Alumni Interview

After a student has applied for first-year admission, he/she may be offered an opportunity to interview with a member of Dartmouth's alumni body who lives in the applicant's local community.

Dartmouth offers alumni interviews only. There are no on-campus interviews.
The Admissions Office does not take requests for interviews. We forward applicant contact information to volunteer alumni interviewers. Our alumni then contact students directly to schedule interviews.
Interviews for Early Decisions candidates are usually scheduled in November. Regular Decision interviews are typically completed by late February.
For students in some international regions, our applicant volume outnumbers our alumni interviewer resources. Therefore, we will only offer alumni interviews if we need further information from an applicant.

If you have been invited to have an interview:

Interviews are optional. You are welcome to decline the invitation. Doing so will not put you at a disadvantage in the admissions process.
Alumni interviews are both informational and evaluative. The interview enables students to ask questions of a Dartmouth alumnus, and it is our opportunity to learn more about the student through a personal conversation. An interview evaluation is added to the application, and is typically considered during the second review of an application, before a final decision is reached.
Interviews are normally conducted in a public setting such as a library, school or local café. In situations where a private office or home might be the most convenient location, a space will be provided where a parent or chaperone may wait while the interview is being conducted.
If you have been invited to have an interview and you have questions or concerns, please feel to contact us at 603-646-3368.

If you have not been invited to have an interview:

Because we receive over 22,000 applications each year, we are not able to offer interviews to all applicants. If you are not offered an interview, it does NOT put you at a disadvantage in the admissions process. Dartmouth conducts a holistic admissions process, and we carefully read recommendations, essays, peer evaluations, etc. in order to get a sense of each individual applicant. If a student is not offered an interview, we can still get a sense of his/her personal qualities through other documents in the application.