Dartmouth College Admissions Guide

Overview

Dartmouth College's first-year admissions process is evaluated separately from its transfer process, with its own applicant pool, review committee, and timeline. Most highly selective schools admit first-year applicants at a meaningfully different rate than transfers, so the numbers above should not be assumed to mirror the transfer figures below.

Applicants generally apply through Early Decision, Early Action, or Regular Decision depending on the school's specific offerings, and should weigh the tradeoffs of each round carefully, since binding Early Decision plans and non-binding Early Action or Restrictive Early Action plans have different implications for financial aid and other applications.

What Dartmouth Looks For

• A rigorous high school course load, including the most advanced classes available (AP, IB, honors, or dual enrollment)
• Strong, consistent grades throughout high school, particularly in junior and senior year
• Meaningful extracurricular involvement, leadership, or personal responsibilities that show depth rather than a long list of shallow activities
• Thoughtful, authentic essays that reveal genuine voice and self-reflection
• Strong letters of recommendation from teachers and counselors who know the applicant well

Requirements & Deadlines

• Common Application, Coalition Application, or the school's own first-year application, submitted by the relevant deadline above
• Official high school transcript and school profile
• Letters of recommendation from a counselor and one or more teachers
• Standardized testing policy varies by school and by year — confirm current SAT/ACT requirements before applying
• Decisions released according to the applicant's chosen round (Early Decision/Action vs. Regular Decision)

First-year acceptance rates and deadlines shift from cycle to cycle and can differ meaningfully from the transfer figures below. Confirm current numbers, deadlines, and testing policy on Dartmouth College's official admissions website before applying.

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Overview

Dartmouth's transfer admissions are famously unpredictable. Rates have swung from under 1% in some years to nearly 29% in others, depending largely on how much space opens up in a given class — the college typically enrolls only 'a handful to two dozen' new transfer students annually, in its own words.

Dartmouth uses its own transfer application rather than the Common App, and only accepts applicants for fall entry. Eligible applicants must have completed no more than two years of transferable college credit. Decisions are released in mid-May.

What Dartmouth Looks For

• Completion of at least one full year of college credit, but not more than two years, at the time of application
• Excellent, consistent grades — Dartmouth cites a 3.7 GPA as typical among admitted transfer students
• Special talents or achievements, inside or outside the classroom, that help an application stand out in an unusually small pool
• Evidence that the applicant can make a smooth transition into Dartmouth's community and contribute to campus life beyond academics
• A clear, specific rationale for transferring that goes beyond general prestige

Requirements & Deadlines

• Dartmouth's own Transfer Application (not the Common App), due March 1 for fall entry
• Official transcripts from every college attended, plus a final high school transcript
• A College Official's Report and updated transcript, submitted in May/June with final grades
• Two evaluations from college instructors
• SAT, ACT, or an approved testing waiver; decisions released in mid-May

Dartmouth's transfer acceptance rate varies dramatically from year to year based on available space in the incoming class. Applicants should confirm the most recent cycle's figures and requirements on Dartmouth's official admissions site before applying.