Early Decision Admissions Hits Record Numbers

Early decision admits rise.

Reports released by the Office of Admissions in mid-December revealed that Dartmouth’s early decision numbers hit a record high this year. Out of a pool of 1859, exactly 483 students gained admission to the College, making the rate of acceptance approximately 26%. Both the number of students applying early decision and the number of students accepted early decision were the highest in the College’s history. The rate of admission, however, was lower than in recent years, due to the size of the application pool.

This year’s application numbers represent a 10.7% increase over applications for the Class of 2018, which saw 1678 applicants (of which 469 were accepted). The acceptance rate of 26% for this year, however, marks a decrease of nearly 2% from the previous year, meaning that the Office of Admissions has been more selective with its early decision applications for the Class of 2019.

The Daily Dartmouth reported a collection of interesting figures regarding the early decision class of 2019. Varsity athletes, a demographic that typically makes up a significant percentage of early decision admits, numbered 148. Furthermore, just under 20% of the admitted students held legacy status.

Interesting to note is Dartmouth’s early decision rates compared to those at other Ivy League institutions:

Dartmouth boasts, by a significant margin, the lowest numbers of both applicants and admitted students, yet the acceptance rate stands as the highest amongst the Ivy League schools with available information. Perhaps this is due in part to the fact that Dartmouth is simply smaller than the other Ivy League schools, though the rate brings into question the selectivity of the Office of Admissions. The Daily Dartmouth quotes Dean Maria Laskaris with the projection “the admitted group of students will represent approximately 41 percent of Dartmouth’s Class of 2019,” which calculates to 1178, a number slightly smaller than the Class of 2018 (1152 – the largest class ever to enter the College). Overall, these numbers mark no significant trend, but the data remains both interesting and crucial to measuring future admissions to the College.