What a friend would tell you
What Dartmouth is looking for
Dartmouth wants community contributors who will participate in campus life, not passive consumers of an Ivy education. Know the specifics (the D-Plan, a learning community, a DOC trip section) and be ready to explain why the small, rural, tight-knit model appeals to you. Greek life participation is 60%+; pretending you will not engage with it reads as uninformed.
What students wish they'd known
Hanover is isolated. The nearest city of any size is Burlington, Vermont, two hours away. Greek life dominates social life, and if you do not participate, your weekend options shrink dramatically. The quarter system (D-Plan) means constant transitions: friends leave for off-terms, and the social fabric keeps resetting. Winters are long, dark, and cold (below zero is normal in January).
Dartmouth might be a fit if...
- You want the smallest Ivy with the tightest community and are willing to embrace rural New England to get it
- You are drawn to outdoor culture and would use proximity to the Appalachian Trail, ski areas, and the Connecticut River
- You want a quarter system that allows off-campus terms for internships, study abroad, or research built into the calendar
Dartmouth Admissions Strategy
3.9x
Early Decision Advantage
Early Decision admits at 3.9x the RD rate. The trade: ED is binding. Apply only if you'd say yes on the spot.
Early Decision: the numbers
Dartmouth's Early Decision acceptance rate is 17.1% vs 4.4% RD. ED is binding. If you are admitted, you are committing to enroll. This signals strong commitment and gives a meaningful admissions advantage.
Deadlines: ED November 1 · RD January 1
Deadlines: ED November 1 · RD January 1
Test Policy
Test required
Demonstrated Interest
Yes, Tracked
Tracked. Campus visits, info sessions, and opened emails all register. Show up where you can.
Interview
Recommended on campus or with alumni
Yield Rate
68%
68% of admits enroll, which is typical for a selective school. Waitlists here move every year.
Want to boost your odds at Dartmouth and every reach on your list, so admissions stops feeling like a coin flip?
Join the free one-hour workshop from two Harvard grads who have helped 3,000+ students get in. Parents welcome.
Cost & Financial Aid at Dartmouth
$86,799
Sticker Price
Need-blind admissions. Meets 100% of demonstrated need. 57% receive financial aid.
What you get for it: Dartmouth spends about $90,000 per student per year on instruction and student resources, roughly 6x the $15K national average. You see it in class sizes, faculty access, and research budgets.
What Dartmouth Graduates Get
$79,000
Avg Starting Salary
97%
Employed or in Grad School
75%
Graduate in 4 Years
The 4-year number is the on-time rate; the 6-year rate (96%) is the one schools usually advertise. A wide gap means many students pay for extra semesters.
Dartmouth Campus & Culture
The Campus
Dartmouth's 269-acre campus sits on a bluff above the Connecticut River in Hanover, New Hampshire (pop. 11,000). Dartmouth Row, four white clapboard buildings from the early 1800s, faces the Green, a broad lawn that serves as campus center. Baker-Berry Library's 200-foot tower rises behind. The Hopkins Center for the Arts (designed by Wallace Harrison, who also designed Lincoln Center) connects to the Hood Museum. Beyond campus, the White Mountains and Appalachian Trail are minutes away.
The Social Scene
Outdoor clubs, fraternity/sorority culture, Green parties, ski trips, tight community
Dartmouth Traditions & Trivia
Winter Carnival
ice sculptures, ski races, and a polar bear swim, running since 1911.
Homecoming Bonfire
first-years build and then circle a massive bonfire while the whole town watches; touching it is banned, attempting it is legend.
The Lone Pine
'Lest the Old Traditions Fail' gets sung at every major gathering, and somehow everyone knows the words by October.
Academics at Dartmouth
What Dartmouth is known for
Outdoor culture (hiking, skiing), tight-knit community, undergraduate focus, D-Plan
Most popular majors at Dartmouth
Standout programs
Economics, Engineering, Government, Environmental Science, Mathematics
How the curriculum works
D-Plan (4 10-week terms per year); general education requirements; major flexibility
Recommended high school courses
4 years English, 3+ years Math, 3 years Science, 3 years Social Studies, 2+ years foreign language
Notable Dartmouth Alumni
Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel)
Wrote The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham, Dartmouth class of 1925
Mindy Kaling
Actress, writer, and producer, Dartmouth class of 2001
Robert Frost
Briefly attended Dartmouth before dropping out (later taught there)
Shonda Rhimes
Creator of Grey's Anatomy and Scandal, Dartmouth class of 1991
Nelson Rockefeller
41st Vice President, Dartmouth class of 1930
Daniel Webster
Statesman and orator, Dartmouth class of 1801
If you like Dartmouth, also consider
Williams College
Similar rural New England setting with tutorial system, no Greek life, and D3 sports instead of D1
Brown University
Ivy peer with more curricular freedom and a college town that offers more off-campus options
Middlebury
Vermont LAC with comparable outdoor culture, language programs, and community feel
Colby College
Rural Maine LAC with outdoor culture and tight community, less pre-professional pressure
Princeton University
Ivy peer with similar undergraduate focus in a small town, but warmer and less isolated