Dartmouth College has much to be proud of this admissions cycle, even if we do not yet know how their applicants fared in this most recent Early Decision round. These statistics are forthcoming, and Ivy Coach’s loyal readers will be the first to hear our take on them. We do, however, know that 3,550 students applied under the school’s binding Early Decision policy — which is exactly tied in volume with last year’s ED record-setting applicant pool. 

In the midst of this successful showing from the College on the Hill, Ivy Coach would take this moment to praise Dartmouth for a successful year navigating what has turned into a nightmare PR situation for so many of its Ivy League peers in the wake of widespread campus antisemitism on elite college campuses.

First, let’s look back at the Early Decision rounds that have passed as we gear up to analyze this admissions cycle. Last year, admission to the Class of 2028 was record-breaking for Dartmouth, with an all-time high of 3,550 students applying under the school’s binding Early Decision policy, an 18% surge from the previous year’s record tally. The Early Decision admission rate for Dartmouth’s 2023-2024 admissions cycle thus stood at an all-time low of 17.07%. We at Ivy Coach wouldn’t be surprised if this year’s data gives the College on the Hill even more to smile about!

Dartmouth Early Decision Admissions Statistics Over 20+ Years

Below is a breakdown of the College on the Hill’s ED figures over the last 23 years:

Dartmouth Class Year	Number of Early Decision Applications	Number of Early Decision Admits	Early Decision Admission Rate
Class of 2029	3,550	N/A	N/A
Class of 2028	3,550	606	17.07%
Class of 2027	3,009	578	19.21%
Class of 2026	2,633	560	21.27%
Class of 2025	2,664	591	21.20%
Class of 2024	2,069	547	26.40%
Class of 2023	2,474	574	23.20%
Class of 2022	2,270	565	24.90%
Class of 2021	1,999	555	27.80%
Class of 2020	1,927	494	25.60%
Class of 2019	1,859	483	26%
Class of 2018	1,678	469	27.90%
Class of 2017	1,574	464	29.40%
Class of 2016	1,800	465	25.80%
Class of 2015	1,759	444	25.20%
Class of 2014	1,594	461	25.50%
Class of 2013	1,571	401	25.50%
Class of 2012	1,428	400	28.00%
Class of 2011	1,285	380	29.60%
Class of 2010	1,317	398	30.20%
Class of 2009	1,171	397	33.90%
Class of 2008	1,278	384	30%
Class of 2007	1,217	394	32.40%

A Breakdown of Dartmouth’s Early Decision Class of 2029

Even though we don’t yet know the ED acceptance rate, Dartmouth has provided us with intriguing data about these most recent admits. According to a recent press release from the College, “In the first year of early decision admissions since Dartmouth led the Ivy League in choosing to reinstate testing, 95% of those offered early admission on Friday have an SAT or ACT score at or above the 75th-percentile of test-takers at their high school.”

Dartmouth states that “98% of the applicants offered admission are ranked within the top 10% of their senior class,” and that 48 states, the District of Columbia, and 44 countries, are represented in this cohort. California, Texas, and Florida are the most represented states. 

25% of the admitted cohort qualify for full financial aid without parental contribution, while “Some 18% are first-generation college bound, 56% attend a public or charter high school, 10% attend a school that enrolls 50% or fewer of its graduates to a four-year college.”

Most interestingly, 11% of this Early Decision cohort are legacy applicants, a figure that Dartmouth has often withheld from prior press releases. We applaud this move towards transparency just as other elite schools give us less and less data to chew on.

Praise for President Beilock and Dartmouth

Did you know that Dartmouth is the only Ivy League school not currently under investigation by the Department of Justice for campus antisemitism? This unique position, thanks to the graceful leadership of President Beilock, has allowed Dartmouth to navigate this past year of disastrous elite college leadership relatively unscathed. We at Ivy Coach suspect this will bode well for Dartmouth once admissions data starts coming out. Students want to attend schools where they feel safe and where ideological diversity is the name of the game.

Our famously accurate Ivy Coach crystal ball predicts that Dartmouth has swiped up the Early round applicants that have fled Brown, Columbia, and Harvard in droves. We’re awaiting this data with bated breath, but in the meantime, we assure you that the buck does not stop here if you are deferred from admission to the Dartmouth Class of 2029.

Ivy Coach’s Assistance with Dartmouth Deferral

Ivy Coach isn’t called “The Dartmouth Whisperer” for nothing! Bo knows baseball. Ivy Coach knows Dartmouth.

We regularly help students who first come to us after their deferrals earn admission in the Regular Decision round. It’s all about taking the right approach under the guidance of Ivy Coach’s Ben Schwartz, a former Dartmouth admissions officer, who will work with you to figure out what went wrong with your application and help you pivot to a new strategy highlighting your singular admissions hook.

You can learn more about Ivy Coach’s post-deferral service with Ben Schwartz by scheduling a complimentary consultation. We’ll then be in touch to outline our go-forward services for deferred Dartmouth candidates, which includes our PostMortem for denied candidates and PostMortem followed by help crafting a powerful Letter of Continued Interest for deferred candidates.