Dartmouth uses the Common Application along with our own supplements.
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Common Application Forms |
Dartmouth Supplements |
Additional Material |
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You can download these items here or you can submit the Common Application online.
Common Application Forms
Applicants who apply to Dartmouth as Early Decision candidates are required to submit the Early Decision Agreement supplement. It includes basic information about the applicant and details about the Early Decision Plan. We ask that Early Decision applicants file this form as soon as they decide to Dartmouth.
Dartmouth requires the Common Application Personal Data & Statements form. This form includes personal information about the applicant, his/her secondary school, self-reported test scores (test scores must also be submitted as indicated in the Standardized Tests section of this site), his/her extracurricular involvements. It also includes one brief statement and one page-length essay.
Dartmouth requires the Common Application Secondary School Report. This report includes information about the school, and its grading and ranking policies. It also includes the applicant’s transcript and a brief counselor recommendation. The transcript represents the applicant’s record of achievement in secondary school, including courses and grades for each term of study. In many cases, the transcript also includes the applicant’s grade point average and/or class rank. The recommendation is typically completed by the applicant’s guidance counselor, school principal or other school official. See below for more information about recommendations.
Notes About the Transcript: Although there are no specific subject requirements, applicants are urged to undertake the strongest course of study available in their secondary schools. Most applicants to Dartmouth present very strong secondary school transcripts that include four years of English and mathematics (usually through calculus), at least three years of social science and laboratory science, and at least three years of a foreign language.
While we have no minimum grade point average or class rank required for consideration, approximately 90% of those admitted rank in the first decile of their high school class.
Applicants for Regular Decision and applicants who have applied for Early Decision but have been deferred to Regular Decision are expected to have a Mid-Year Report submitted by their secondary school on their behalf. The Mid-Year Report includes an update of the applicant's coursework and grades, usually from the 1st semester or trimester.
Applicants who are admitted and plan to enroll at Dartmouth are required to have a Final Report submitted by their secondary school on their behalf. The Final Report includes an update of the applicant's coursework and grades, usually including the entire senior year and verifying his/her successful completion of secondary school.
In addition to the counselor recommendation (see above), Dartmouth requires letters of recommendation from two teachers.
These three letters help to personalize the application; they go beyond the numerical information of grade point averages and test scores and evaluate the applicant’s contributions in particular classrooms and the greater school community. The teacher recommendations are usually written by 11th or 12th grade teachers, but this is not a requirement.
Applicants may choose to submit additional letters of reference from other members of the community, such as a coach, an advisor, a minister, additional teachers, or an employer, but these are not required.
Dartmouth requires applicants to file two supplements in addition to the Common Application:
The First Year Supplement includes basic information about the applicant. We ask that applicants file this form as soon as they decide to apply to Dartmouth. This allows us to prepare both a computer record and an application file for the applicant and speeds the processing of other materials as they are received by the Admissions Office.
The Peer Evaluation, similar to the letters of recommendation, personalizes the application. A peer often presents a perspective that is different from that of teachers and other recommenders.
Additional Material
Dartmouth currently offers alumni interviews to candidates after their applications are submitted. Interviews are structured to be informative for the applicant as well as helpful to the Admissions Committee. For more information, please visit the Interviews section of this site.
If the applicant has an outstanding talent in the visual or performing arts, he/she may choose to send the Admissions Office supplement material. The Studio Art department will review full-page prints (preferred) or slides (no CDs please). The Music department will review recordings of solo musical performances on CD, or written compositions. The Film and Media Studies department and the Dance program will review CD’s or DVD’s. The Theatre department will review CD’s, DVD’s, or portfolios. Recommendations from people in a position to evaluate the applicant’s abilities may also be sent to the Admissions Office.
Applicants who attend or have attended secondary schools that do not utilize a US educational system are asked to have their secondary school counselor submit the Common Application's International Supplement. This form allows the counselor to offer more specific detail about the school and the student's program and performance than the Secondary School Report form, which is designed to record data from within a US educational system context.
Applicants who are being or have been home-schooled are asked to have their home school supervisor submit the Common Application's Home School Supplement. This form allows the supervisor to describe the home school philosophy, coursework, and the methods of evaluation, both within and beyond the home school context.
