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Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH · 4.5k students

ElitePrivateTownGraduateCampus-baseddartmouth.edu
82.8/100

Trajecta score

+1.5 since '20

Ranked #22 of 2,375

5-year trend

'20'24

80.2 · #21

2020

79.7 · #34

2021

80.6 · #33

2022

81.8 · #28

2023

81.7 · #31

2024

AcademicCareersSuccessAfford.Invest.Access

Academic Profile

96/ 100

Career Outcomes

89/ 100

Student Success

97/ 100

Affordability

57/ 100

Academic Investment

97/ 100

Access & Equity

45/ 100

Academic Profile

96

Career Outcomes

89

Student Success

97

Affordability

57

Academic Investment

97

Access & Equity

45

AI Fit Analysis

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Cost / Net Price

$88k / $30k

SAT Avg

1,534

Retention

98%

Grad Rate

96%

Admissions

5%admission rate
EliteH.SelSelectiveModerateOpen

Test Scores

SAT Range1,534
4001000120014001600
25th: 1,500Average: 1,53475th: 1,570
ACT Range34
118243036
25th: 33Midpoint: 3475th: 35

Scores represent the midpoint of enrolled students, not a cutoff.

Finances

Tuition

In-State Tuition

$68,268

per year

Out-of-State Tuition

$68,268

per year

Aid & Debt

Pell Grant Share

14%

undergraduates receiving Pell

Federal Loan Share

12%

students borrowing

Median Debt

among completers

$17,500

Admissions Factors

What Dartmouth College says it weighs

Self-reported by the school in its Common Data Set (section C7) — the school's own statement of which application factors matter in its admissions decisions.

Source: Common Data Set 2024-2025, what Dartmouth College reports weighing in admissions.

FactorVery ImportantImportantConsideredNot Considered
Rigor of secondary school recordRigor of secondary school record: Very Important
Class rankClass rank: Very Important
Academic GPAAcademic GPA: Very Important
Standardized test scoresStandardized test scores: Very Important
Application essayApplication essay: Very Important
Recommendation(s)Recommendation(s): Very Important
InterviewInterview: Considered
Extracurricular activitiesExtracurricular activities: Very Important
Talent/abilityTalent/ability: Important
Character/personal qualitiesCharacter/personal qualities: Very Important
First generationFirst generation: Considered
Alumni/ae relationAlumni/ae relation: Considered
Geographical residenceGeographical residence: Considered
State residencyState residency: Not Considered
Religious affiliation/commitmentReligious affiliation/commitment: Not Considered
Volunteer workVolunteer work: Considered
Work experienceWork experience: Considered
Level of applicant's interestLevel of applicant's interest: Considered

Supplemental Essays · 2025-26

school's admissions site ↗

Dartmouth College essay prompts

Why Dartmouth (required of all applicants)

Required100 words

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?

Prompt 2, Option A — Let your life speak

RequiredChoose 1250 words

There is a Quaker saying: Let your life speak. Describe the environment in which you were raised and the impact it has had on the person you are today.

Prompt 2, Option B — Introduce yourself

RequiredChoose 1250 words

"Be yourself," Oscar Wilde advised. "Everyone else is taken." Introduce yourself.

Prompt 3, Option A — What excites you

RequiredChoose 1250 words

What excites you?

Prompt 3, Option B — Dolores Huerta

RequiredChoose 1250 words

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 already making—an impact? Why? How?

Prompt 3, Option C — Matt Haig

RequiredChoose 1250 words

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?

Prompt 3, Option D — Jane Goodall

RequiredChoose 1250 words

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?

Prompt 3, Option E — Celebrate your nerdy side

RequiredChoose 1250 words

Celebrate your nerdy side.

Prompt 3, Option F — Kermit the Frog

RequiredChoose 1250 words

"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, outlook, or sense of purpose?

Prompt 3, Option G — Mindy Kaling

RequiredChoose 1250 words

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.

Drafting these? Write them with AI feedback in Trajecta →

Methodology

How these rankings work

The Trajecta Score (0–100) blends six dimensions of public college data into one comparable number, then nudges it by how much data each school reports. Selectivity tiers are separate — they’re based purely on a school’s admission rate.

Read the full methodology

Selectivity tiers

EliteUnder 10% admit rate
Highly Selective10–20% admit rate
Selective20–40% admit rate
Moderate40–65% admit rate
Open65%+ admit rate

Score dimensions & weights

Career Outcomes25%

Median earnings 10 years out, earnings vs. a high-school grad, and loan repayment.

Academic Profile22%

Admission selectivity and the incoming class’s SAT / ACT scores.

Affordability15%

Average net price after aid and the typical debt of graduates.

Student Success13%

Graduation rate and first-year retention.

Academic Investment12%

Instructional spending and faculty salaries per student.

Access10%

Share of Pell-grant students and reliance on federal loans.

Data from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard and IPEDS. Figures are the most recent reported and may lag a year or two. This tool is read-only and not personalized — inside the Trajecta app, scores are tailored to your profile as a fit score.

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