Apply to Dartmouth

QuestBridge is a platform that connects motivated and bright high school students from low-income backgrounds with some of the nation's leading colleges and universities. We encourage you to explore the QuestBridge Program's website to learn more and discover if this is the right application process for you.

All QuestBridge Finalists, regardless of participating in the National College Match, can use their QuestBridge application in the Early and Regular Decision programs at Dartmouth College. If you apply to the National College Match, feel free to check out our resources and our FAQs.

You can also find this information on Dartmouth's QuestBridge page.

All candidates applying for transfer admission to Dartmouth must use our Transfer Application. The Transfer Application for the 2022-2023 admissions cycle has closed. Please let us know if you would like to be notified when the 2023-2024 Transfer Application becomes available.

Transfer is an admission round in which current college students submit their application by March 1 and receive an admission decision mid-May. Learn more about the Transfer admission round.

• Are a QuestBridge Finalist
• Are participating in the National College Match
• Ranked Dartmouth as one of your schools for the National College Match

You can also find this information on the QuestBridge website.

• Are a QuestBridge Finalist
• Are participating in the National College Match but have chosen not to rank Dartmouth as one of your schools for the National College Match

You can also find this information on the QuestBridge website.

You are able to apply as a Regular Decision applicant to Dartmouth using your QuestBridge application if you do not receive a binding match.

If you would like to apply as a Regular Decision applicant to Dartmouth, you must request to forward your application to Dartmouth using the QuestBridge Regular Decision Form by early-December. This way, your entire QuestBridge application, including your recommendations and essays, will be sent to us and you do not have to submit the Common Application. As an applicant to Dartmouth, you must also fill out the Dartmouth Writing Supplement, which will be available on your Dartmouth Applicant Portal once we have received your QuestBridge application. We also encourage you to submit the Peer Recommendation (also found on your Dartmouth Applicant portal) and to participate in an Alumni Interview should you be contacted for one by a Dartmouth alum.

If you have any other application updates (new essays that you want us to see and/or awards and achievements), you may upload those through your Dartmouth Applicant Portal.

• Are a QuestBridge Finalist
• Are not participating in the National College Match.

Early Decision
If Dartmouth is your top choice college, we encourage you to consider applying to Dartmouth through our Binding Early Decision program. Dartmouth's financial aid program will meet your family's demonstrated financial need.

QuestBridge Finalists who opt out of the National College Match (i.e. do not rank any colleges) may apply to Dartmouth for consideration in our Binding Early Decision round using their QuestBridge application.

If you choose to apply Early Decision, please email apply@dartmouth.edu for information about how to apply to Dartmouth using your QuestBridge application. Please note that Early Decision applicants must complete the Dartmouth Writing Supplement and the Early Decision Agreement by November 1. 

Regular Decision
QuestBridge Finalists who opt out of the National College Match completely (i.e. do not rank any colleges) may apply to Dartmouth in our Regular Decision round using their QuestBridge application or the Common Application. Students should submit only one application.

If you choose to apply Regular Decision using your QuestBridge application, you must request to forward your application to Dartmouth using the QuestBridge Regular Decision Form by early-December. You will also need to fill out the Dartmouth Writing Supplement, which will be available on your Dartmouth Applicant Portal. We also encourage you to submit the Peer Recommendation (also found on your Dartmouth Applicant Portal) and to participate in an Alumni Interview should you be contacted for one.

• Submitted a QuestBridge application
• Were not selected by QuestBridge as a Finalist

You can also find this information on the QuestBridge website.

Students who are not named QuestBridge Finalists may still apply to Dartmouth for Binding Early Decision or Regular Decision. In order to do this, you must submit the Common App. Students who are not named QuestBridge Finalists may not share their QuestBridge National College Match Application with Dartmouth. Dartmouth has no preference for one application option over another, and all students are eligible for the same need-based financial aid, regardless of how or when they apply. For more information about applying to Dartmouth, revisit the Apply page and select Regular Decision instead of QuestBridge in the "Start Your Process" section.

The Binding Early Decision deadline is November 1 and the Regular Decision deadline is January 2.

Application Fee

• Application fees are waived for all QuestBridge Finalists

QuestBridge Application

• Dartmouth will automatically receive the QuestBridge application materials for QuestBridge Finalists who rank Dartmouth in the National College Match. If you do not rank Dartmouth, you will need to request your QuestBridge application be sent to us. For more information, please email apply@dartmouth.edu.
• Once you request your QuestBridge materials to be sent to us, all your application materials will be sent to Dartmouth, including the essays, recommendations, and transcripts you submitted to the QuestBridge organization in September. You do not need to resubmit any of these components.
• The Dartmouth Writing Supplement is required for QuestBridge Finalists during the National College Match process. After your QuestBridge Application has been forwarded to Dartmouth, you will receive instructions via email to access your Dartmouth Applicant Portal. Once you have access to your portal, complete the Dartmouth Writing Supplement and QuestBridge Addendum located there.
• If you would like to send new information to the Dartmouth Admissions Committee that was not available when you completed your QuestBridge Application (e.g. new honors and awards), you may submit those by uploading them to your Dartmouth Applicant Portal.

Secondary School Report with Transcript, School Profile, and Counselor Evaluation

• We will use the School Report, School Profile, and Counselor Evaluation that your school submitted to QuestBridge. You do not have to resubmit any of these.
• Additional transcripts are not required for consideration in the National College Match, but Dartmouth welcomes quarter grades or midterm grades if available in November.

Two Teacher Evaluations

• We will use the teacher recommendations that your teachers submitted to QuestBridge. You do not need to resubmit these.

SAT or ACT

• Dartmouth College is test optional for applicants to the Class of 2028. If a student has taken standardized testing, we encourage the student to submit scores regardless of how they may compare to scores on historical Dartmouth class profiles. Students who rank Dartmouth can indicate which, if any, scores they would like considered in Dartmouth's review of their application. For students who would like to submit test scores, Dartmouth asks that you send us official score reports. However, if you cannot send official test scores to Dartmouth in time, your school counselor or teacher should email a copy of your score report to the Dartmouth Admissions Office. Applicants who do not take the SAT or ACT tests will not be disadvantaged in the application process. 
• Students are welcome to submit SAT Subject, Advanced Placement, or International Baccalaureate scores to illustrate academic strengths. Not submitting these scores will not prevent a candidacy from receiving a full review by the Admissions Committee.

Interview

• Interviews are not required for any first-year applicant to Dartmouth. Because of the condensed timeline of the QuestBridge National College Match process, we are unable to offer interviews to QuestBridge applicants.
• However, if you move into our Regular Decision process you may be contacted for an interview and we encourage you to take this opportunity to interview with a Dartmouth alum.

Early Decision (ED) is an early admission round in which students submit their application by November 1 and receive an admission decision by mid-December. ED admission is binding: students who apply through this process are committing to attend Dartmouth if admitted (barring extenuating circumstances such as unforeseen financial hardship). Learn more about the Early Decision admission round.

Regular Decision (RD) is an admission round in which students submit their application by January 2 and receive an admission decision by late March or early April, and, if admitted, have until May 1 to either accept or decline their offer. Learn more about the Regular Decision admission round.

• Application Fee or Fee Waiver
• Dartmouth Application with essays
• Final Secondary School Report with Transcript
• College Official's Report with College Transcript, updated in May/June with final Transcript and end-of-year grades
• Dartmouth requires two evaluations from college instructors.
• If admitted, year-end college transcript and course syllabi for all college courses will be needed for review by Dartmouth Registrar and academic departments to determine credits
• Note: Interviews are not available for Transfer applicants.

• SAT or ACT (encouraged)
  Information regarding testing for applicants in the 2023-2024 application cycle. If a student has taken standardized testing, we encourage the student to submit scores regardless of how they may compare to scores on historical Dartmouth class profiles.
• College Course Syllabi (strongly recommended)

• Application Fee or Fee Waiver
• Common App
• Dartmouth Writing Supplement
• Secondary School Report with Transcript, School Profile, and Counselor Evaluation
• Two Teacher Evaluations

Encouraged Application Component
Dartmouth College is test optional for applicants to the Class of 2028. If a student has taken standardized testing, we encourage the student to submit scores regardless of how they may compare to scores on historical Dartmouth class profiles.

• SAT or ACT

Recommended Application Component

• Peer Recommendation

Optional Application Component

• Art Portfolio

TOEFL or IELTS or the Duolingo English Test or Cambridge C1/C2 unless English is your first language or the language of instruction at your current secondary or post-secondary school.

In addition to the English Language Proficiency details above, we will accept online results from the TOEFL and IELTS examinations from applicants for the Class of 2026 in order to be more flexible for international applicants during the COVID-19 pandemic: TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition, TOEFL IPT Plus for China,  IELTS Indicator.

• Students who have matriculated at a college and who have completed two years or less of college coursework at the date of application are eligible for transfer admission.

• Students who have previously earned a bachelor's degree or its equivalent are not eligible for admission to Dartmouth.

• Students who have taken college coursework that is counting towards their high school graduation must apply for first-year admission. This includes students pursuing an associate's degree while finishing high school.

• Students who are not currently enrolled in school, or whose education has been interrupted, may apply for admission and often use the "Additional Information" portion of the application to provide background on their experiences and their educational path.

• An applicant's anticipated year of graduation or the number of credits completed within the guidelines stated above will not have an impact on the outcome of an application. Because Dartmouth enrolls such a small number of transfer students each year, the Admissions Committee does not need to balance the numbers of students entering as new sophomores or juniors.

Students who rank Dartmouth and don't match at any partner school will automatically roll into Dartmouth's Regular Decision pool and also have the option of being considered for Early Decision. Please review the information on this page of our website and visit the QuestBridge website for more information about your options following the National College Match.

If you no longer wish to be considered in Dartmouth's applicant pool, you should complete the "Application Withdrawal Request Form" available through your Dartmouth Applicant Portal.

Students who do not rank Dartmouth and don't match at any partner school have the option to add Dartmouth to their QuestBridge Regular Decision Form. Please look at the QuestBridge website for more information about your options following the National College Match.

Congratulations on matching with a non-binding QuestBridge partner college! Because this is non-binding, you are still eligible to apply to Dartmouth through the binding Early Decision process or the non-binding Regular Decision process.

Congratulations! If you have been matched at another QuestBridge partner college with a binding match agreement, you must attend that school. We will automatically withdraw your QuestBridge application.

Congratulations! The QuestBridge Match process at Dartmouth is binding. You will be attending Dartmouth in the fall – we can't wait to welcome you to campus!