Dartmouth is the only Ivy to split its testing requirement explicitly by where the applicant studies: a student at a school outside the United States can meet it with the IB, A Levels, AP or a national exam.
Dartmouth College’s requirements for autumn 2027 entry: testing for schools outside the US, English, three essays, recommendations including the peer recommendation, Early Decision, aid and cost. With an explanation of what this means for a student from a national school system.
Four questions international families ask most often.
Not necessarily. Testing is required at Dartmouth, but a student at a school outside the United States can meet it in one of five ways: the SAT or ACT; three AP exams; predicted or final IB Diploma results; predicted or final A Levels; or final results of an equivalent national exam. Predicted national exam results are not accepted.
Yes. Dartmouth reads every applicant need-blind regardless of citizenship and meets 100% of demonstrated need without loans. Below USD 125,000 of family income with typical assets, no parent contribution is expected.
Early Decision: 1 November, decision in mid-December, binding. Regular Decision: 1 January per Dartmouth’s deadlines page (one place on the site says 2 January: go by the date shown in the Common App), decision in late March or early April, reply by 1 May. Financial documents: 1 November and 1 February.
A Dartmouth feature: a short letter from someone the applicant regards as a peer — a teammate, sibling, classmate, lab or debate partner. It is not required but strongly encouraged. It is accepted after the application deadline, ideally within ten days.
The direct answer: for US schools only the SAT or ACT; for schools outside the US any of five options, which Dartmouth attributes to unequal access to American testing.
| Option | What is submitted | Caveat |
|---|---|---|
| SAT / ACT | Either test | Multiple sittings are superscored automatically |
| AP | Three Advanced Placement exams | — |
| IB Diploma | Predicted or final results | — |
| A-Level | Predicted or final results | — |
| National exam | Final official results of an equivalent national exam | Predictions are not accepted. Dartmouth’s examples: WASSCE, CAPE, French Baccalaureate, CBSE, ICSE, KCSE |
For a national-curriculum student this detail matters: final exit exam results arrive in the summer, after the application deadline. A national exam therefore cannot be in the file by November or January. In practice such an applicant either takes the SAT or ACT or uses the IB, A Level or AP route where they study those programmes.
The direct answer: three Dartmouth essays, recommendations from the counsellor and two teachers, a strongly encouraged peer recommendation and an optional alumni interview.
Three required responses: why Dartmouth is a good fit (up to 100 words) and two 250-word responses to prompts chosen from published lists. The prompts were updated for the Class of 2031.
Three are required: the counsellor and two teachers. A fourth, from a peer, is strongly encouraged. Optional: an arts instructor or one additional letter. Dartmouth suggests translating letters not written in English, with the translator signing and dating the translation.
Alumni interviews only; there are none on campus. Optional, and not having one does not disadvantage the applicant. For Early Decision they usually take place in November; for Regular Decision from early December to mid-February.
The direct answer: a test is required if English is not a first language and the curriculum has not been in English for at least two years; there are no minimums, but Dartmouth says where most successful applicants score.
| Test | Benchmark |
|---|---|
| IELTS | above 7 |
| Duolingo | above 135 |
| Cambridge English | above 185 |
| TOEFL before 21 January 2026 | above 100 |
| TOEFL from 21 January 2026 | 5 or above |
Dartmouth accepts the online TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition and IELTS Indicator but not MyBest scores or TOEFL Essentials.
The direct answer: the 2026-27 cost is USD 98,946; Dartmouth meets all demonstrated need for international students without loans.
| Item | Figure or rule |
|---|---|
| Tuition | 71 697 USD |
| Full cost (tuition, fees, housing, food, books, other) | 98 946 USD |
| Health plan, if purchased | 5 216 USD |
| Income below USD 125,000 | No parent contribution with typical assets |
| Income USD 125,000-175,000 | Scholarship covers full tuition |
| Documents | CSS Profile (code 3351) or ISFAA, parents’ 2025 tax statement |
Three details matter to an international family. If the CSS Profile fee is a serious hardship, the International Student Financial Aid Application (ISFAA) can be filed instead, and Dartmouth treats it as equivalent. Parents’ tax documents are submitted in English and may be translated by the family. Amounts stay in the home currency, not converted to dollars.
A flexible testing policy and need-blind aid make Dartmouth one of the clearer Ivy options for an international applicant. That clarity does not replace strategy.
Which of the five routes will actually be ready by the deadline, not which exists in principle.
Early Decision is binding, but Dartmouth releases a student if aid cannot be agreed. The round is decided together with the budget.
Who can write about the applicant as an equal, and what that letter adds to the teachers’ recommendations.
The 100-word “why Dartmouth” answer tests how well the applicant knows this particular college.
The family’s tax documents, in home currency and in English, are ready by 1 November or 1 February.
The EDMONT sequence: formal eligibility → academic competitiveness → funding → fit with the university and programme → application strategy. We do not calculate admission probabilities and we promise no outcome.
Tell us which programme the applicant follows (national, IB, A Level) and the intended year of entry: the testing route depends on it.
The Dartmouth College pages this page was checked against.
The EDMONT editorial standards set out how we check facts, date material and correct errors.
Which testing route is realistic by the deadline, who can write the peer recommendation, and whether the budget can carry a binding round are questions about the profile, not the general rules.
ELIGIBILITY → TESTING → FUNDING → ROUND → APPLICATION