Is Dartmouth College your dream school? That’s so great! If you are reading this, it’s probably for one of two reasons:

One, you were just accepted to Dartmouth and are trying to figure out what to do with your high school AP® credits. If this is you, then congratulations! Keep reading and we will tell you everything that you need to know. The second reason would be that you are still in high school, you really want to go to Dartmouth, and you are hoping to find out what Advanced Placement classes you should take. If this sounds like you, stick around – because we have some great advice for you!

To go to Dartmouth, you will need to stand out from the crowd. You can do this by scoring high on the ACT® or SAT®, excelling in your extracurricular activities, and most importantly, by taking challenging classes and earning great grades.

In this article, we will walk you through everything that you need to know about Dartmouth AP® credits. We’ll tell you what tests Dartmouth accepts and what you will need to score on the exams for credit. We’ll also let you in on Dartmouth’s campus vibe and a few fast facts about the school itself.

Let’s dive in!

Fast Facts about Dartmouth

•  Dartmouth College is located in Hanover, New Hampshire, which is about 2 hours north of Boston, Massachusetts – the perfect distance for a fun day trip.

•  Dartmouth is a private university, a member of ultra-competitive Ivy League, and was founded in 1769.

•  The school’s colors are a forest green (known as Dartmouth green) and white.

•  Dartmouth’s sports teams play under the banner of its beloved mascot The Big Green.

The Numbers

According to the CollegeBoard as of 2015, Dartmouth has…

•  4,307 undergraduates

•  1,893 postgraduate students

•  1,112 first-time freshmen

Dartmouth also has a nice$4.57 billion dollar endowment fund and a highly competitive 10.3% admission rate.

In 2015, 20,507 students applied for 2,250 spots.

Based on those numbers, you can tell that it is quite hard to earn a spot a Dartmouth, especially because it is the smallest school in the Ivy League!

To get in, you will need to create an application with a great hook – something that makes you stand out from the thousands of other applicants. While you craft your hook, you will also need to maintain the basic elements of an Ivy League application: high standardized test scores, recommendations from teachers who think you’re great, and a strong academic record. If you want your transcript to be considered “strong” by Dartmouth’s standards, you will need to make sure it’s filled with great grades in AP® classes.

But what are you supposed to do with these grades at Dartmouth? Were they just a tool to get you into the school, or can you actually use them once you get there? You’re about to find out!

Advanced Standing at Dartmouth

Dartmouth College runs a very unique undergraduate program, so before we tell you about the AP® results it accepts, we need to make sure you understand how to apply your credits once you get there.

First, you cannot use your Dartmouth AP® scores to help you graduate early, or to take fewer classes during your time there. You can only use them to opt out of lower-level classes. Second, Dartmouth operates on a quarter system, so there are classes in session pretty much all year. It’s called the D-Plan, and we will break it down for you below.

Image Source : Dartmouth College

As you can see, you start off your freshman year on campus for the “typical” academic year, and then Dartmouth lets you branch out and pick your own path.

Here’s what its website says:

There are three types of terms:

•  R: Terms in residence. This is when you are in Hanover and enrolled in classes.

•  O: Terms off campus. You are not in Hanover, but you are enrolled in one of Dartmouth’s Language Study Abroad or Foreign Study Programs, or you are taking classes at another institution that will transfer credits.

•  L: Leave terms. You are not enrolled. You could go on vacation, get an internship, find a job, do research, or travel.

So out of the terms listed on the chart above, you have to spend a total of 12 of them studying on campus during an “R” term. So, while at other colleges you can use your AP® credits to speed up the graduation process, at Dartmouth, you will need to spend more time on campus to graduate early – but can transfer in your AP® credits to take more interesting classes while you do so.

Dartmouth’s AP® Credits Policy

There are a few ways you can qualify to opt out of lower-level classes during your time in Hanover. While a high score earning a 4 or a 5 on an Advanced Placement test is the most obvious, Dartmouth also considers the following alternatives:

•  International Baccalaureate (IB) higher level exams

•  British A-Level exams

•  Placement tests offered by some academic departments

So as you can see, even if your school did not offer APs, or an AP® course in the subject you wish to test out of, you are not out of luck just yet.You definitely still have some options.

Now you are finally ready to see what your Dartmouth AP® credits will get you.

Take a look at the chart below to see if you are on track.

Language

Math

Music

Science

Social Studies

We found all of this information right here on the Dartmouth website. So if you wanted to investigate it for yourself, or are wondering how your IB scores will help you in Hanover, now you know exactly where to look.

Here’s some information straight from Dartmouth:

Beginning in the fall of 2014, Dartmouth will grant credit on entrance for AP® or IB examinations, as well as offering exemptions and placement in some subject areas. Credit on entrance appears on the Dartmouth transcript, however it does not count towards the 35 credits required to graduate. This policy will apply to entering first-year students in the Class of 2018 and to transfer students who enroll in the fall of 2014.

Like we said earlier, you can use your AP® credits at Dartmouth to place out of lower-level classes, but not towards the total amount of credits you need to graduate.

Keep reading to find out what sort of classes Dartmouth undergraduates are required to take, so you can start planning which ones you want to skip!

Dartmouth’s Undergraduate Academic Requirements

When you enroll in Dartmouth, you will need to complete the following requirements before you are eligible for graduation:

1. Accrue 35 credits. This one is pretty self-explanatory. You must complete 35 credits between your required, major, and elective courses. 1 class = 1 credit.

2. Complete the first-year requirements. The first-year requirements include 1 writing-intensive class and 1 first-year seminar.

3. Complete the language requirement. You must take 3 language courses, or present the required score on an AP® Language exam.

4. Complete distributive and world culture requirements. They are as follows:

•  Art class on its creation, performance, history or criticism.

•  Literature class on its history, criticism or theory of texts.

•  Systems and Traditions of Thought or Meaning and Value class.

•  International or comparative study course.

•  Social analysis course.

•  Quantitative or deductive science course.

•  Natural and physical science course. 1 with lab, 1 without.

•  Technology or applied science class.

5. Complete the requirements of a major. Dartmouth has plenty to choose from. Pick yours here.

6. Complete 3 PE credits and pass a swim test. Unfortunately, you PE credits do not count towards the total amount of credits you need for graduation.

Dartmouth’s Campus Vibe

Because of Dartmouth’s smaller size, it is easy for students to from personal relationships with professors. This can be ideal when you need recommendations for post-graduation positions.

Dartmouth is also known for being generous with funding towards students who are interested in conducting on-campus research. If you have a scientific problem that you’ve been itching to solve, this could be the place for you.

The campus is also gorgeous. It is immaculate and outdoorsy –  a picture-perfect New England setting.

A Quick Review

Remember the following key things when reviewing the Dartmouth AP® credits policy:

•  Dartmouth accepts scores of 4 and 5 on the AP® exams for credit.

•  The score requirements vary by department.

•  You can use your AP® credits to opt out of lower-level

•  Dartmouth has a unique “quarter-term” system that allows you to receive your education at your pace, on your own time.

The final most important thing to remember is that even if you can’t apply your AP® credits towards your Dartmouth degree, if you don’t take a few AP® classes in high school, your application will suffer because of it.

What are the next steps?

Albert.io is here for you on each step of your AP® and college admissions journey! You can start by reading our list of the hardest AP® classes here and the easiest ones here. Next, be sure to check out our handy timeline to when you should start studying for the AP® exams, as well as some handy tips and tricks to help you do your best.

Finally, we have helpful hints for AP® Physics, AP® Biology, AP® Chemistry, AP® United States History, and more.

Whenever you need homework help, make sure to stop by!

Let’s put everything into practice on Albert.io:

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