Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH · founded 1769 · 6,700 students · private research university · Ivy League

Known for: Dartmouth is known for its strong undergraduate focus despite being a research university, its unique D-Plan quarter system that allows for flexible scheduling and off-campus terms, and its tight-knit community in a rural New England setting.

Rankings

U.S. News national: #18
QS World: #226
Times Higher Education: #58
ARWU Shanghai: #201
Forbes: #10

Top programmes

Economics
Government
Computer Science
Engineering Sciences
English
Psychological and Brain Sciences

Notable alumni

Nelson Rockefeller — 41st Vice President of the United States and Governor of New York
Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel) — Beloved children's book author and illustrator
Mindy Kaling — Actress, writer, and creator of 'The Mindy Project'
Robert Frost — Pulitzer Prize-winning poet
Salmon P. Chase — U.S. Treasury Secretary and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
Shonda Rhimes — Television producer and creator of Grey's Anatomy and Scandal
Timothy Geithner — U.S. Treasury Secretary during the financial crisis
C. Everett Koop — U.S. Surgeon General

Traditions

Homecoming bonfire on the Green
Winter Carnival
Green Key Weekend
Trips (pre-orientation outdoor program)
Touching the fire at bonfire

If Dartmouth College were…

As a food: Maple syrup from a single-estate Vermont sugarhouse — Small-batch, artisanal, deeply rooted in New England terroir, and costs more than you'd expect for something that seems simple. The people who love it are evangelical about its purity and won't accept substitutes.
As an athlete: Mikaela Shiffrin — Elite alpine skier who dominates a niche sport with technical precision and mental toughness, hails from the Northeast, and embodies the outdoorsy-yet-fiercely-competitive ethos. Dartmouth students see themselves in that
As a person alive today: Mindy Kaling — Dartmouth '01, comedy writer who turned Ivy preppy awkwardness into relatable humor. She captures the school's self-aware privilege and tight-knit social fabric while proving you can be both elite and endearingly dorky.
As a historical figure: Daniel Webster — Dartmouth 1801, defended the college before the Supreme Court in the landmark Dartmouth College Case, and became one of America's greatest orators. He's the archetype of the Dartmouth man: eloquent, fiercely loyal, and c
As a movie or TV show: Animal House — Literally inspired by Chris Miller's experiences at Dartmouth's Alpha Delta in the 1960s. The film immortalized the fraternity-dominated, boozy, irreverent culture that still echoes through Hanover, even as the school tr
As a US president: Franklin Pierce — Dartmouth 1824, a New Hampshire native who became a forgettable one-term president. He represents the school's regional New England roots and the reality that not every Ivy grad changes the world—some just have nice résu
As a city: Reykjavik — Small, isolated, surrounded by stunning wilderness, and punishingly cold half the year. The locals are tight-knit, outdoorsy, and have a thriving social scene that compensates for geographic remoteness. Both are beautifu
As an element: Titanium — Strong, lightweight, and performs exceptionally well under extreme conditions—just like Dartmouth students on the trail or in the recruiting process. It's not the flashiest metal, but engineers and outdoors enthusiasts k
As a car: 1985 Range Rover Classic — Old money meets New Hampshire wilderness—equally at home at the yacht club or Winter Carnival, with a D-Plan that lets you disappear to Patagonia sophomore winter. Preppy heritage wrapped in legitimate off-road capabilit

Campus life

Dartmouth's campus life is defined by its close-knit community, outdoor culture, and strong school spirit centered around the rural Hanover setting. The D-Plan allows students flexibility in their schedules, with many taking off-campus terms for internships or study abroad. Social life traditionally revolved around a strong Greek system and house communities, outdoor activities like skiing and hiking, and campus-wide events that bring the small student body together in a familial atmosphere.