2025 College Rankings

One of America’s oldest institutions, Dartmouth College is the smallest Ivy League school by enrollment. Unfortunately, the school has made a commitment to the diversity regime that is out of proportion to its size.

Dartmouth has a large DEI bureaucracy—with more than seven employees per 1,000 undergraduates at a school of just 4,500 students—and a Chief Diversity Officer to ensure ideological conformity. Nearly 85 percent of faculty job postings require a DEI statement. Dartmouth filed an amicus brief in the Students for Fair Admissions Supreme Court case in support of affirmative action—underscoring its prioritization of diversity over merit. Still, it does require applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores, suggesting that diversity is not the sole criterion in admissions.

Dartmouth’s administration has embraced various trendy causes, from land acknowledgments and encouragement of pronoun use to environmental pledges. To its credit, however, Dartmouth adopted a policy of “institutional restraint” this past year, a commitment to intervene less often—or, at least, less conspicuously—in matters of public controversy. Its new president, Sian Beilock, is emerging as a strong and sensible advocate for reform, and its new provost has a stellar reputation as a serious defender of academic excellence. Dartmouth’s leadership team is one to watch.

Dartmouth’s support for free speech is lackluster. Only 20 percent of students surveyed by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) say that it is “extremely” or “very” clear that the administration protects free expression on campus. The school operates a bias-response system designed to police speech deemed offensive, and FIRE gives Dartmouth a “yellow” speech code rating, meaning that its policies are easily subject to abuse and may be used to suppress speech.

It’s no surprise, then, that many students feel the need to self-censor—whether in classroom discussions or campus conversations. Nearly half report refraining from expressing their true views at least once a month. The student body leans strongly liberal, with more than three liberal students for every conservative, and is significantly more tolerant of left-leaning views, particularly when it comes to campus speakers. Since 2019, several de-platforming attempts have occurred at Dartmouth. In one notable case, in 2022, student protesters—backed by the administration—forced an event featuring right-wing video journalist Andy Ngo to move online because of vague security concerns.

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) gives Dartmouth a B in its What Will They Learn? ratings, which assign letter grades based on how many of seven core subjects are required in the core curriculum or general education program. Students must complete DEI-focused coursework to graduate but are not required to study more substantive subjects like history or government. ACTA does highlight one area of excellence: the Daniel Webster Project in Ancient and Modern Studies, which offers lectures, conferences, and curriculum proposals aimed at strengthening the liberal arts at Dartmouth.

Dartmouth tends to serve its graduates well economically. The Princeton Review ranks its alumni network among the top 20 for private colleges, and graduates often go on to successful careers. Median annual earnings ten years after initial enrollment are in line with expected earnings, based on SAT and Pell Grant data. On average, it takes 2.4 years to recoup the cost of a Dartmouth education, in line with our overall average of 2.3 years.