Dartmouth College
Source: dartmouth.md
Dartmouth College
Admissions (Class of 2029 / Fall 2025)
- Total applicants: 31,000
- Overall acceptance rate: 5.5%
- Early round: Early Decision — 18.9% vs 3.8% RD
- Class size: 1,150
- Yield: 64%
Academics
- SAT middle 50%: 1470–1560
- ACT middle 50%: 33–35
- Avg unweighted GPA: 3.91
- Top 10% of HS class: 93%
- Testing policy: Required
Demographics
- Women: 47.1%, Asian: 12.3%, Black: 5.4%, Hispanic: 7.1%, White: 47.1%, International: 15.3%
Financial Aid / Net Cost
| Income Bracket |
Net Price |
| $0–$30,000 |
$11,023 |
| $30,001–$48,000 |
$6,888 |
| $48,001–$75,000 |
$9,349 |
| $75,001–$110,000 |
$18,412 |
| Over $110,000 |
$45,923 |
Athletics
Strong D-I athletics. NCAA Division I, Ivy League Conference.
Notable
Smallest Ivy by enrollment. ED multiplier (~3.5x) is among the highest among all Ivies. D-Plan quarter system gives unique academic flexibility.
Admissions Strategy
- ED acceptance rate ~18.9% vs ~3.8% RD — ED multiplier ~3.5x (among the highest in Ivy League, confirmed by Class of 2029 data)
- ED applications rose 35% between Classes of 2025 and 2028, compressing ED acceptance from 25.1% to 19.2% — increasing competition
- 98% of Class of 2029 ED admits were in top 10% of their class
- Dartmouth explicitly considers "demonstrated interest" — campus visits, admissions officer contact, and social media engagement are recommended on forums
- 15% of Class of 2029 ED admits have rural backgrounds — Dartmouth actively recruits rural students, a distinctive feature
- Forum consensus: ED is "almost essential" for non-hooked applicants given the 3.8% RD rate
Campus Culture & Fit
- Small, close-knit community in rural Hanover, NH — described on forums as the most "tight-knit" Ivy
- Strong outdoor culture — Dartmouth Outing Club is the oldest collegiate outdoor club; hiking, skiing, and camping are central to student life
- D-Plan quarter system allows unique scheduling flexibility (off-term study, internships during non-standard quarters)
- Greek life is significant — forums describe it as more prominent than at other Ivies except possibly Penn
- Known for strong alumni loyalty and network — "Dartmouth alumni are the most devoted of any Ivy" is a common forum refrain
Financial Aid Reputation
- Need-blind for domestic applicants; need-aware for international
- Net costs are higher than HYPSM at most brackets — $11K for families under $30K vs Harvard's $3.8K
- At $110K+, Dartmouth's $45.9K net cost is among the highest in the Ivy League
- Forum consensus: financial aid is adequate but notably less generous than Harvard, Princeton, or Yale — this may depress yield for lower-income admits
Simulation-Relevant Takeaways
- ED multiplier of 3.5x is very high — model should strongly reward ED applicants
- 64% yield is the lowest among Ivies — Dartmouth loses many cross-admits to larger/urban peers
- Demonstrated interest matters — unusual for a top school and should influence application behavior modeling
- Rural location creates strong self-selection: students who apply genuinely want the small-town experience
- Less generous financial aid may reduce yield among price-sensitive admits vs. HYPSM
Sources
- Dartmouth College Common Data Set 2024–2025
- research_colleges.json simulation data
- CollegeTransitions: "How to Get Into Dartmouth"
- The Dartmouth: "Dartmouth offers early admission to first members of Class of 2029" (Dec 2024)
- Dartmouth Admissions blog: rural student recruitment