Dartmouth ACT: Average Scores, Ranges, and What You Need to Know

With an average composite score of 34 and a middle 50% range spanning from 33 to 35, Dartmouth College stands as one of the most selective institutions in the country. Earning admission with an ACT score that falls below the 25th percentile of 33 would be significantly challenging, as this places you below where most of the admitted class scored. The school maintains a 5-6% acceptance rate, which means virtually all admitted students have achieved these exceptionally high scores. Simply meeting or exceeding the average is not a guarantee of acceptance at Dartmouth, as these numbers reflect only the academic component of an enormously selective applicant pool.

A good ACT score for Dartmouth typically means scoring in the range of 33 to 35, with 34 being the target that positions you in the middle of admitted students. However, it is crucial to understand that a high ACT score does not guarantee your admission to Dartmouth. Many applicants with perfect or near-perfect ACT scores are rejected each year because the school evaluates you as a complete person, not just someone who performed well on a standardized test. Your essays, extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation, demonstrated interest in what Dartmouth specifically offers, your personal background, and how you have challenged yourself academically all carry substantial weight in the decision.

While Dartmouth does not have an official minimum ACT score requirement, you should aim for at least a 32 to have a realistic chance of being considered seriously. Scoring below 32 would put you well below the 25th percentile, and an ACT score significantly lower than this would make acceptance extremely unlikely unless you have truly exceptional qualities elsewhere in your application that compensate for this weakness. That said, Dartmouth emphasizes holistic review and states they consider each application carefully regardless of testing results, so if your ACT falls short but you have other significant strengths such as groundbreaking research or leadership that shaped your community, do not automatically rule out applying. Just be realistic about the higher bar you will face if your score is notably below their typical range.

Dartmouth College requires standardized testing for all undergraduate applicants attending high school in the United States, meaning you must submit either an SAT or ACT score with your application. For domestic students, this is not optional, and the requirement went into effect for the Class of 2029 and beyond. The college made this decision after conducting research showing that standardized testing scores actually help identify high-achieving students from less advantaged backgrounds, as test scores provide context that other parts of the application cannot. If you face genuine hardship in accessing testing, you may request a waiver, but the expectation is that you will submit scores.

Dartmouth employs a superscoring method for the ACT, which works to your advantage in important ways. If you take the ACT more than once, the school considers your highest individual section scores across all test dates and combines them to calculate your best composite score. This means you can take the test multiple times, improve a weak Math section on one attempt and a weak English section on another, and Dartmouth will piece together your strongest composite using those best-performing sections. The Science section is optional and will not factor into your superscore, which gives you flexibility in how you present your testing profile.

Understanding how Dartmouth evaluates your ACT score requires recognizing that standardized testing is just one piece of a comprehensive review process. Dartmouth admissions officers examine your coursework rigor, grades, essays, recommendations, demonstrated leadership, and personal qualities alongside your test score. Even applicants with a 35 ACT can be rejected because admissions officers are looking for students who will thrive intellectually and contribute meaningfully to Dartmouth's tight-knit community. Your test score helps confirm that you can handle the academic demands of the college, but it does not make the case for admission on its own. The admissions team has been practicing holistic review for over a century, and that philosophy continues to guide every decision they make.

At a school as highly selective as Dartmouth, having strong test scores actually narrows down the applicant pool but does not separate you from other high-scoring applicants. Instead, admissions officers focus on what makes you unique as a person and student beyond your test performance. They want to understand how you think, what drives you, what challenges you have overcome, and how you will make the Dartmouth community better through your presence and participation. Your ACT score signals that you have the intellectual capability to succeed at Dartmouth, but the rest of your application demonstrates whether you deserve one of the roughly 1,700 spots they offer each year to an applicant pool of over 28,000 students. This is why students with a 33 ACT sometimes get accepted while students with a 35 ACT are denied, as Dartmouth looks at the full picture of who you are as a candidate.

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