Dartmouth is the athletic (and outdoorsy) Ivy, known as the Big Green. Located in Hanover, New Hampshire, a town of 8,000 in central New Hampshire, it’s also the small-town Ivy. Dartmouth offers an exceptional education, and Hanover has a bustling main street full of international food options, small mom-and-pop stores, and basically anything you could need at last minute notice.
Alumni include leading thinkers, scientists, entrepreneurs, and activists. The college is also the best top-tier school for many winter sport athletes, who are naturally limited geographically in where they can both learn and compete (note: there needs to be a winter). The school is also known for beloved traditions that embrace cooler weather, such as Winter Carnival, which celebrates the season many other people choose to stay inside. Winter Carnival showcases Dartmouth’s winter athletes, 147 of whom have gone on to compete in the Olympics — “the most in the Ivy League.” The school has collected 32 winter Olympic medals which, if Dartmouth were a country, would rank just behind Great Britain.
Dartmouth is awesome in more than just the winter, though. There are 6,700 students across graduate and undergraduate who call campus home, and they field 35 varsity sports teams that compete in the NCAA Division I. All told, more than 75% of undergraduate students at Dartmouth are involved in sports at some level — beyond simply cheering along as fans.
The university typically has a slightly higher acceptance rate than the other Ivy League schools, likely because the location isn’t in a big city like Providence (Brown), New Haven (Yale), Cambridge (Harvard), or New York City (Columbia). So, people who chose Dartmouth, choose Dartmouth. Being 2 and a half hours away from Boston, then, has some perks. The acceptance rate for the Class of 2027 was 6.2%. For the Class of 2028, the acceptance rate dropped to a record low of 5.3%.
In this post, what you need to know as an athlete if you are looking at Dartmouth as a potential perfect match for college.
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What is Dartmouth looking for in Student Athletes?
When looking at the applications of student-athletes, and their athletic achievements, Dartmouth is looking for outstanding students first, exceptional athletes next. But you can’t just be an athlete with good grades. They want well-rounded students who pursue passions beyond classes and their preferred sport. If all you do is play and study, you’re not Dartmouth material. So, if Dartmouth is your dream school, you need to pursue your other passions, too. Explore, adventure, and try new things. Not doing every elite team or travel competition won’t make or break your application, but not pursuing passions beyond your sport might.
Recruited Athletes
If Dartmouth sounds like your dream school, it’s important to know that, as a member of the Ivy League, Dartmouth does not offer athletic scholarships despite being in the NCAA Division I. So, attending Dartmouth won’t cost you less as an athlete than it would have if you weren’t exceptional at, say, running in a circle (aka Track). But being an outstanding athlete and going through the recruiting process does significantly increase your odds of acceptance, as coaches advocate for the applications of recruited athletes. Once admitted, you’ll still have access to the need-based aid you would have gotten anyway if that applies to you, as Dartmouth meets 100% of demonstrated need. You can estimate your cost to attend Dartmouth here.
One more thing that’s important to add for prospective recruited athletes is that the Dartmouth academic calendar is uniquely conducive to supporting varsity athletes in doing study abroad, or similar programs. These types of programs are often not an option for varsity athletes at DI schools, so it’s a major perk.
If you’re interested in initiating the recruitment process, you’ll need to go to the team-specific page for your sport (for example, Men’s Lightweight Rowing), and then click on the “Recruiting” tab. This will take you directly to a questionnaire that you need to fill out carefully, as it’ll most likely be your first point-of-contact with the coaches. First impressions really matter!
There are regulations within the NCAA and within the Ivy League that pertain to when coaches can speak with students, so you may not hear back immediately. If you are in your junior year of high school and have not heard back within a few weeks of submitting the questionnaire, you should follow up with a coach directly (don’t spam them all). Remember that this is like applying for a job, so you need to approach it from a professional perspective.
Walk-Ons
Most spots on many Dartmouth teams are filled through recruiting, but it’s common to have a few spaces open any given season that coaches are looking to fill. “Walking-on” to the team is a way to join a varsity squad without going through the recruitment process. But it does come with its own hurdles, like getting into Dartmouth without coach support and trying out, and uncertainties, like there’s no guarantee that the team will even have a space for you.
If you have even an inkling that you may want to compete on a varsity squad at Dartmouth, you should start down the recruitment path so that the coaches know who you are. They may even direct you to the walk-on option in advance of you mentioning it.
Club Sports
Dartmouth has 30+ Club sports teams that range from “nationally competitive to casual and recreational.” The Club teams are all student run, whether Water Polo or Tae Kwon Do, and compete against other colleges regionally or nationally. Some are open to anyone, while others hold tryouts. The time commitment for a club team is in-between a varsity team and an intramural, which are the most laid-back way to play a sport at Dartmouth.
Whereas Club teams are still highly competitive, intramurals at Dartmouth are all about fun. It’s easy to join one of the 24 intramural teams, and easy to start one. The time commitment is low, and the community is all about having a good time doing something you love or trying something new.
Dartmouth also has a PE requirement for graduation, but it’s not the gym class you may have experienced at school. Dartmouth PE classes are themed around things like yoga, dance, or skiing, and some are sponsored by the Outing Club. The programs are flexible and inclusive.
Outing Club
Talking about athletics at Dartmouth without at least mentioning the Outing Club would be a crime. The Dartmouth Outing Club is the old collegiate outing club in the United States, and the largest. It offers classes and trips, rents gear, and even maintains a network of cabins. They also maintain over fifty miles of the Appalachian Trail.
Founded in 1909, the Outing Club was created to foster a love of winter sports, in particular, which links back to Dartmouth’s impressive winter sport offerings and community. Whether you want to make new friends canoeing, climbing, or backpacking, or you want to go off to a cabin in the woods by yourself for some rest and relaxation, the Dartmouth Outing Club is an amazing resource.
For generations, outstanding athletes have found a supporting, competitive, academically-superior home at Dartmouth. Do you want to be next?
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