Gap Years & Deferred Enrollment

Gap Years

If you’re in high school and ready to apply to college, but you also plan to pursue a gap year before enrolling at Dartmouth, we recommend that you apply to the College during your senior year in high school and then request deferred enrollment if admitted. Students who know that they will be taking a gap year between high school and college should take these steps when they apply to Dartmouth:

Make sure that your teachers and secondary school counselors have the information and forms that they need to submit recommendations and a secondary school report.
Use the “Additional Information” section of the Common Application to explain the activities that you’ll be pursuing during your gap year.
In the Common Application, provide the Admissions Office with ways to contact you during your gap year.
If you’ll be traveling or living abroad during your gap year, request or send official transcripts, recommendations, test scores and other parts of your application before leaving.

Deferred Enrollment

Admitted students who would like to defer their enrollment at Dartmouth for a year can do so by emailing the Admissions Office at admissions.application@dartmouth.edu by June 1st in the year that they have been admitted. Admitted students who defer their enrollment may not apply to any other colleges or universities during their gap year. The Admissions Office asks students with deferred enrollment to write to the Admissions Office before January 1st of their gap year to provide an update of experiences, activities, and course work, if applicable. The Admissions Committee reserves the right to review the status of any admitted student and to rescind the offer of admission if a student's academic or personal record does not remain satisfactory in all respects.

Questions & Answers

What steps do I need to follow to take a gap year?

Confirm your intent to enroll at Dartmouth by the deadline. Next, email Assistant to the Dean of Admissions, Peg Chase, at Peg.Chase@dartmouth.edu by June 1. Your email should outline your reasons for deferring for a year and your plans for your gap year.

Your request will be processed and you will receive a response via email to let you know if we need any additional information. You will then receive an official response from the Dean of Admissions by email or paper mailing granting your request. Please allow approximately 2 weeks for the processing of deferral requests.

While on your gap year, we require that you write to our office as soon as possible after January 1 to reaffirm your commitment to join the newest Dartmouth class. This email should also describe your experiences and undertakings during your gap year.