What Is the Average SAT Score at Dartmouth?

For students who are determined to get into one of the best schools in the United States, but also are looking for the specific educational style that comes primarily from the liberal arts style of education, then chances are good that Dartmouth College is near – or at – the very top of their list. As Dartmouth College is one of the eight schools that makes up the highly prestigious and selective Ivy League, you may be wondering, what is the average SAT score at Dartmouth?

Of course, getting into any Ivy League school, be it Dartmouth, Harvard, Yale or any of the other fantastic schools, requires students to commit an incredible amount of time and effort inside and outside of the classroom.

The simple truth is that only the very best students get into any of the Ivy League schools, and it is no different for students who are trying to get into Dartmouth. And while both the SAT and ACT have taken a bit of a back seat at current (we’ll get into all this later), they can still play a crucial role in getting a student over the hump in his or her attempt to beat the school’s highly competitive acceptance rate.

At AdmissionSight, we make it a top priority of ours to make sure that all of the students that we work with know precisely what they must do in order to improve their chances of getting into a top school like Dartmouth. That is why we think it is so important to break down the important numbers and facts regarding the SAT and how it can help high school students get into many of the top schools in the world.

So, if you are curious about the Dartmouth average SAT, Dartmouth requirements or the Dartmouth University acceptance rate, then you have come to the right place!

To start off, let’s get into breaking down the average SAT score that high school students will want to aim for if they are targeting Dartmouth as one of their top school options.

What is the average Sat score at Dartmouth?

Prior to getting into the Dartmouth university typical SAT scores, it is important to clarify that while we will be discussing the average scores that students who get into Dartmouth earn, you should be aiming for scores above that average.

After all, the word average itself indicates that there are many students that get into the school who earn scores better than that one. So, while we will be covering the average SAT scores at Dartmouth, remember that it is always a good idea to aim for a higher score, even though that is admittedly quite high!

So now that we’ve covered that important approach to this process, what is the average SAT score at Dartmouth? Based on the information that the school itself makes public, the average SAT score that students who get into Dartmouth earn is approximately a 1500 out of the perfect score of 1600! The 25th percentile New SAT score is 1450, and the 75th percentile SAT score is 1550.

Truly, from this information alone, it should be abundantly clear just how prestigious of a school Dartmouth is. While Dartmouth may be considered one of the “easier” Ivy League schools to get into, there is no doubt that the students that are getting into this school are among the brightest and most determined in the country.

Now that you are familiar with the Dartmouth University typical SAT scores, you are probably wondering about how important the SAT or ACT both are in the current college admissions landscape in the United States.

There is no doubt that for many years, the score that a student received on whichever standardized test they elected to take would have a major impact on what schools they would end up getting into. In fact, there was once a belief that a student could essentially overcome a lackluster grade point average if they were able to earn a top score on either the SAT or ACT.

These days, things have changed quite a bit.

Of course, we are referring to the relatively recent change that many top schools in the United States – including Dartmouth – have elected to adopt a standardized test optional policy. This was initially enacted due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While the test optional policy is expected to change at some time in the future, the simple fact is that at present, students are not required to submit either an SAT or ACT score in order to apply to Dartmouth.

Right now, Dartmouth has this message posted on its site to make clear where it stands for any students interested in applying to the school:

“Dartmouth College is test optional for the Class of 2026.

“Testing is not the ultimate factor in evaluating an application. We look at every applicant in the context of available opportunities and efforts. Testing, in conjunction with your academic record and recommendations, help us better understand your academic preparation.

“If you submit multiple scores from the SAT or ACT, we will accept superscored testing, i.e. your highest section scores in either test, regardless of the test dates.”

As is pretty abundantly clear from the message published from the school, the admissions officers at the school will happily look at either SAT or ACT scores if a student that is applying to the undergraduate program submits them.

Because of that, it should be clear enough that getting a really strong score on either exam is only going to help you make your case for getting into the school. When you really think about what purpose the standardized tests have in the entire college admissions process, the reason why students should seriously consider taking either the SAT or ACT despite the current test optional policy becomes a lot more apparent.

Essentially, the most important job that an admissions officer at any school has when he or she is looking at a prospective student who has applied to the school is to determine whether or not that student would be a good fit at the school if they were to end up getting in.

While a student’s grade point average does indeed serve as the primary indicator when it comes to answering that question, a very high SAT or ACT score can absolutely help in convincing an admissions officer further. For example, consider the fact that the entire college admissions process is built around admissions officers trying to “better understand your academic preparation.”

If one student sends in a great GPA, fantastic extracurriculars, wonderful letters of recommendation, and powerful personal essays, but no standardized test scores, another student who submits all of the effort mentioned materials as well as a fantastic SAT score may receive a more favorable final decision on their application than the previously mentioned student.

So, while students who are sending in SAT or ACT scores are not receiving any kind of clear or official advantage over students who do not, they can feel confident in knowing that by taking one of the standardized exams and sending in a score, they are only giving admissions officers more material to look at and judge whether or not they would be a good fit at a school like Dartmouth.

Dartmouth Acceptance Rate

Now that you have the answer to the question, “What is the average SAT score at Dartmouth?” you are probably curious about what percentage of students that apply to Dartmouth each year actually end up getting into the school. Moreover, you may also be curious to learn more about how Dartmouth’s most recent acceptance rate compares to that of the other seven Ivy League schools.

In the 2021 college application cycle, the overall acceptance rate at Dartmouth was a very competitive 6.2 percent. The regular decision acceptance rate was an even more competitive 4.5 percent. With that in mind, the early admissions application rate for students that applied to Dartmouth was a much more manageable 22.2 percent!

So, how do those numbers stack up to the acceptance rates at these seven other schools that make up the Ivy League? Take a look at the table below to get a better idea of what you can expect in terms of acceptance rates at the age schools within the Ivy League:

As you can see, Dartmouth’s overall acceptance rate of 6.2 percent puts the school right in the middle of the Ivy League when it comes to the most competitive and least competitive schools in the prestigious cluster of schools.

Even though Dartmouth appears to be right in the middle when it comes to competitiveness in the Ivy League, it is important to always keep in mind that any school in the Ivy League demands simply the best from all of the students that apply. All eight of these schools are near the very top of all official lists in terms of selectiveness and overall quality.

How to improve your chances of getting in Dartmouth

Now that you know just how high the expectations are for students who are looking to get into Dartmouth, chances are good that you are also probably interested in learning about ways in which you can improve your chances of getting into this highly prestigious school.

So, what are some of the top tips that any high school student can keep in mind when they are looking to improve their odds of getting into an Ivy League school or a similarly selective college or university in the United States?

keep reading to find out.

Earn top grades throughout your high school years

This should not come as much of a surprise if you have the goal of applying to and being accepted into some of the top schools in the United States, but that does not mean that it should go without mentioning.

The reason for this is because grades are – simply put – the most important factor for any student and their ability to get into a school. With that being said, it is important to keep in mind that great grades alone will not do the job for any student.

Admissions officers at schools like Dartmouth are not only looking for students who they believe will be a good fit for the school academically, but also for students who they feel will be a good fit for the school culturally as well.

A good way to think of it is this: Great grades in high school alone will not be able to get you into a school like Dartmouth, but bad grades alone can certainly keep you out.

The fact that the average grade point average for high school students that get into Dartmouth is an incredible 4.11 is another very strong indication of the kind of student that gets into this school.

To improve your chances of getting into Dartmouth, you will want to make sure that you are ending up near the top of your class in high school and taking as many advanced courses as you can. This will prove to the admissions officers at the school that you are able to deal with challenging course loads and excel when there are high expectations.

Develop impressive personal essays

Another important tip for high school students who are looking to get into schools like Dartmouth is that they need to make sure that they are giving it their all when they are writing their personal essays as part of their application to the school.

Essays have gained a lot of importance in recent years and that has never been more true right now. After all, the fact that many students are not sending in SAT or ACT scores as part of their applications means that admissions officers have to put more emphasis on other aspects of that student’s application profile.

The primary reasons why personal essays are such an important part of the undergraduate application process are because they:

• Help the school’s admissions officers to get to know who the applying student is on a more personal level
• Allow the student to show off their creative side and their writing ability
• Give the student a chance to dive more deeply into their history, their passions, their goals and more

These are some really important things to keep in mind, and that is why students who want to get into top schools need to make sure that they are giving themselves the best chance to succeed within this section of the application by taking the time and making the effort to make these essays as powerful and as error free as humanly possible.

This may mean starting the writing process well before you previously planned. You want to do this so that you have time to really come up with the best answer on a topic possible while also giving yourself the time that you need to review, edit and improve every essay answer that you write.

Here are some really important things to keep in mind when you are getting started on the personal essay section of your Dartmouth application:

• What are the requirements?
• Talk to peers, teacher, or your admissions consultant
• Organize your thoughts before you start crafting your answers
• Ask yourself why you should be accepted
• Address and gaps or discrepancies that might be on your resume
• Have a peer, teacher, or your admissions consultant review and edit your work
• Seek notes and feedback to improve before you submit your application

Apply via early admissions

The final tip that we want to point out for students who are interested in getting into Dartmouth is that they should seriously consider applying to the school via Dartmouth’s Early Decision application option.

Because Dartmouth has a binding early admissions option, students who want to apply this way need to make sure that Dartmouth is their top option. The reason for this is because if a student applies via early admissions at Dartmouth and ends up getting in, that student will have to withdraw all the other applications that they have out at other schools and enroll at Dartmouth. So, if Dartmouth is not your top option, you may want to stay away.

If it is your top option, applying via early admissions can greatly improve the chances that you get into this school. After all, consider the fact that last year students who applied to Dartmouth via early admissions or accepted by a rate of 22.2 percent. That alone should prove to you just how impactful this decision can be.

Will you get into Dartmouth College?

Without a doubt, getting into Dartmouth is a tall task for even the most accomplished high school students. However, it is certainly not impossible! Every year, hundreds of students get acceptance letters from Dartmouth.

If you are someone who is determined to attend Dartmouth and want to learn more about how you can improve your chances of getting into the fabulous schools, contact AdmissionSight today to schedule a free consultation.