Recommendations

These different reflections help us understand your involvement and personality from various perspectives.

For first-year applicants, Dartmouth requires three recommendations and strongly encourages a fourth:

Required

  • Counselor Evaluation: A counselor evaluation (or recommendation) is a written statement, completed by the applicant's school counselor or school official, that addresses the applicant's academic performance, extracurricular engagements, and personal character. It may include other topics, based on individual circumstances. The counselor evaluation is included in your Secondary School Report.

  • Two Teacher Evaluations: A teacher evaluation (or recommendation) is a written statement, completed by an instructor* from an academic course, that addresses the applicant's academic performance, engagement with the course subject matter and classmates, and personal character. It may include other topics, based on individual circumstances. *Please note that Dartmouth Admissions considers instructors who have taught you within a remote learning environment to be a valid recommendation source.

Strongly Encouraged

  • Peer Recommendation: A peer recommendation is a written statement of support for the applicant's candidacy, completed by anyone the applicant considers a peer. It should not be someone who is in a supervisory or oversight role in the applicant's life. A few examples are a classmate or teammate; brother, sister, or cousin; a co-worker; a friend met at summer school or summer camp; lab or debate partner. For more information about this, see our FAQs. Also, check out this PDF on inviting & assigning a Peer Recommender on the Common Application

Optional

  • Arts Instructor: If you are submitting an art supplement for review, please invite your arts instructor to submit a recommendation letter via the "Other Recommender" section of the Common App, or, after you apply, via the uploader on your applicant portal.
  • Additional Recommendation: You may submit an additional recommendation letter via the "Other Recommender" section of the Common App or, after you apply, via the uploader on your applicant portal.

We suggest that all recommendations be translated to English before they are submitted, and that the translator sign and date all such documents. Translations are verified once the documents have been submitted.

For transfer applicants, Dartmouth requires two recommendations:

Required

  • Two College Evaluations: A college evaluation is a written statement, completed by your college instructors* that addresses the applicant's academic performance, engagement with the course subject matter and classmates, and personal character. It may include other topics, based on individual circumstances.
    *Please note that Dartmouth Admissions considers instructors who have taught you within a remote learning environment to be a valid recommendation source.

We suggest that all recommendations be translated to English before they are submitted, and that the translator sign and date all such documents. Translations are verified once the documents have been submitted.