Admissions Factors
What Dartmouth Looks For
Dartmouth rates 8 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, class rank, standardized test scores, application essay, recommendations, extracurricular activities and character and personal qualities.
How Dartmouth rates each factor
Each college sorts 18 factors into four levels on its Common Data Set.
Very important
Important
Considered
Not considered
The numbers behind the class
Overall admit rate
6%
1,699 of 28,230 applicants
Early decision admit rate
21.6%
Early decision admits equal 64% of the class
Admitted from the waitlist
Not reported
96% of those who reported a class rank were in the top tenth of their class.
Frequently asked questions
What does Dartmouth look for in applicants?
Dartmouth rates 8 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, class rank, standardized test scores, application essay, recommendations, extracurricular activities and character and personal qualities.
Does Dartmouth consider legacy status?
Dartmouth rates alumni relation as "considered" in its 2025-26 Common Data Set.
Does Dartmouth track demonstrated interest?
Dartmouth rates the level of an applicant's interest as "considered".
What is Dartmouth's early decision acceptance rate?
Early decision: 768 of 3,552 applicants were admitted (21.6%), against 6% overall. Early pools include recruited athletes and other students with a strong tie to the college, so the gap overstates the boost for an ordinary applicant.
Source: Dartmouth’s own Common Data Set 2025-26, Section C. Last checked 2026-10-08. The ratings are the college’s own description of its process. Counts are for one entering class.
