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

Dartmouth College's SAT scores reflect one of the most competitive applicant pools in the country. With an average of 1540 and a middle 50% range spanning 1500 to 1560, you are looking at a school where nearly all successful applicants score in the 99th percentile nationally. The relatively narrow range shows that Dartmouth admits students with consistently exceptional test performance, indicating just how high the academic bar is set. Yet this competitive environment does not mean your score alone will determine your fate at this Ivy League institution.

When thinking about what makes an SAT score "good" for Dartmouth, you should understand that at such an intensely selective school, a strong test score serves as an academic baseline rather than a guaranteed path to admission. Scoring within the middle 50% range of 1500 to 1560 puts you in the academically competitive tier, but you need to recognize that thousands of applicants submit scores in this exact range every year, yet only about 5% of all applicants gain admission. A score around 1500 places you at the lower boundary of admitted students, while a 1560 positions you in the top quartile. However, even a perfect 1600 does not secure your acceptance because the admissions committee evaluates far more than test scores when reviewing your complete application.

Regarding what score you should absolutely try to achieve at Dartmouth, you should aim not to fall significantly below 1440, which represents roughly the 10th percentile of admitted students. While a small number of students have been admitted with scores slightly below 1440, these admissions are exceptions that typically involved extraordinary strengths in other areas of the application, such as exceptional essays, award-winning extracurriculars, or compelling personal circumstances. Any score substantially below 1440 would make acceptance unlikely unless you possess truly remarkable credentials elsewhere. The higher you can push your score toward the 75th percentile of 1560 and beyond, the stronger your academic profile appears, but this does not automatically overcome weaknesses in high school grades, course rigor, or other important application components.

Dartmouth is test required for the 2025-2026 application cycle and beyond, marking a significant shift from its recent test-optional policies. You must submit either an SAT or ACT score as part of your application, with limited exceptions only for students who experience genuine hardship in accessing standardized testing. If you believe you qualify for a testing waiver based on hardship, you may request one, but this exception is designed only for exceptional circumstances. The college values transparency about your testing history rather than using selective score submission, so they encourage you to submit your entire testing record.

Dartmouth employs an automatic superscoring policy for the SAT that works significantly in your favor. This means that when you take the SAT multiple times, Dartmouth will combine your highest Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section score with your highest Math section score, even if these top scores came from different test dates. For example, if you score 750 on Reading and Writing in March, then 790 on Math in May, Dartmouth will use 1540 as your superscore by combining the 750 EBRW with the 790 Math. This policy gives you a real advantage because you do not need to have your strongest performance across all sections on the same test day, allowing you to target weak sections on future attempts without worrying that previous lower scores will hurt you.

Your SAT score functions as one component among many in Dartmouth's holistic admissions review, which evaluates students based on a comprehensive understanding of who you are as a person. While your test score provides valuable evidence of academic preparation and your ability to handle rigorous coursework, the admissions committee simultaneously evaluates your high school transcript, the rigor of courses you took, your GPA (averaging around 3.9 to 4.1 for admitted students), teacher recommendations, personal essays that reveal your character and future aspirations, and your extracurricular involvement and leadership. A strong SAT score cannot compensate for weak academics, limited course rigor, or a thin extracurricular profile, nor can it overcome inconsistent effort throughout your high school years. Instead, your test score works alongside these other elements to create a complete picture of you as a student and person.

At a school as selective as Dartmouth, where nearly all admitted students have near-perfect test scores and GPAs, your SAT score alone becomes a necessary but not sufficient credential for admission. The admissions officers use your test score to confirm your academic readiness for Dartmouth's intellectual demands, but they ultimately seek students who demonstrate leadership, unique talents, meaningful contributions to their communities, or compelling personal narratives that show how you will enrich the Dartmouth community. You could have a 1600 SAT and still face rejection if your overall application lacks depth, authenticity, or evidence of genuine intellectual curiosity and growth. Conversely, a slightly lower score might not disqualify you if the rest of your profile is exceptionally strong and tells a compelling story about your potential to thrive and make an impact at Dartmouth.

AdmitStudio users who have found success at top colleges often approach their applications as a single, cohesive story, not a checklist of impressive achievements. Rather than treating essays, activities, and recommendations as separate pieces, they focus on presenting themselves as a clear, memorable individual with defined values, motivations, and strengths. Their essays help admissions officers understand why they pursued certain activities, how their experiences shaped them, and what kind of person they would be on campus. This clarity makes it easier for readers to grasp who the applicant is within just a few minutes of review.

AdmitStudio users who are successful also tend to use their essays to connect and reinforce the rest of their application, not repeat it. The essay highlights a few core traits, such as curiosity, leadership, resilience, or initiative, while the activities list and recommendations quietly support those same traits with evidence. By aligning every part of the application around a consistent narrative, these students stand out not because they try to be extraordinary, but because they are specific, authentic, and intentional. Admissions officers come away with a strong sense of the applicant's identity and how they would uniquely contribute to the university community.