argued Dartmouth College v. Woodward; graduated 1801
- NR Nelson Rockefeller41st vice president of the United States; graduated 1930
- TG Timothy Geithner75th US Secretary of the Treasury; AB 1983
- SR Shonda RhimesTelevision producer and writer (Grey's Anatomy); BA in English and film studies, 1991
- MK Mindy KalingActor, writer and producer; BA in playwriting, 2001
- JT Jake TapperCNN anchor and journalist; BA 1991
Frequently asked questions
What is Dartmouth's acceptance rate?
For fall 2025, Dartmouth admitted 1,699 of 28,230 first-year applicants, about 6%. Early Decision admitted 768 of 3,552 applicants.
Does Dartmouth require the SAT or ACT?
Yes. Applicants from US high schools must submit the SAT or ACT, which Dartmouth superscores. Students at schools abroad can use AP, IB, A-level or national exam results instead. The middle 50% SAT for fall 2025 was 1440-1550.
Is Dartmouth need-blind for international students?
Yes. Since the Class of 2026, Dartmouth has been need-blind for all applicants, including international citizens, and it meets 100% of demonstrated need without required loans.
What are Dartmouth's deadlines for fall 2027?
Binding Early Decision is due November 1, 2026 and Regular Decision January 1, 2027. There is no Early Action option.
What is the D-Plan?
Dartmouth runs four 10-week terms a year, and students choose which 12 terms to enroll in, including a Sophomore Summer on campus with their class. Leave terms can be used for internships, research or service.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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