The Dartmouth College admissions office’s application page shows that for the 2026-27 cycle, the Early Decision application, financial aid materials, and application fee are all due November 1, 2026, with decisions released in mid-December and enrollment confirmations due in late December. Regular Decision closes January 1, 2027, with decisions in late March or early April and replies due May 1. Dartmouth reinstated its standardized testing requirement beginning with the Class of 2029, and the SAT or ACT is a required component. Irvine 12th graders aiming for Dartmouth under Early Decision have less than three weeks left.

Who Is Affected by Dartmouth College Early Decision

Twelfth graders who plan to submit by November 1 and accept a binding admission offer. The dates and materials for both rounds:

Item Dartmouth College policy
Early Decision Application, financial aid materials, and fee all due November 1; latest tests are the November SAT or the October ACT; decisions in mid-December
Regular Decision Due January 1; latest tests in December; financial aid materials due February 1; reply by May 1
Application fee $85; students facing financial hardship may request a waiver in the Common App, and a waiver request “will not disadvantage your candidacy in any way”
Required materials Common App, Dartmouth Writing Supplement, Secondary School Report with transcript, school profile, and counselor evaluation, two teacher evaluations, and SAT or ACT scores
Optional materials A peer recommendation is “strongly encouraged” and must come from a peer such as a classmate or teammate; an art portfolio is optional
Writing Supplement Three prompts, all required: the first, in 100 words or fewer, asks how Dartmouth is a good fit; the second offers a choice of two and the third a choice of six, each in 250 words or fewer
Testing U.S. high school students must submit the SAT or ACT, with no preference between them; multiple sittings are automatically superscored; scores may be self-reported, with official scores due before enrollment; Dartmouth calls testing “one factor—but never the primary factor”

What to Do Now About Dartmouth College Early Decision

Check the test dates first. For Early Decision applicants the latest ACT is the October test and the latest SAT is the November test; Dartmouth advises telling the testing agency that the student is applying Early Decision rather than rushing scores. How score release dates line up with early deadlines is covered in Early Deadlines: Will SAT/ACT Scores Arrive in Time?.

Schedule the three supplement essays and the peer recommendation together. The peer can be invited through the Common App or, after submission, through Dartmouth’s applicant portal.

Confirm how Early Decision interacts with other early applications. An admitted Early Decision student must withdraw other applications. This year’s early deadlines at major universities are summarized in Early Deadlines Fall on November 1 and 2 This Year; college list and application timing are covered by the EDUBUS University Admissions Planning service.

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