Dartmouth has welcomed 574 students to the Class of 2023 via early decision, compared to 565 last year. The newest cohort of students was selected from a record 2,474 applicants, representing a nine percent increase compared to early applications last year. The decisions were released to applicants on Dec. 13.
The newest members of the Class of 2023 have some of the strongest academic profiles in the College’s early decision history. The mean SAT score is 1479, rising by 20 points, while the mean ACT composite score is 32, the same as last year. Where class rank information is available, 94 percent of the students are expected to graduate in the top 10 percent of their high school class and 119 are projected to be either the valedictorian or salutatorian of their class.
Of the 574 students, 25 were matched with Dartmouth through QuestBridge, a nonprofit that helps pair high-achieving, low-income students with top-ranked universities andto assists them with the college admissions process. The 25 QuestBridge students coming to the College this year represent the highest number since College first joined the program in 2011. A record number of students also ranked Dartmouth as a potential match this year.
The admitted students represent 44 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico and 29 countries, with 11 percent of the students coming from abroad. The most represented countries are the United Kingdom, Canada and China.
A third of the accepted students are Americans of color and 14 percent are first-generation students, the latter of which is a record high for the College. Twenty percent of admitted students have legacy connections to Dartmouth, whether through parents or non-parent relatives; 138 students are recruited athletes.
Of the 574 students, 57 percent applied for need-based financial aid and a record 13 percent are projected to be eligible for Pell Grants, which are awarded to students from the lowest socioeconomic quartile. A College press release notes that the early decision students are estimated to receive average financial aid awards of $52,000, with aid totalling more than $10 million, both of which are College records.
Lee Coffin, vice provost of enrollment and dean of admissions and financial aid, estimates a yield of 96 percent among early decision applicants, representing 550 seats of the 1,150 the College aims to ultimately fill, according to the College press release.
