What makes Dartmouth different
- The D-Plan. Four 10-week terms a year, including summer. Students choose which terms to spend on campus, off campus or on internships, with a summer on campus in their second year.
- Small and close-knit. The smallest Ivy undergraduate body, in a small town where campus is the center of life.
- The outdoors. A long-running outing club and pre-orientation trips for incoming students make hiking, skiing and the woods part of the culture.
What the admissions office says (as of October 2026)
- Testing: U.S. applicants must submit the SAT or ACT; Dartmouth says testing is "one factor—but never the primary factor" in its review.
- What they say: Dean of Admissions Lee Coffin hosts the Admissions Beat podcast, with transcripts on Dartmouth's site. In its Season 10 premiere he advises applicants to "approach the Common App with clarity and confidence."
- Takeaway: Dartmouth's podcast is one of the most open windows into how an Ivy admissions office thinks; it's worth a listen.
See all eight side by side: Ivy League testing policies · What Ivy admissions officers look for.
What Dartmouth students study
The most common bachelor's degrees (class of 2024): economics (163), political science (122), computer science (103), engineering (about 200 across two engineering programs), geography and environmental studies (63) and psychology (60). Source: IPEDS Completions, first majors only.
You may thrive at Dartmouth if…
- You want a tight community where you'll know many classmates.
- You'd love easy access to the outdoors.
- A flexible calendar for internships and off-campus terms appeals to you.
Worth asking about
- How does the D-Plan affect seeing friends when your terms on campus don't line up?
- What's it like in winter, and getting to bigger cities?
How Dartmouth compares with the other Ivies
Dartmouth is the smallest Ivy and the most rural; Columbia, in Manhattan, is the opposite. See how the 8 Ivy League schools differ.
FAQ
What is the smallest Ivy League school? Dartmouth, with about 4,500 undergraduates.
What is the D-Plan? Dartmouth's year-round calendar of four 10-week terms, with flexibility over which terms you spend on campus.
How hard is it to get into Dartmouth? Dartmouth admitted 5.4% of applicants for fall 2024.
How much is Dartmouth tuition per semester? About $34,134 a semester, half the published $68,268 a year, before aid.
Is Dartmouth an R1 university? Yes. In the 2025 Carnegie Classifications, Dartmouth College is an R1 university, the group with the highest research spending and doctoral degrees. What R1 means →
How many students go to Dartmouth? About 4,500 undergraduates (fall 2024).
Wondering if a small, rural campus fits you?
Lens's assessments show which campus sizes and settings fit you. Start with Lens →