How to Get into Dartmouth
Founded back in 1769, Dartmouth is an Ivy League school in Hanover, NH. With the Geisel School of Medicine, Thayer School of Engineering, Tuck School of Business, and more, there are myriad opportunities for students to receive one of the top educations in the world.
However, being accepted into this prestigious school isn’t easy. In fact, Dartmouth’s admission rates are among the lowest in the country, at about 7.8%. It’s the smallest of the Ivy League schools, with an undergraduate enrollment that hovers around 5,000 each year.
With such a low acceptance rate, how can you prepare to make a good impression? When you apply, Dartmouth will look for several specific factors.
Read on to learn what we found out about how to get into Dartmouth.
How to Get into Dartmouth: What Dartmouth Admissions Staff Looks for
Your application needs to be carefully crafted and include everything the staff is looking for. The Dartmouth acceptance rate is low, so you will have to do more than just earn a high GPA in high school to convince the staff that you deserve to be there.
Test Scores and GPA
Admissions officers state that they don’t have a required minimum ACT or SAT score for entry to the school. They also do not publish the GPAs of its entering classes, but they do state that 94% of students who will enter in 2023 are in the top 10% of their high school classes.
It’s recommended that you try to achieve an unweighted GPA of at least 3.9 or a weighted GPA of 4.1 or higher. Dartmouth does not require students to submit scores from both the ACT and SAT, just one or the other.
High School Class Requirements
It’s extremely important students know that Dartmouth expects you to take the most challenging classes available during high school. For students interested in pursuing math, engineering, technology, or science degrees, Dartmouth recommends:
- Four years of math, including calculus
- Four years of English
- At least three years of history and social studies
- At least three years of laboratory sciences – four years for engineering students
- At least three years of one foreign language – four years is preferred
If your school offers AP or IB courses, Dartmouth expects you to take them. The admissions staff wants to see that you have taken courses that increased in difficulty with each year.
Dartmouth Admission Tips: The Personal Essay
We know that Dartmouth requires applicants to write a few personal essays. The main essay must be in response to one of the prompts included in the application. You will also need to respond to two short essay prompts in the supplement application.
The prompts change each year. Dartmouth states that students should use the essays to explain something they want the admission staff to know that isn’t conveyed in a résumé.
Do NOT use your essays to discuss your previously-stated accomplishments; those are already reflected in your application elsewhere. Your essay should give staff an idea of why you’re a good fit for the school, who you are, and what issues are important to you.
Dartmouth Admissions: Extracurricular Activities
When it comes to activities, Dartmouth prefers to see a concentration of a few activities in which you developed your talents and interests. It’s quality, not quantity, that matters here.
They want to see that you excelled in those activities, and they will look to see if you added something of value to those groups and activities in which you were active. There are many other tips, recommendations, and suggestions we can help you with when it’s time for you to apply to this selective college. Contact the team at Empowerly now for a consultation to give you the best chance at being accepted into Dartmouth.
