Dartmouth scholarships and merit aid
The short answer
We did not find a simple published award list to show for Dartmouth. Read our full reasoning before spending more time here.
2 school sources to explore
Published rules, with the school sources close at hand. Confirm the details before you count on an award.
Explore the aid policy
Start with the financial aid office
This research does not list a merit award. Explore the recorded policies below and ask Dartmouth's financial aid office about current options.
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What makes Dartmouth different
Dartmouth offers no merit scholarships — all institutional aid is need-based and meets 100% of demonstrated need: 'We do not offer any aid based on academic merit, artistic talent, athletic ability or other criteria.'
Start with the aid policy
Find the right kind of aid.
This research does not list a merit award. Check the school's financial aid options and application requirements; an empty award list is not proof that no aid is available.
- Read the selection rules
Look for the school's stated criteria and whether an additional application is needed.
- Check the application dates
Confirm the current admission and scholarship deadlines directly with the school.
- Know what happens next year
Check renewal, credit requirements and how other aid affects the award.
The fine print / Three questions to carry forward
Before you count on it.
Does it apply to us? Confirm the entering year, residency and every eligibility condition.
Can we keep it? Check renewal GPA, credits and how long the award lasts.
Can we combine it? Ask how outside scholarships and other school awards change the offer.
A printable research summary, source links and room for your questions.
See what could change an award
What families often miss
Dartmouth is explicit on its aid pages: 'Dartmouth scholarship funds are all based on financial need.' and 'We do not offer any aid based on academic merit, artistic talent, athletic ability or other criteria.' A high-stat student with no demonstrated need pays full sticker price, exactly like any other full-pay student.
Outside awards first replace the student's leave-term earnings, employment expectation, and any optional loan — that portion is genuinely additive to the student. Only the amount that exceeds the replaceable self-help reduces the Dartmouth Scholarship grant. Small-to-moderate outside awards usually help the student's bottom line.
Dartmouth meets 100% of demonstrated need with no required loans. For a family with real demonstrated need, Dartmouth's actual net price can land below schools that advertise large merit awards. Run Dartmouth's net price calculator before concluding it is unaffordable.
See costs and school data
Who this school may work for
Families whose income and assets generate meaningful demonstrated need on Dartmouth's calculation — those families get a no-loan package that covers 100% of need. Merit-hunters expecting an academic, talent, or athletic discount should look elsewhere; a high GPA or test score earns no price reduction here.
- Tuition & fees
- Housing & food
- Books
- Personal
Official Dartmouth Financial Aid COA page; three-term annual figures. Fees combines fees line; Housing & food combines housing + food.
Cost and graduation facts
Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Dartmouth, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.
| Family income | Average net price paid |
|---|---|
| $0–$30,000 | $41 |
| $30,001–$48,000 | $489 |
| $48,001–$75,000 | $2,695 |
| $75,001–$110,000 | $8,534 |
| $110,001+ | $52,036 |
| All income levels (average) | $29,519 |
Sticker price vs. what students actually pay
- Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
- $68,268
- Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
- $29,519
That works out to roughly a 66% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $87,793 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).
Outcomes for students who enrolled here
- Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
- 96%
- First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
- 98%
- Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
- $17,500 (~$186/mo on a 10-yr plan)
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
- $97,434
- Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
- 14%
- Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
- 13%
See other scholarships and cost examples
If your student brings another scholarship
Outside scholarships first replace a student's leave-term earnings, employment expectation, and any optional loan. Only amounts that exceed those reduce the Dartmouth Scholarship dollar-for-dollar; they never reduce the calculated Parent Contribution.
Because Dartmouth packages need with student employment and grant (no required loan), outside awards first erase the self-help/employment expectation. A modest outside scholarship therefore tends to be additive to the student's pocket. Larger outside awards that exceed the replaceable self-help portion then reduce the Dartmouth Scholarship grant dollar-for-dollar.
More school data
From the Dartmouth Common Data Set 2024-2025:
As filed in Dartmouth's CDS Section H2A: of 1,182 first-time, full-time degree-seeking freshmen, 0 had no financial need and received institutional merit (non-need) scholarship or grant aid. Across all full-time degree-seeking undergraduates: 0 of 4,474. Athletic awards are excluded per the CDS definition.
Dartmouth merit aid FAQ
Does Dartmouth give academic or merit scholarships?
No. Dartmouth states plainly that 'Dartmouth scholarship funds are all based on financial need' and that 'We do not offer any aid based on academic merit, artistic talent, athletic ability or other criteria.' Every dollar of Dartmouth institutional aid is awarded on demonstrated financial need.
How is financial aid determined at Dartmouth?
Aid is determined solely by need — income and asset information from the student and parents, without regard to academic merit, test scores, athletic ability, or other talents. Dartmouth's published commitment is that its financial aid 'covers 100% of the demonstrated need of all its students,' with no required student loans in the package.
Are there any non-need scholarships at all for undergraduates?
No undergraduate institutional merit, talent, or athletic scholarships exist at Dartmouth. (Some graduate and professional programs do offer merit aid, but that is separate from undergraduate admission.) Outside scholarships from third parties are allowed and encouraged, but Dartmouth itself awards only need-based aid.
Will winning an outside scholarship cost me my Dartmouth aid?
Outside scholarships first replace your leave-term earnings, employment expectation, and any optional loan — that part helps you. Only amounts that exceed what Dartmouth can replace 'will reduce Dartmouth Scholarship dollar-for-dollar,' and they can never reduce your calculated Parent Contribution.
Does Dartmouth meet full demonstrated need?
Yes. Dartmouth states its financial aid 'covers 100% of the demonstrated need of all its students,' and qualifying students receive a package that never includes a required student loan — need is met with student employment plus grant/scholarship funding.
See sources and other schools
How Dartmouth compares
- 145 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use loan-first displacement.
Dartmouth is in a recognizable cluster (145 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
Sources used on this page
Every claim is checked against Dartmouth’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
- Policy pageDartmouth stacking policy
- Cost of attendanceDartmouth cost-of-attendance worksheet
Compare with similar schools
- Franklin Pierce merit aid. New Hampshire private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
- Institute of Art and Design at NEC merit aid. New Hampshire private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
- SNHU merit aid. New Hampshire private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
- Keene State merit aid. New Hampshire public university — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
Keep exploring Dartmouth merit aid
- Dartmouth scholarship stacking. Whether outside awards land as upside or quietly displace institutional aid.
- Does Dartmouth displace outside scholarships?. The dollar math on a $5,000 outside award, plus peer schools that handle it differently.