Admissions last week issued 1,687 invitations to join the Class of 2030, drawn from the second-largest undergraduate applicant pool in Dartmouth history. The College received 28,863 applications, up 2.2% over last year and a sustained 35% increase across the last six classes.
It marks the sixth year in a row in which Dartmouth received more than 28,000 applications for its first-year class. “It is a remarkable and unprecedented run of sustained, extremely high-quality application volume,” says Lee Coffin, vice president and dean of admissions and financial aid.
Candidates in the regular decision round received news of their admissions outcome on Thursday, March 26. The 5.8% acceptance rate is the sixth consecutive year in which Dartmouth’s selectivity has been 6% or less.
At the time decisions were released, a record-setting $53.2 million in need-based scholarships was offered to the accepted class, with an average scholarship of over $74,000 projected when the students matriculate in September.
“The socioeconomic profile of the accepted class represents Dartmouth’s ongoing commitment to affordability and socioeconomic diversity,” says Dino Koff, assistant vice president and executive director of financial aid. “For undergraduate students supported by financial aid, a Dartmouth education is more affordable today versus 10 years ago due to greater financial aid support.”
One in five come from a low-income background, and 450 families with a total annual income below $175,000 who possess typical assets—or 27% of all acceptances—qualify for free tuition. Twenty-one percent of U.S. citizens in the projected class are forecast to receive a Pell Grant.
The accepted class is drawn from all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and 59 other countries.
Membership in the STARS College Network, the Small Town and Rural Students alliance, helped expand Dartmouth’s commitment to admitting students of promise from rural backgrounds. In addition, 93 accepted students were introduced to Dartmouth via QuestBridge, the national access organization that supports high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds and under-resourced high schools.
In response to the “Why Dartmouth?” prompt on the College’s application, one-in-three admitted students cited a desire to be a part of a Dartmouth culture that values dialogue and free expression. Other common themes across the admitted students were the value of Dartmouth’s strong community and the rural location.
“Beyond the undeniable excellence of the pool,” says Kathryn Bezella, assistant vice president and dean of undergraduate admissions, “I was impressed by the remarkable breadth of perspectives. Dartmouth is continuing to experience growing enthusiasm from students drawn to the opportunity to engage with ideas and individuals who challenge their own assumptions. This spirit—paired with a willingness to listen, question, and consider counterarguments—is essential to the kind of intellectual community we are cultivating at Dartmouth.”
Accepted students are invited to visit Hanover on April 20 for Dimensions, the annual admissions open house.
Dartmouth expects to enroll an undergraduate class of 1,175 students in September. Enrollment decisions are due May 1, the national reply date.