If you’re a student from outside the United States who is considering applying to colleges in the U.S., it can be an intimidating road to look down — let alone to start on. There are the obvious things, like trying to sort out what college is best for you from the thousands of colleges and universities, and then there are the more nitty gritty bits like choosing whether to submit SAT or ACT scores and how to ask a teacher for a recommendation. In this post, we go through what you need to know before applying to Dartmouth as an International Student so you can move confidently into the college application process.
Dartmouth is a small but prestigious university in Hanover, New Hampshire. It’s a member of the vaunted Ivy League, and is known as the outdoorsy Ivy as it tends to attract students who like to be outside in nature nearly as much as they like studying whatever their passion might be. Dartmouth has 4,458 undergraduates out of 6,744 overall students, so it is a predominately undergraduate campus which means the focus is truly on the undergrad students. We love this, because you can access opportunities at Dartmouth that may be reserved for graduate students at larger, but similarly prestigious, universities. This focus translates into every aspect of the community on campus, which includes students from 92 countries.
These students really are the best of the best. Of accepted and enrolled students, 94.5% were in the top 10% of their graduating high school class. Dartmouth attracts top students by offering an exceptional education in a beautiful setting, as well as something that very few colleges do. The university is need blind, and “will never limit access to a Dartmouth education.” They meet “the full financial need of all admitted students,” and they go so far as to apply this need-blind policy to international citizens. Students from 74 countries currently receive financial aid, so if you are going to need financial assistance to attend college in the US and are a top student, Dartmouth may be an exciting opportunity to pursue. You will need to be exceptional, though, as the acceptance rate across the board is a mere 6.4%.
If you’re considering applying to Dartmouth and are already feeling like it’s a little overwhelming, send us an email. We specialize in making the college admissions process smooth sailing.
What is Dartmouth looking for in International Students?
Before we go much deeper, you should determine if you are an international student according to the Dartmouth definition. Colleges across the US have different ways of defining who an international student is, and at Dartmouth they consider an international student any non-U.S. citizen — but with a number of exceptions. Permanent residents of the U.S., undocumented students, and natives of American Samoa or Swains Island are not considered international students. If you have refugee status, have been granted asylum, or fall under a few other very specific categories, you’re also not an international student, so you should verify whether any of these exceptions apply.
However, since it’s the same application for all applicants, knowing if you are considered an international student won’t actually change much about the mechanics of your application process. It will, however, potentially change the strategy of your application process. Below, we break this down more.
Courses + Grades
When it comes to applying to Dartmouth, your courses and grades are by far and away the most important piece of your application. They expect to see high grades in the toughest courses you have access to. They also expect a fully-distributed course load with four years of English (or literature), math, science, foreign language, and social studies. As they look at your courses, they will consider your academic success within the context of your school’s grading system. Dartmouth officials are trained to understand a wide variety of educational programs, but you can explain your particular school system in the Additional Information section if you feel the need to.
Alongside your academics are your recommendations. Think of them as two pillars, both holding up the rest of your application. The grades are the quantitative pillar, and the recommendations are the qualitative pillar. In your essays you’ll share what you want colleges to know, but Dartmouth knows that in the recommendations they’re likely to see not just what you want them to know — but what they need to know.
Dartmouth requires three recommendations, which are the narrative telling of your academic successes and how you may have persevered through struggles. One recommendation is required from a counselor or, if you don’t have one, a school official. The two other recommendations must be from teachers. If your teachers are not accustomed to writing recommendations, you will want to give them a lot of time to work on them in advance of the deadline. It may also be helpful to have one-on-one conversations with your recommenders about what your passions and goals are, so that they can tailor your recommendation to what you’ll be spotlighting elsewhere in your application.
Dartmouth accepts two additional optional letters of recommendation that may be applicable to you. The first is a peer recommendation, and this is something you should do if you have a mentor, supervisor, coach, or close friend who can speak to who you are outside of the classroom. They also allow for a recommendation from an art instructor, which is only applicable if you’ll be submitting an art supplement.
Your recommendations must be written in or translated into English. If they are translated, the translator needs to sign and date the documents, and the translations will be further verified by Dartmouth once they receive them.
Extracurriculars
As the admissions officials are looking at your grades, they’re also looking at who you are as a person. This can be shown through your academic achievement, of course, but it can also be highlighted in your extracurriculars and activities. They want to see focus, but not singular focus that lacks any breadth or signs of exploration and curiosity. They want to see passion and a pursuit of excellence, but not so much so that it seems like you aren’t having any fun. Fun is crucial for Dartmouth, and they want to see you enjoying life. This, to them, is a great sign that you are on the right path for you.
Dartmouth also wants to see you expanding beyond your academic interests to pursue subjects, causes, and potential career paths you care about outside of the classroom. This is what the essay and supplements are for. Stretch yourself by writing stories that spotlight how you engage with something you care about deeply outside of the classroom — although it can be related to something you pursue aggressively in school as well. This is what we specialize in, and we have many resources to help you on your way to writing compelling essays.
Standardized Tests
For the past few years, the SAT or ACT have not been required but would be considered if submitted. In February 2024, this changed when Dartmouth reinstated the testing requirement, which means submitting an SAT or ACT score as part of your application is mandatory beginning with students applying to join the class of 2029. This decision was made after a faculty research group studied the impact of the SAT/ACT on admissions (both when it was required and when it was optional), and determined that the tests are “an important predictor of a student’s success in Dartmouth’s curriculum.” They also found that the scores can provide insight into a student’s educational foundation when a secondary school isn’t well-known to the admissions officers — especially in the case of international students.
Your test scores are a great way of reinforcing your academic excellence, but Dartmouth will look at them within the context of the academic and test prep opportunities available to you at your current school. This means that they don’t expect a student with fewer resources and in a lower-resourced school to get a perfect score. They expect a high score, of course — it’s Dartmouth after all — but they calibrate their expectations to an applicant’s opportunities.
You may be required to submit an English proficiency test, though. If English is not your first language, and your “secondary school curriculum has not been delivered in English for at least two years,” they will require you to submit a TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, or Cambridge English exam. There is no minimum score on these tests, but they share that most admitted applicants “score above 100 on the TOEFL exam, above a 7 on IELTS, above a 130 on Duolingo, or above a 185 on Cambridge English.” You also have the option to do an InitialView interview to further spotlight your English language skills.
Final Thoughts
Dartmouth is committed to bringing international students onto campus, and they want to admit talented and passionate students from around the world. They are looking for someone like you, and want you to show them who you are. Being international comes with all the same expectations as a domestic applicant, and at Dartmouth it comes with the same perks, too, with access to financial aid at a level that is extremely rare in the United States. Now you just have to pull together the academics, recommendations, and essays to show that you’re a perfect fit.
Building compelling applications that spotlight exceptional applicants from around the world is what we specialize in. We’ll help you tell the most important story there is — your own.
If Dartmouth sounds like the place you want to be, send us an email.