How to Apply to Computer Science at Dartmouth College: Declare the CS Major After Entry, the New Requirements from Fall 2026, and Requirements and Timeline for Chinese, Canadian High School and Transfer Students

At Dartmouth College, computer science is offered by the Department of Computer Science. Dartmouth does not admit by major: all first-year applicants apply to the College through the Common App and choose a major after entry, and Dartmouth says students don’t need to declare a major until sophomore year. Here is what you need to know for fall 2027 entry, based on Dartmouth’s official information, for students at high schools in China, students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver), and transfer students.

1. The computer science major

The department says the ORC (Dartmouth’s catalog) is the authority on requirements; its website gives a summary. The requirements changed from fall 2026, and students entering in fall 2027 follow the new ones.

• Prerequisites: COSC 1 and one of MATH 8, MATH 11 or MATH 13. Some students get credit through high school credit, transfer credit or a placement exam. The department recommends taking them as early as possible, and before declaring.
• Six core courses: COSC 10, COSC 15, COSC 30, COSC 31, COSC 50 and COSC 70.
• Four electives numbered 30–89, at most one of which can be COSC 94.
• Culminating experience, one of:
  • two consecutive terms of COSC 98 (Senior Design and Implementation Project), a group software project for a real-world need;
  • two consecutive terms of COSC 99 (Thesis Research) with a faculty member, ending in a written thesis;
  • two additional advanced topics courses (49, 69 or 89 topics courses), normally in senior year.
• Three pillars: the department’s learning outcomes say majors take further courses in theory and algorithms, systems, and applications (such as computer vision, robotics and machine learning), going deeper in at least one.
• Students who enrolled before fall 2026 (Classes of 2027–2029) may follow the previous requirements and are encouraged to follow the new ones; the previous requirements were COSC 1 and COSC 10 as prerequisites, two courses in each of the 30–49, 50–69 and 70–89 ranges, three electives and a culminating experience.
• Other options: a modified major in computer science, a computer science minor, and digital arts.
• Declaring: plan your courses term by term (checking prerequisites), then declare in DartWorks; the department’s Undergraduate Program Director approves the plan. The department recommends talking with the director first.

2. Application plans and timeline

• Early Decision (ED): due November 1, binding (barring circumstances such as unforeseen financial hardship), with decisions by mid-December. Financial aid materials are also due November 1.
• Regular Decision (RD): due January 1 per Dartmouth’s timeline (another part of the site says January 2; follow the application portal), with decisions in late March or early April and a May 1 reply date. Financial aid materials are due February 1.
• Materials: the Common App, the Dartmouth Writing Supplement, the school report with transcript, school profile and counselor evaluation, two teacher evaluations and testing; a peer recommendation is recommended.
• Interviews: not required for first-year applicants; alumni interviews are optional.
• Last test dates: early November for ED and December for RD.

3. Testing

• Students at high schools outside the US can meet the requirement with any one of:
  • the SAT or ACT (multiple sittings are automatically superscored);
  • three AP exams in different subjects, ideally at least one math or science and one history, social science or English;
  • predicted or final IB Diploma results (predictions must come from the school);
  • predicted or final A-Level results, ideally at least three;
  • final results of a standardized national exam (predictions are not accepted).
• The Gaokao: Dartmouth says applicants whose national exam results come after February must choose another option. Gaokao results come out in June, so current-year Gaokao students should use the SAT/ACT, AP, IB or A-Levels.
• Weight: Dartmouth calls testing one factor, but never the primary factor.

4. Students at high schools in China

• Apply through the Common App with your school transcript and recommendations, and meet testing with the SAT/ACT, three APs, IB or A-Levels.
• English: required if English is not your first language and your curriculum has not been in English for at least two years: TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo or Cambridge English.
• No minimum, but most successful applicants score above 7 on IELTS, above 135 on Duolingo or above 185 on Cambridge English; on the TOEFL, above 100 for tests before January 21, 2026, and 5 or above for tests from that date.
• TOEFL iBT Home Edition and IELTS Indicator are accepted; MyBest scores and TOEFL Essentials are not.

5. Students at Canadian high schools

• Canadian schools count as outside the US, so you can use the SAT/ACT, three APs or IB. BC has no national exam of the kind Dartmouth lists, so most BC students will use the SAT/ACT or AP.
• No English test is needed if English is your first language or you have studied in English for at least two years.
• Dartmouth publishes no grade requirement specific to Canadian or BC curricula; decisions are holistic.

6. Transfer students

• Eligibility: students who have matriculated at a college and completed two years or fewer of coursework, even one term. Students with a bachelor’s degree cannot apply, and high school students whose college courses count toward graduation apply as first-years.
• Fall only: all transfers apply by March 1 and start in September; the 2027 Transfer Application opens in January 2027, with decisions in mid-May.
• Small numbers: Dartmouth says it has recently enrolled between a handful and two dozen new transfer students a year.
• Materials: the transfer application with essays, final high school transcript, college report and transcript (updated in May/June), two evaluations from college instructors and testing; course syllabi are strongly recommended. There are no interviews for transfers.
• Testing: required, but you can request a waiver if you did not test for first-year admission, your scores are more than five years old, or testing would be a hardship.
• Computer science credit: identify the matching Dartmouth course, then email a faculty member who teaches it (copying the Undergraduate Program Director) with the syllabus and other details; approval needs roughly 80% overlap. If no course matches, you can ask for credit as COSC 000, which does not count toward the major.

7. Costs and financial aid

• 2026-27 cost of attendance (US$): tuition 71,697, fees 2,426, housing 13,032, food 8,746, books 1,005 and miscellaneous 2,040, for a total of about 98,946 including first-year orientation fees. Students must also buy the college health plan (5,216 in 2026-27) unless they have comparable coverage. 2027-28 figures are not yet published.
• Need-blind for international students: Dartmouth extended need-blind admission to all international applicants, so applying for aid does not affect your admission decision, and says its aid program will meet your family’s demonstrated need.
• Financial aid materials follow your round: ED November 1, RD February 1, transfer March 1.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Submit the Common App and Writing Supplement by November 1 (ED) or January 1 (RD)
• Testing: SAT/ACT, three APs, IB or A-Levels (current-year Gaokao results come too late)
• TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo; typical admits: IELTS 7, new TOEFL 5, Duolingo 135
• After entry, take COSC 1 and MATH 8, 11 or 13 early, then declare the major

Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver):

• Apply by November 1 (ED) or January 1 (RD); use the SAT/ACT or three APs
• No English test if you have studied in English for two years or more

Transfer students:

• Opens January 2027, due March 1, September start; two college instructor evaluations, syllabi and testing
• Outside CS courses are approved one by one by faculty, needing about 80% overlap

Sources: Dartmouth College, Apply to Dartmouth: process and timelines; Testing policy; English language proficiency; Universal need-blind policy; Cost of attendance 2026-27; Majors and minors; Transfer enrollment; Testing for transfer applicants; Transferability of college credits; Computer Science: CS major; Prerequisite courses; Culminating experience; Declaring a major or minor; Transfer credits for CS courses. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 figures). Check Dartmouth for the latest details.