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Throughout the ’90s, Dartmouth College sported an acceptance rate between 21% and 26%. By around 2010, that figure had fallen to 12-13%. In 2023, the school posted a record-low admit rate for the fourth consecutive year. As with any Ivy League school, every successful Dartmouth applicant possesses a glowing transcript, standardized test scores above the 95th percentile (usually higher), and brag-worthy talents that extend outside of the classroom. Now receiving 30,000+ applications each year, Dartmouth will only make offers of admission to around 1,700. Accordingly, finding out whether or not you are a competitive applicant to Dartmouth will take some research.

To accomplish these goals, we will touch on the following topics:

• Dartmouth’s Class of 2029 acceptance rate (plus how to predict your chances with our free admissions calculator)
• Where is Dartmouth College?
• Is Dartmouth an Ivy League school?
• Dartmouth’s Class of 2028 ED acceptance rate
• GPA, SAT, ACT, and class rank of accepted Dartmouth applicants
• Admissions trends from the Class of 2029
• Why being “well-rounded” won’t help you get into Dartmouth.
• How Dartmouth evaluates applicants
• A look at the demographics of Dartmouth undergraduates
• The percent of accepted students that attend the college (yield rate)
• Tips for applying to Dartmouth
• How to write the Dartmouth supplemental essays 
• How to assess whether applying to Dartmouth is even worth the $80 application fee (for you)

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Where is Dartmouth College?

Dartmouth is located in Hanover, New Hampshire. Hanover is a small town in Western New Hampshire in the Upper Connecticut River Valley. The river itself is the border between New Hampshire and neighboring Vermont. Hanover has a population of only 11,000. Dartmouth students make up roughly half the population.

Is Dartmouth an Ivy League school?

Yes, Dartmouth is indeed one of the eight Ivy League schools. Established in 1769, it is the second youngest Ivy—only Cornell was established later.

Dartmouth Acceptance Rate – Class of 2029

For the Class of 2029, there were 28,230 applications (down 10% from the previous year). Of these hopefuls, 1,702 students were accepted, which means Dartmouth’s acceptance rate was 6%.

Historical Dartmouth acceptance rates are as follows:

Dartmouth Early Decision (ED) Acceptance Rate – Class of 2028

Dartmouth hasn’t released the numbers, so we’re left wondering how many of the 3,550 early decision applications received in the 2024-25 admissions cycle were successful. Last year, Dartmouth accepted 606 students from its ED applicant pool, so it’s likely that its ED acceptance rate remains around 17% (3x the rate of the regular round).

What GPA do you need to get into Dartmouth?

Dartmouth does not publish average GPA, but based on class rank data and the average GPA at its peer institutions, we’d recommend aiming for a 3.75+ (and as close to a 4.0 as possible).

What class rank do you need to get accepted to Dartmouth?

Among enrolled 2024-25 first-year students, an incredible 93% placed in the top 10% of their graduating class, while 99% hailed from the top quarter.

What is the minimum SAT or ACT score for Dartmouth?

According to the most recent official statistics available (Class of 2024), the mid-50% SAT range for enrolled freshmen was 1440-1560; the ACT range was 32-35.

The university also recently released average score ranges for those accepted ED to the Class of 2028. 75% of admitted applicants submitted scores with their applications, and the mid-50% SAT score range was 1480-1560.

Admissions Trends & Notes – Class of 2028 and 2029

• The ED acceptance dropped from 21% for the Class of 2027 to 17% for the Class of 2028.
• Early decision applications held steady while overall applications decreased by 10% (likely due to the change in Dartmouth’s test-optional policy).
• Dartmouth is not test-optional. Going forward, Dartmouth has reactivated the standardized testing requirement.
• More than a quarter of the Class of 2028 were valedictorians or salutatorians.
• 56% of the Class of 2028 attended a public high school.
• 17% of Class of 2028 enrolled students were the first in their family to attend college.
• 98% of Class of 2029 ED admits were in the top 10% of their class.
• 15% of Class of 2029 ED admits have a rural background.

Being “Well-Rounded” is Not Enough

Dartmouth is looking for young people who are among the best, or, have the potential to be among the very best at something in the world. They are less interested in a “jack-of-all-trades, master of none” type of individual. Just look at the list of notable Dartmouth alumni and you’ll get a sense of what the college is looking for: the next generation of politicians (Nelson Rockefeller, Kristen Gillibrand), award-winning writers (Dr. Seuss, Robert Frost), scientists (Samuel Katz, inventor of the measles vaccine), intellectuals (countless), and actors and actresses (Meryl Streep, Mindy Kaling).

For advice about how to stand out on the extracurricular front, check out our previous blog entitled How Many Extracurricular Activities Do I Need for College?

How Dartmouth Evaluates Applicants

In the words of the Dartmouth Office of Admissions: “Every student we admit brings something unique to the community: a combination of qualities, experiences, and point-of-view that isn’t duplicated by any other student.”

Dartmouth ranks the following categories as being “very important” to the admissions process: rigor of secondary school record, class rank, GPA, standardized test scores, application essay, recommendations, extracurricular activities, and character/personal qualities. Only talent/ability is rated as “important,” and interviews, first-generation status, legacy status, geographic residence, volunteer work, work experience, and the level of an applicant’s interest are “considered.”

Outside of the classroom, Dartmouth is not going to be impressed that you filled the ten spaces on the Common App activities list. Instead, they look for genuine excellence in one or more activities. For example, you won a prestigious international math competition, you are one of the top cellists in the United States, you published original scientific research, or you started a charitable organization that made a monumental impact. Of course, being a star athlete can also help. Dartmouth’s 35 Division I sports teams suit up 25% of the undergraduate population. Accordingly, recruited athletes will enjoy an edge in the admissions process.

Who Actually Gets Into Dartmouth?

Let’s look at the demographics of the Class of 2028.

Geographically, the Class of 2028 hailed from the following regions:

• Mid-Atlantic: 20%
• South: 19%
• West: 19%
• Mid-West: 9%
• New England: 18%

Competition is stiffest among those hailing from states with endless streams of qualified applicants (the entire Northeast & the West Coast). If you hail from the Deep South or a less-populated state like Montana or Idaho, your location is more likely to provide a boost to your admissions chances.

Additionally, 16% of Class of 2028 members were international students. Historically, the countries that are most represented on campus are:

1. Canada
2. China
3. U.K.
4. India
5. Brazil

Looking at ethnic identity, the breakdown of Class of 2028 enrolled undergrads is as follows (percentages do not add up to 100% as applicants can list multiple races):

• White: 47.8%
• Asian: 21.7%
• Hispanic: 12.6%
• African American: 10.5%
• Native American/Indigenous: 5.3%
• Two or more races: 8.2%

Type of Secondary School:

• Public School: 56%
• Independent Schools: 39%
• Religious Schools: 5%
• Total Number of High Schools: 1,003

Dartmouth Yield Rate

Dartmouth’s yield rate—the percentage of accepted students who elect to enroll, divided by the total number of students who are admitted—is 69%, up seven points in the past two years. This number is on the high side when compared to other highly selective colleges and universities. For comparison, elite schools such as Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon, Vanderbilt, Rice, Emory, and Georgetown all have yield rates under 50%.

Tips for Applying to Dartmouth

If you plan on joining the 30,000+ Dartmouth hopefuls for the next admissions cycle, you should know the following:

• The school is reinstating its standardized testing requirement for the Class of 2029. Accordingly, if you are applying during the 2025-26 admissions cycle, you will need to submit SAT or ACT scores alongside your application.
• Dartmouth does for its applicants. Interviews for early decision candidates are scheduled in November and interviews for regular decision applicants are scheduled between December and mid-February. All interviews are both informative and evaluative.
• Dartmouth does consider “demonstrated interest” so, if possible, it is a good idea to make a campus visit, contact an admissions officer, connect with the college on social media, and/or attend any local presentations by admissions officials at college fairs.

Essays

Make sure to dedicate sufficient time and effort to the supplemental essays and short answers required by Dartmouth. In the 2025-26 cycle, they were as follows:

Essay #1

As you seek admission to Dartmouth’s Class of 2030, what aspects of the college’s academic program, community, and/or campus environment attract your interest? How is Dartmouth a good fit for you? (100 words)

Essay #2

Option 2: Labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta recommended a life of purpose. “We must use our lives to make the world a better place to live, not just to acquire things,” she said. “That is what we are put on the earth for.” In what ways do you hope to make—or are you making—an impact? Why? How?

Option 3: In an Instagram post, best-selling British author Matt Haig cheered the impact of reading. “A good novel is the best invention humans have ever created for imagining other lives,” he wrote. How have you experienced such insight from reading? What did you read and how did it alter the way you understand yourself and others?

Option 4: The social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees have been the focus of Dame Jane Goodall’s research for decades. Her understanding of animal behavior prompted the English primatologist to see a lesson for human communities as well: “Change happens by listening and then starting a dialogue with the people who are doing something you don’t believe is right.” Channel Dame Goodall: Tell us about a moment when you engaged in a difficult conversation or encountered someone with an opinion or perspective that was different from your own. How did you find common ground?

Option 5: Celebrate your nerdy side.

Option 6: “It’s not easy being green…” was the frequent refrain of Kermit the Frog. How has difference been a part of your life, and how have you embraced it as part of your identity and outlook?

Option 7: The Mindy Kaling Theater Lab will be an exciting new addition to Dartmouth’s Hopkins Center for the Arts. “It’s a place where you can fail,” the actor/producer and Dartmouth alumna said when her gift was announced. “You can try things out, fail, and then revamp and rework things… A thing can be bad on its journey to becoming good.” Share a story of failure, trial runs, revamping, reworking, or journeying from bad to good.

For detailed advice on how to approach the Dartmouth essays, visit our blog: Dartmouth College Supplemental Essay Prompts and Tips.

Should I apply to Dartmouth?

If you are at the very top of your class, have taken a rigorous curriculum, have near-perfect test scores, and “stand out” in a particular area, you could have a fighting chance of acceptance at this excellent institution. That said, Dartmouth remains a “reach” school for the vast majority of students.

Dartmouth Acceptance Rate – Final Thoughts

If you are academically qualified, there is no harm in filling out a Dartmouth application, but—as with all ultra-elite colleges in 2025—even the strongest applicants need to have an array of “Target” and “Safety” schools selected. For more on this, consult our blog—How to Create the Perfect College List.

Ready to start crafting your college applications? Consider checking out the following:

• Should You Start College Applications in the Summer?
• What is Demonstrated Interest?
• Do Colleges Look at Social Media?
• College Fair Advice for High School Students
• How to Complete the Common App Activities List
• Common App Essay Prompts
• 25 Inspiring College Essay Topic Ideas