Dartmouth College, an Ivy League institution nestled in Hanover, New Hampshire, was ranked #18 (tied with Vanderbilt) in the 2024 U.S. News & World Report. Founded in 1769, it holds the honor of being the ninth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States. What sets Dartmouth apart is its commitment to undergraduate teaching and its renowned liberal arts curriculum. The college’s tight-knit community, characterized by its strong alumni network and traditions like the iconic Winter Carnival, fosters lifelong connections and a sense of belonging. Roughly 60% of Dartmouth’s 4,500 undergraduates are involved in Greek life and 25% participate in its Division I sports teams.
DARTMOUTH: ACCEPTANCE RATES DROP
After a record low 17% acceptance rate in the binding Early Decision round, Dartmouth College continued the trend with another record low—a Regular Decision acceptance rate of 3.85%.
Dartmouth offered admission to a total of 1,687 students for the Class of 2028 for an overall acceptance rate of 5.3%, down from last year’s 6.23%.
Dartmouth experienced an all-time high of 3,550 students applying ED — an 18% increase from last year’s applicant pool. Dartmouth received almost 3,000 more RD applications this year than compared to the last cycle.
DARTMOUTH ADMISSIONS UPDATES
Dartmouth College was the first Ivy League to announce it would reinstate standardized testing requirements, effective for the Class of 2029.
Peer institutions like Yale University, Brown University and Cornell University followed suit and signaled a return to requiring SAT or ACT scores. Harvard University also recently backtracked from its two-year test-optional commitment and announced it would require standardized test scores.
Maria Laskaris, TTA Senior Private Counselor and former Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Dartmouth College
It’s interesting to note that the test optional admissions policy did not achieve the desired aim of a more diverse applicant pool. As Dartmouth points out, seeing which students are excelling in the context of their school environment will help them identify which students are likely to excel at Dartmouth. Test scores are a key piece of this puzzle. If your scores are 1400 and your high school’s average scores are 1100, that says a lot about your ability and potential.
As MIT’s experience has shown, when test scores are reinstated, application volume will drop — but that’s a good thing as these overinflated applicant pools have placed enormous pressure on the admissions process and students themselves.
TTA Top Tip: “Key to the review of applications at Dartmouth is a deeper look at students’ intellectual and personal qualities. Dartmouth actively seeks students who are unabashed in their love of learning, care deeply about the communities around them, and embody a wide array of experiences and perspectives. So, “celebrate your nerdy side” and “let your life speak!” — Maria Laskaris, former Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Dartmouth
At Top Tier Admissions, we are committed to making the college admissions process more transparent. Easy access to clear data helps families understand trends in college admissions to make more informed decisions. We’re collecting early acceptance rate data at selective schools and providing insight and analysis of our own. For historical data, see our collection of Ivy League and Top College Acceptance Rates and Admissions Statistics, including the Class of 2027 Ivy League admissions data and admissions stats for a range of additional selective schools.
TTA Takeaway: We expect application numbers will fall next year due to the reinstatement of standardized testing requirements. This will likely result in a higher acceptance rate for the Regular Decision round. Still, applicants have much better chances in the Early Decision round, and Dartmouth regularly admits over 50% of its incoming class during ED. If Dartmouth is your first choice and your scores align, we highly recommend that students take advantage of the increased acceptance rate during the early round.
Want To Read More About Dartmouth?
- Get into Dartmouth
- Dartmouth’s Supplemental Essay Prompts
- Dartmouth Reinstates the SAT
- Dartmouth’s Early Acceptance Rate
- Dartmouth Acceptance Rate & Statistics
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