Undergraduate applications to the Class of 2025 surged 32.5% over last year to an all-time high of 28,338. This represents Dartmouth’s second record pool in the last three admission cycles, and it follows a similarly significant increase in the early decision pool of applicants.

“It is a really remarkable jump,” says Lee Coffin, vice provost and dean of admissions and financial aid. “In fact, it is the largest one-year increase I’ve seen in my admissions career.”

Coffin credits the historic volume with a confluence of contributing factors that have been significantly shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Dartmouth’s expansive digital recruitment initiatives over the past nine months have certainly reached many more students than our in-person programming has been able to match. That, as well as the test-optional policy pause and Dartmouth’s ongoing commitment to meet 100% of demonstrated need for all accepted applicants, were the likely drivers of our increase,” he says.

Admissions decisions will be released on April 6.

In December, Dartmouth admitted the first members of the Class of 2025 through the early decision process, which saw applications increase by almost 29%.