Dartmouth Academic Requirements: GPA, SAT Scores, & What Matters
Hanover, New Hampshire · Private
Avg GPA
4.11
Top 10% of Class
96%
Rec Units
20
Test Policy
Test Required
SAT Mid 50%
1440-1550
ACT Mid 50%
32-35
What GPA do you need to get into Dartmouth?
Dartmouth's Common Data Set doesn’t publish a GPA distribution for admitted or enrolled students. The field is left blank in the 2025-26 release. What the CDS does report is class rank, and the picture there is sharp. Of enrolled students who provided a class rank, 96% were in the top tenth of their high school graduating class, 99% were in the top quarter, and 100% were in the top half. No enrolled student came from the bottom half of their class.
The class rank figures carry an important caveat. Only 44% of enrolled Dartmouth students had a class rank reported in their application file, because many US high schools no longer rank students. The figures above describe the rank distribution of that 44%; the remaining 56% are unranked. For applicants from non-ranking schools, the absence of a rank does not put them at a disadvantage, but it does shift the weight of evaluation toward rigor, GPA, test scores, and the school profile that admissions officers use to contextualize academic performance.
Class Rank | % of Enrolled Students (of those reporting) |
Top 10% of class | 96% |
Top 25% of class | 99% |
Top 50% of class | 100% |
Bottom 50% | 0% |
Class rank submission rate | 44% of enrolled |
Source: CDS 2024-25. Only includes the 30% of enrolled students who reported rank.
Class rank
96%Top 10%3%Top 11-25%1%Top 26-50%
Source: CDS 2025-26
Dartmouth doesn’t publish an average GPA, so class rank is the published signal of academic positioning. Among ranked enrollees, 96% came from the top tenth, and class rank is one of eight factors Dartmouth rates Very Important.
How does Dartmouth actually evaluate your academic record?
Dartmouth rates four academic factors as "Very Important" in its CDS: rigor of secondary school record, GPA, class rank, and standardized test scores. Princeton and Stanford also weight all four at the top tier. Yale rates test scores "Considered," consistent with the test-flexible policy it's now leaving behind, and Penn rates them "Considered" in a test-optional cycle that's also been reinstated. Harvard publishes a flat profile, with no academic factor rated above "Considered." Where Dartmouth sits in that picture is heavy but not alone: four academic factors at the top tier, evaluated together rather than ranked against each other.
Inside that frame, officers read every academic data point against the applicant's school context. A 1500 SAT from a school where the median is 1450 reads as outperformance. The same 1500 from a school where the median is 1550 reads as middle of pack. School profiles, which most US high schools send alongside the transcript, give officers the comparison data they need to read scores correctly. The CDS-level weights describe what gets evaluated. The reading practice describes how.
Dartmouth's quarter calendar shapes what the academic file should show. The D-Plan runs three ten-week terms instead of a fifteen-week semester, which means courses move faster and the workload compounds quickly. Applicants who've already worked above grade level (AP exams in subjects beyond what their school offers, dual-enrollment courses at a local college, national-level competitions, or self-driven advanced study) signal they can handle the pace before they arrive.
Four factors, top tier
Rigor, GPA, class rank, test scores. All Very Important, all read together rather than ranked.
Reading in context
A 1500 against a 1450 school median reads differently than the same 1500 against a 1550 median.
Beyond the curriculum
Maxed the AP track? Officers look for college courses, self-studied APs, and national competitions.
Is Dartmouth test-optional or test-required?
Dartmouth requires standardized testing. Applicants must submit SAT or ACT scores, and Dartmouth was the first Ivy to move back to required testing, for the Class of 2029 entering Fall 2025. Harvard, Brown, Cornell, and Penn followed. Yale's reinstatement takes effect for Fall 2027 entry, and Princeton's for Fall 2028. Columbia is now the only Ivy still test-optional. In the most recent reporting cycle, 69% of enrolled Dartmouth students submitted SAT scores and 33% submitted ACT scores. Some students submit both, which is why the figures exceed 100%.
The structural weight Dartmouth gives test scores matters more than the score range itself. The CDS rates standardized test scores "Very Important," the top of the four-point scale, matching Princeton and Stanford. Yale and Penn currently rate them "Considered," and Harvard maintains a flat profile across all academic factors. Yale and Penn's ratings will likely shift in their next CDS releases as their reinstated testing policies take effect. The split today: Dartmouth, Princeton, and Stanford weight test scores at the top tier; the others sit lower for now, with the gap narrowing.
That weight is not absolute. Holistic reading still applies, and contextual factors shape how a score is read: access to test prep, the testing environment in the applicant's region, and historical patterns from the school. The CDS rating describes what enters the committee conversation with strong weight. It doesn't describe a cutoff.
Test | % Submitted |
SAT submission rate | 69% |
ACT submission rate | 33% |
Totals | Totals exceed 100% because some students submit both. |
Dartmouth rates standardized test scores “Very Important,” matching Princeton and Stanford. Yale, Penn, and Harvard rate them lower. The Ivy League is converging on heavier formal weighting of testing, and Dartmouth has been there longer.
What SAT score do you need for Dartmouth?
Dartmouth's middle 50% SAT composite is 1440 to 1550. The component breakdown is 720 to 770 for Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, and 720 to 790 for Math. Of enrolled students who submitted SAT scores, 83% scored in the 1400 to 1600 composite range. In the section bands, 82% scored 700 to 800 on EBRW and 81% scored 700 to 800 on Math. There's no published cutoff, and applicants below the 25th percentile are admitted every cycle when the rest of the file justifies it.
Dartmouth's 25th percentile sits at 1440, among the lower numbers in the peer set. The admit band is correspondingly broader, consistent with how officers describe reading scores in context. Applicants from schools with lower median scores can be admitted with scores that wouldn't clear at peer institutions reading less contextually. The figure to benchmark against is your school's median, not Dartmouth's published range.
SAT section score distribution (enrolled students)
SAT score range | EBRW | Math |
700–800 | 82% | 81% |
600–699 | 16% | 17% |
500–599 | 3% | 2% |
CDS 2025–26
ACT score distribution (enrolled students)
ACT score range | Composite | English | Math |
30–36 | 90% | 92% | 81% |
24–29 | 10% | 7% | 18% |
18–23 | <1% | 1% | <1% |
CDS 2025–26
A quarter of admitted students scored below 1440 on the SAT. That lower bound is among the more forgiving in the peer set, which means a score that looks low against the published range can still be competitive if your school's scores run lower too.
How does Dartmouth compare to other top schools academically?
Dartmouth's academic profile sits in the same upper band as its closest peers, but with two distinctive features: the admit band runs slightly lower, and the formal CDS weighting on test scores is heavier than at most comparable schools. Score ranges cluster between the upper 1400s and the high 1500s across the set, and the differences narrow as you move up the percentile distribution. The lower bound of the admit band is where the variation shows: Dartmouth's 25th percentile of 1440 is the lowest in the verified peer set, with Yale at 1470, Princeton at 1490, Harvard and Penn at 1510, and Stanford and MIT at 1520. The 30-point gap between Dartmouth and the next school means a score that wouldn't clear at Princeton or Stanford can still be competitive at Dartmouth when the rest of the file is strong. The ACT pattern is similar: Dartmouth's 32 at the 25th percentile sits a full point below Yale's 33 and two points below most other peers at 34.
On formal weighting, Dartmouth rates standardized test scores "Very Important," matching Princeton and Stanford. Yale and Penn currently rate them "Considered" and both have reinstated required testing, so their next CDS releases will likely show heavier weighting. Harvard publishes a flat profile across all academic factors. MIT (the highest-scoring school in the set) rates test scores at "Important," one tier below Dartmouth, which is a useful reminder that the formal CDS rating doesn't always track the score range it's attached to.
Two findings stack: Dartmouth's admit band runs lower than peers, but once a score is in committee, it carries heavier formal weight than at most schools in the peer set. The combination is unusual and shapes how the same score reads at Dartmouth versus elsewhere.
Peer school comparison
School | SAT mid-50% | ACT mid-50% | Test score CDS weight | Class rank CDS weight |
Dartmouth | 1440–1550 | 32–35 | Very Important | Very Important |
Harvard | 1510–1580 | 34–36 | Considered | Not Considered |
Yale | 1470–1560 | 33–35 | Considered | Very Important |
Princeton | 1490–1560 | 34–35 | Very Important | Very Important |
Stanford | 1520–1570 | 34–36 | Very Important | Very Important |
Penn | 1510–1570 | 34–36 | Considered | Important |
MIT | 1520–1570 | 34–36 | Important | Considered |
What courses does Dartmouth expect you to take?
Dartmouth doesn’t require a specific course distribution for admission, but its CDS recommends four years of study in each of the five core academic subjects. The recommendation runs slightly higher than at Stanford and Penn, both of which recommend fewer years in some areas. For applicants from rigorous US high schools, the Dartmouth recommendation matches what college-prep programs already offer. For applicants from schools with shorter language or science sequences, the recommendation can require self-driven extension, like continuing language study independently or adding a fourth year of lab science through dual enrollment.
Recommended Course Distribution
Subject | Recommended years |
English | 4 |
Mathematics | 4 |
Science (with lab) | 4 |
Foreign language | 4 |
Social studies | 4 |
Other academic electives | As available |
Dartmouth CDS 2025–26
How does Dartmouth evaluate international curricula?
Dartmouth evaluates academic success within each school's grading system and curriculum. Admissions officers read every international application against the context of the applicant's country, school, and educational program, recognizing that systems vary widely. School profiles, sent alongside the transcript, give officers the comparison data needed to read predicted grades, internal assessments, and external exam results against the right benchmark.
Dartmouth practices need-blind admissions for all applicants, including international students. Applications are reviewed without regard to financial circumstances, and once admitted, every student's financial need is met in full. The most recent enrolled class came from 53 countries, and 13% of enrolled students were non-US citizens.
Testing requirements differ for international applicants. Students at schools outside the US can submit SAT, ACT, three AP exam scores, or predicted/final IB, A-Level, or equivalent national exam results. This range reflects the uneven access to American standardized testing in different parts of the world. Students whose first language is not English, or whose schooling has not been in English for at least two years, are required to submit a proficiency score from TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, or Cambridge English.
Three letters of recommendation are required: one counselor and two teachers. Applicants at schools without a counselor can substitute a school psychologist, principal, head of school, or a third teacher. Letters in languages other than English are accepted with translation. EducationUSA centers can help applicants without local counselor support navigate the application process.
Do academics alone get you into Dartmouth?
No. Academics get the file taken seriously, but admits are decided by what the rest of the application shows. Dartmouth weights academics heavily, but it also rates essays, recommendations, extracurricular activities, and character as "Very Important." Eight Very Important factors sit in the top tier of the CDS: six academic and two non-academic. Academics determine whether the application is read with serious attention. The non-academic factors determine whether the file is admitted.
Writing is the place where the "it factor" shows up once the academic baseline is cleared. Recommendation language carries weight when it includes phrases like "best in my career" or "once in a lifetime." Character emerges from the peer recommendation, the activity list, and the values that surface across the supplements. None of these can compensate for an academic profile far outside the admitted range. Academics alone also can't drive an admit. The two layers stack.
Gets you read
Strong rigor, GPA, class rank, and test scores. All four are Very Important at Dartmouth.
Gets you admitted
Distinctive writing, recommendation language, narrative cohesion, and the peer recommendation.
What are the most common academic mistakes Dartmouth applicants make?
Five mistakes recur across applicants who underperform their academic potential at Dartmouth specifically.
Treating Dartmouth as the "easier Ivy"
The smaller applicant pool and smaller class size don't translate into a softer admit bar. Dartmouth's pool is self-selected for fit, and the academic baseline is set against a denser-than-average comparison group.
Underestimating the formal weight of test scores
Dartmouth's CDS rates standardized test scores Very Important, matching Princeton and Stanford. Yale, Penn, and Harvard rate them Considered. Applicants planning their testing strategy around a softer-rating peer may arrive at Dartmouth's review with a score that carries more downside than they expected.
Choosing easier courses to protect GPA
Rigor of curriculum is rated Very Important. Admissions officers read for whether the applicant maxed the school's offerings. A protected GPA paired with weaker rigor reads worse than a slightly lower GPA from the hardest available courses.
Not showing appetite for advanced work
Dartmouth's quarter calendar moves quickly, with ten-week terms instead of fifteen-week semesters. Applicants who've already worked above grade level signal they're ready for the pace, through AP exams in subjects beyond the school's offerings, dual-enrollment courses at a local college, or self-driven advanced study.
Submitting an application without narrative cohesion
Strong academic numbers are wasted if the rest of the file doesn't tell a unified story. The intended major functions as the application's thesis statement, and academic choices, activities, writing, and recommendations should all reinforce it.