Dartmouth Extends Test Optional Policy for the Class of 2027
January 31, 2022
As the high school class of 2023 begins its college search amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Dartmouth College has extended its test-optional admission policy through the 2022-23 application cycle. College Board and ACT continue to advise "flexibility" in standardized testing requirements during the pandemic, and Dartmouth's extended policy pause follows that advice.
Two years ago, the initial pause in Dartmouth's testing requirement acknowledged the lack of universal access to SAT and ACT test administrations around the world as the pandemic escalated during the summer of 2020. Sadly, that situation remains truer than not. While standardized testing offers a useful statistical context in our holistic evaluation of a student's academic record—as well as in our assessment of a student's preparation for the rigorous curriculum we offer—it is not the moment to restore the testing requirement. Our requirements, our priorities, and our focus continue to respond to the public health reality we face.
As we stated when we announced testing policy pauses in 2020 and 2021, the choice to include a test score or not is each student's choice to make. That submission decision will be honored at Dartmouth without prejudice. Each application will be evaluated by what is in the file rather than what is missing from it.
For students who wish to submit testing as part of next year's application, there is no preference between the SAT or ACT. Either is welcome. Consistent with our previous announcements related to our testing pause, Dartmouth will not report testing profiles or related data for the classes accepted and enrolled during this test-optional period.
Dartmouth will continue to follow the guidance and policies of the Ivy League regarding testing requirements for applicants who expect to participate in the varsity athletic program. In addition, the language proficiency testing requirement for international students for whom English is not the home language nor the language of instruction remains unchanged.
We strongly advise students to focus on the many holistic elements of the application that showcase academic excellence and their personal narrative. Dartmouth has practiced holistic admissions review for more than a century, and that ancient ideal of the whole person continues to guide our application review during these unprecedented days.