Dartmouth College acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
Dartmouth College, a private college in New Hampshire, reports a 5% acceptance rate and sits in the most selective band. In practice that means it admits roughly one in ten applicants or fewer, so a strong application is judged against an applicant pool that is already self-selected.
Use this page to see what Dartmouth College weighs, where it ranks among New Hampshire schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1560, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What is the early decision acceptance rate at Dartmouth College?
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, Dartmouth College admitted 21.6% of Early Decision applicants (768 of 3,552), against about 3.8% of everyone else. Its overall rate that year was 6%.
Source: Dartmouth College Common Data Set 2025-26, IPEDS admissions survey, fall 2023. Updated October 30, 2026.
Dartmouth College application deadlines, 2026-27 · Dartmouth College supplemental essays, 2026-27
What do students study at Dartmouth College?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into Dartmouth College?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Dartmouth College, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Dartmouth College?
Your odds at Dartmouth College are not the same as its 5% acceptance rate. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for Dartmouth College in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Dartmouth College hard to get into?
Dartmouth College is most selective: it admits roughly one in ten applicants or fewer, with about a 5% acceptance rate. At this level, strong grades and scores are the baseline, so essays, recommendations, and a distinctive story are what separate admits.
What GPA do you need to get into Dartmouth College?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Dartmouth College, but admitted students almost universally present a 3.9 to 4.0 GPA earned in the most demanding courses their school offers. Dartmouth College reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
Your chances at Dartmouth College by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Dartmouth College for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 6 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at Dartmouth College with a 3.9 GPA and a 1540 SAT?
About 10% (Reach), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.9 unweighted GPA and a 1540 SAT, the middle of Dartmouth College's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 4.0 GPA with a 1570 SAT comes out near 11%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/dartmouth-college.
Early Decision, Early Action and the waitlist at Dartmouth College
From Dartmouth College's own 2025-26 Common Data Set (fall 2025 entering class): sections C1, C2, C21-C22 and D2.
What is the early decision acceptance rate at Dartmouth College?
21.6%. Dartmouth College admitted 768 of 3,552 Early Decision applicants for fall 2025, against 6% of all 28,230 first-year applicants (Dartmouth College's 2025-26 Common Data Set).
Does applying early decision help at Dartmouth College?
On the raw numbers, yes: Early Decision applicants were admitted at 21.6% versus about 3.8% for everyone who applied another way, 5.7x the rate, and Early Decision filled 45.2% of the admitted class. Part of that gap is who applies early (recruited athletes and legacy applicants often do), so it is not all the round itself. Early Decision is binding: apply only if Dartmouth College is your clear first choice and the family can commit without comparing aid offers.
What is the transfer acceptance rate at Dartmouth College?
9.9%: 68 of 689 transfer applicants were admitted for fall 2025 (Dartmouth College's 2025-26 Common Data Set).
Source: Dartmouth College Common Data Set 2025-26. Every figure appears verbatim in the document. See how early rounds compare across colleges in the Early Decision rankings.
How to get into Dartmouth College
Built from Dartmouth College's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
There is no formula that guarantees a spot at Dartmouth College, but the applicants who get in tend to do the same four things. Here is what the numbers say each one looks like.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Dartmouth College carries about a 3.95 core GPA and a 1520 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. At this selectivity that is the entry ticket, not the deciding factor.
The admitted middle 50% is 1500 to 1570 SAT (33 to 35 ACT). Submit a score at 1535 or higher; below 1500, apply test-optional if the policy allows.
Dartmouth College rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
Selective private colleges admit a larger share of their class in binding Early Decision; if Dartmouth College is your clear first choice and the net price works, ED is the single biggest lever an applicant controls. Most early deadlines fall on November 1 and Regular Decision on January 1 to 15; confirm Dartmouth College's exact dates at www.dartmouth.edu.
How many students apply to Dartmouth College, and how many get in?
Dartmouth College admitted 1,797 of the 28,841 students who applied for fall 2023, which works out to 6.2%. 1,206 enrolled. A yield that high means most admitted students choose Dartmouth College over their other options, a sign the school is a first choice rather than a backup. Dartmouth College enrolls about 4,541 undergraduates in total, 48% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Dartmouth College?
Admitted students at Dartmouth College post SAT scores of 1500 to 1570 in the middle 50%, with an average of 1534. On the ACT the middle 50% runs from 33 to 35. A score above 1570 puts you in the top quarter of admits and turns the test into an asset; a score below 1500 puts you in the bottom quarter, where the rest of the application has to carry more weight. Dartmouth College is test-optional: scores are considered if you submit them but not required. Send a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one and let your transcript lead.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What Dartmouth College looks for
What Dartmouth College weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
The factors that carry the most weight at Dartmouth College are rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores. At this level of selectivity, the difference between admits is rarely the transcript alone; essays, recommendations, and a coherent story matter. These ratings come from Dartmouth College's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at Dartmouth College
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does Dartmouth College cost after financial aid?
The full sticker price at Dartmouth College (tuition, fees, housing, food, books) is about $87,793 a year. Tuition and fees alone are $68,268. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $29,519 a year, and it ranges from $41 for families earning under $30,000 to $52,036 for families earning over $110,000. 14% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do Dartmouth College graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Median earnings for Dartmouth College students ten years after entry are $97,434 ($82,541 at the six-year mark). 96% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 98% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $17,500; 12% of undergraduates take federal loans.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How Dartmouth College compares in New Hampshire
Dartmouth College ranks #1 most selective of 7 schools in New Hampshire in our database.
Among the 7 New Hampshire schools we track, Dartmouth College ranks the most selective by acceptance rate. Nothing else in the state is harder to get into; the next tier down includes Saint Anselm College at 78%.
Similar to Dartmouth College
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
Applicants targeting Dartmouth College often weigh Brown University, Northeastern University, and Princeton University, which sit at a similar level. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
Frequently asked questions
What is Dartmouth College's acceptance rate?
Dartmouth College admitted 1,797 of 28,841 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 6.2% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 67% of admitted students enrolled.
What SAT score do you need for Dartmouth College?
The middle 50% of admitted students scored 1500 to 1570 on the SAT and 33 to 35 on the ACT. A score above 1570 is in the top quarter of admits. Dartmouth College is test-optional, so only submit a score that helps.
Is Dartmouth College test-optional?
Yes. Dartmouth College reports that test scores are considered but not required. Submit a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one.
How much does Dartmouth College cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Dartmouth College, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $29,519 a year against a sticker price of about $87,793. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $41 on average.
What do Dartmouth College graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Dartmouth College are $97,434 a year among students who received federal aid, and 96% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does Dartmouth College value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Dartmouth College weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Dartmouth College consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. Dartmouth College's full factor profile is charted on this page, and CollegeCalcAI models a legacy effect scaled to a school's selectivity.
How can I improve my chances at Dartmouth College?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at Dartmouth College specifically.
Can I get into Dartmouth College with a perfect GPA and test scores?
Top grades and scores are necessary but not sufficient at Dartmouth College. At this selectivity most applicants are already academically qualified, so essays, recommendations, and a distinctive story are what separate admits.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.