Understanding Dartmouth College SAT Scores: A Comprehensive Guide

Dartmouth College, renowned for its academic rigor and vibrant community, attracts ambitious students from across the globe. For prospective students, understanding the college's admission criteria, particularly the significance of SAT scores and GPA, is crucial. This article provides a detailed overview of Dartmouth's SAT score expectations, GPA requirements, and other factors influencing admission.

The Importance of SAT Scores and GPA

When evaluating applications, Dartmouth considers three critical factors: SAT scores, GPA, and acceptance rate. These metrics provide insight into the academic profile of admitted students and the competitiveness of the applicant pool. Because Dartmouth is extremely selective, a high SAT score and GPA are vital to having a chance at getting in. If you don't pass their SAT and GPA requirements, they'll likely reject you without much consideration.

SAT Scores: A Closer Look

Dartmouth’s average SAT score is around 1540 out of 1600. The 25th percentile for SAT scores at Dartmouth is 1500, and the 75th percentile is 1570. This means that 25% of Dartmouth students scored below 1500, and 25% scored above 1570. In other words, a 1450 places you below average, while a 1550 will move you up to above average.

To be safe, you should aim for the 75th percentile, with a 1550 SAT and a 4.11 GPA or higher to be above average.

SAT English: The average SAT English score among accepted Dartmouth students is 760, with a 25th percentile score of 740 and a 75th percentile score of 780.
SAT Math: The average SAT Math score among successful Dartmouth applicants is 780, with a 25th percentile score of 760 and a 75th percentile score of 790. This means that 25% of successful Dartmouth applicants scored a 760 or below on their SAT math section, while another 25% of successful Dartmouth applicants scored a 790 or above.

GPA Expectations

The average GPA at Dartmouth is 4.11. requires you to be at the top of your class. You'll need nearly straight A's in all your classes to compete with other applicants. If your GPA is at or below the school average of 4.11, you'll need a higher SAT or ACT score to compensate. If you're a junior or senior, your GPA is hard to change from this point on.

Read also: SAT Requirements for LSU

Acceptance Rate and Selectivity

The acceptance rate at Dartmouth is 5.4%. extremely selective. This statistic highlights the highly competitive nature of admissions. Meeting their GPA requirements and SAT/ACT requirements is very important to getting past their first round of filters and proving your academic preparation. If you don't meet their expectations, your chance of getting in is nearly zero. Scores are vital to getting past their first round of filters.

Dartmouth's Standardized Testing Policy

Dartmouth has reinstated its standardized testing requirement. Applicants must submit either SAT scores or ACT scores in order for their application to be considered. Among successful Dartmouth applicants, 43% submit SAT scores, while 23% submit ACT scores. In the past, 34% of applicants on average chose to omit standardized test scores from their application, a number which will be 0% going forward.

Dartmouth does not have specific SAT score requirements or cutoffs. However, most admitted students have high standardized testing scores. While there is no one score requirement, aiming for a score at or above the average of 1540 can only strengthen your application.

Submission of Scores

Submit scores from the SAT or ACT exam. You may submit official scores through the testing agency or self-report your scores.
You may submit official scores through the College Board or self-report your scores.
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Submit scores from an exam that is standardized across a country or region. Submit final official exam scores. If your first language is not English and your curriculum has not been delivered in English for at least two years, we require you to submit an English proficiency exam score.

Test Dates

For students applying via Early Decision (application deadline: November 1), the last test date for the SAT is in November. For students applying in the Regular Decision round (application deadline: January 2), the last test date for the SAT is in December.

Holistic Review and Other Factors

While getting into Dartmouth with a low SAT score is challenging, it is not impossible. Dartmouth considers various factors, including academic performance, extracurricular activities, high school context, and supplemental essays.

Read also: Decoding Princeton Admissions

Dartmouth practices holistic admissions, a concept grounded in the idea that the whole is more than the sum of its parts. Standardized testing, in conjunction with your secondary school report and recommendations, helps us better understand your academic preparation. Contextualized testing will be one factor-but never the primary factor-among the many quantitative and qualitative elements of your application. Students who attend(ed) high school within the United States must submit results of either the SAT or ACT. Dartmouth has no institutional preference for either test.

After crossing this hurdle, you'll need to impress Dartmouth application readers through their other application requirements, including extracurriculars, essays, and letters of recommendation. This is only part of the challenge - after this, you'll need to impress them beyond your academic scores, with your accomplishments and extracurriculars.

The Role of Extracurriculars, Essays, and Recommendations

For a school as selective as Dartmouth, you'll also need to impress them with the rest of your application. But if you apply with a score below a 1550 SAT or a 35 ACT, you unfortunately start out with the odds against you and have a tiny chance of getting in.

For letters of recommendation, you need the usual: two from your teachers and one from your counselor, but Dartmouth "highly recommends" a fourth letter -- from a peer, which could be a family member, friend, classmate, etc. Read more about this unique recommendation option.

GPA is a very important academic factor. recommendation are considered very important for admissions officials at Dartmouth College.

Understanding Super-scoring

The 25th percentile SAT score is 1450, and the 75th percentile SAT score is 1550. This is also known as "superscoring." This means that you can choose which SAT tests you want to send to the school.

How does superscoring change your test strategy? Even though the highest total you scored on any one test date was 1000, Dartmouth will take your highest section score from all your test dates, then combine them to form your Superscore. This is important for your testing strategy. Because you can choose which tests to send in, and Dartmouth forms your Superscore, you can take the SAT as many times as you want, then submit only the tests that give you the highest Superscore. Therefore, if your SAT superscore is currently below a 1550, we strongly recommend that you consider prepping for the SAT and retaking it. Even better, because of the Superscore, you can focus all your energy on a single section at a time. If your Reading score is lower than your other sections, prep only for the Reading section, then take the SAT. Then focus on Math for the next test, and so on.

ACT Scores

The average ACT score at Dartmouth is 34. The 25th percentile ACT score is 32, and the 75th percentile ACT score is 35. Even though Dartmouth likely says they have no minimum ACT requirement, if you apply with a 32 or below, you'll have a very hard time getting in, unless you have something else very impressive in your application. Here it is: when you send ACT scores to colleges, you have absolute control over which tests you send. You could take 10 tests, and only send your highest one. This means that you have more chances than you think to improve your ACT score. To try to aim for the school's ACT requirement of 35 and above, you should try to take the ACT as many times as you can. By and large, most colleges do not superscore the ACT. (Superscore means that the school takes your best section scores from all the test dates you submit, and then combines them into the best possible composite score). We weren't able to find the school's exact ACT policy, which most likely means that it does not Superscore.

The Optional Essay Section

Currently, only the ACT has an optional essay section that all students can take. The SAT used to also have an optional Essay section, but since June 2021, this has been discontinued unless you are taking the test as part of school-day testing in a few states. Dartmouth considers the SAT Essay/ACT Writing section optional and may not include it as part of their admissions consideration.

Application Deadlines

Dartmouth College Applications:

Application Deadline: Jan. 3
Early Decision Deadline: Nov.

Dartmouth College Admissions Requirements:

Required Standardized Tests Required to be considered for admission
SAT/ACT Scores Must Be Received ByFeb. 1

Resources for Prospective Students

On the Admissions Beat podcast, veteran dean of admissions Lee Coffin from Dartmouth College and a range of guests provide high school students and parents, as well as their counselors and other mentors, with "news you can use" at each step on the pathway to college. In the following episode, he and his guests, Dartmouth professors Bruce Sacerdote and Michelle Tine, whose research helped inform Dartmouth's recent decision to reinstate admissions testing requirements, and Jacques Steinberg, co-author of "The College Conversation," an admissions guide for parents, talk through some frequently asked questions about testing: What constitutes a strong SAT or ACT score? What do admissions officers mean when they say they consider scores in context? Informed by new research, Dartmouth reactivated the standardized testing requirement for undergraduate admission beginning with applicants to the Class of 2029.

Final Thoughts

Dartmouth College values academic excellence and looks for well-rounded students who demonstrate leadership and initiative. While SAT scores are an important factor in the admissions process, they are just one of many factors considered. By understanding Dartmouth’s SAT scores and requirements, you can better prepare your application and increase your chances of admission to this prestigious institution.

Each year, we are inspired by the quality and the many different perspectives of the incoming Dartmouth class. We think you will be, too. We look for students who let their lives speak. Each has an intriguing story or an unexpected point of view to share.

Schools of Interest

If you're interested in Dartmouth, you'll probably be interested in these schools as well. These schools are have higher average SAT scores than Dartmouth. If you're currently competitive for Dartmouth, you should have no problem getting into these schools. You should definitely follow us on social media. You'll get updates on our latest articles right on your feed.

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