Dartmouth College is one of the very few US universities that admits international students without looking at whether they can pay. The college’s financial aid office puts it in one line: it has expanded its longstanding need-blind admissions policy to include all international citizens, and it meets the demonstrated need of all admitted undergraduates, including those from other countries. For an Indian student who needs almost full funding, that combination – need-blind admission plus full need met – is rare enough that it is worth applying to on its own.
What you control is the paperwork and the calendar. Dartmouth’s aid application for international students runs on the CSS Profile (CSS code 3351) plus income documents, and the aid deadlines are 1 November for Early Decision and 1 February for Regular Decision. The university’s own 2026-27 cost of attendance is US$98,427 a year, which is the number your aid award is measured against. Every figure on this page comes from Dartmouth’s financial aid site, linked at the end.
Dartmouth financial aid for international students 2027: quick facts
Quick facts2026-27
| Scholarship from | Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA – need-based Dartmouth scholarships and loans for undergraduate study; admission is need-blind for all international citizens and 100 percent of demonstrated need is met |
| Last date to apply | 1 February 2027 (Regular Decision; CSS Profile and income documents). Early Decision closed on 1 November 2026. Transfer applicants: 1 March 2027 |
| Official website | financialaid.dartmouth.edu – financial aid for international students |
Need-blind for international students: what Dartmouth actually promises
Dartmouth’s policy is not a marketing line – the financial aid office states that admission is need-blind for international citizens, and that the college meets the demonstrated need of every admitted undergraduate regardless of nationality. In practice this means your family’s income does not decide whether you get in. It only decides the size and shape of the package you receive after you are admitted.
The package is not all grant. Dartmouth’s own wording is that it has scholarships and loans available to international students, and that the budget includes an allowance for travel to the US. So treat the award as three parts: Dartmouth scholarship, a student contribution from term-time work, and in many cases a loan. Budget for a small loan component rather than assuming a full-ride grant.
The work contribution in a Dartmouth aid award
Dartmouth spells out the student earnings side, and it changed for international students in a way that helps in year one. There is no summer earnings expectation before you start at Dartmouth. From the second year there is a student work contribution of US$1,500 a year. Separately, the aid award includes US$2,450 of estimated annual income from work during academic terms – most international aid recipients work for the college during their leave terms.
Canadian students are assessed the same summer expectation as US students, so Indian students sit in the more generous group here. Plan the first-year budget without any earnings assumption, and from year two assume you will earn about US$1,500 towards your own costs.
What Dartmouth costs in 2026-27
Dartmouth runs a quarter system and prices the year in three terms. The 2026-27 cost of attendance is the figure the aid office uses when it calculates your need:
| Tuition (three terms) | US$71,697 |
| Fees | US$2,157 |
| Housing | US$13,032 |
| Food | US$8,496 |
| Books, course materials, supplies | US$1,005 |
| Personal expenses | US$2,040 |
| Total budget for 2026-27 | US$98,427 |
Two costs sit outside that total. Student Group Health Insurance is US$5,216 for 2026-27, and you can waive it only by certifying comparable coverage to Dartmouth Health Services – most Indian families end up paying it in year one. Entering students also need a computer meeting Dartmouth’s requirements; the basic package the college sells costs US$1,700. First-time students pay a one-time US$269 records and class dues fee plus US$250 for orientation meals. A travel allowance of at least US$250 already sits inside the total budget.
Deadlines that decide your Dartmouth aid
Dartmouth publishes one deadline per round for the CSS Profile, FAFSA and documents. International applicants file the CSS Profile and the income documents – FAFSA is for US citizens and permanent residents only:
- Early Decision: CSS Profile by 1 November (the 2026 round has closed)
- Regular Decision: CSS Profile by 1 February 2027
- Transfer applicants: CSS Profile by 1 March 2027
File the CSS Profile before the deadline, not on it. The College Board sends the data to Dartmouth electronically, but the income documents reach the aid office separately and a late document holds up the whole file.
Documents an Indian applicant submits to Dartmouth
Dartmouth decides your document list by where your parents live, which matters for Indian families with a parent working abroad:
- Parents living in the US: CSS Profile (code 3351) plus federal tax returns and W-2 forms uploaded through IDOC
- Parents living in Canada: CSS Profile plus parents’ general tax forms sent directly to the financial aid office
- Parents living in India or anywhere else: CSS Profile (code 3351) plus an income tax statement – all income and tax documents go directly to the financial aid office
- If the CSS Profile fee is a barrier: Dartmouth publishes a fee waiver route through its fee waivers page
Dartmouth also warns against emailing confidential papers. Send sensitive documents by mail, or password-protect the archive and send the password in a separate email. Use the same legal name on the Common App, the CSS Profile and the tax documents, otherwise the file gets split.
Mistakes that quietly cost Indian students Dartmouth aid
- Applying Early Decision without the 1 November CSS Profile – an incomplete aid file in the binding round is the most expensive mistake on this page
- Reporting income in rupees without converting to US dollars on the CSS Profile, which distorts the need calculation
- Skipping the noncustodial parent’s information when parents are separated – Dartmouth’s aid office requires both households
- Assuming the award is all grant and then discovering a loan and a US$1,500 work contribution from year two
- Forgetting the US$5,216 health insurance and US$1,700 computer when comparing Dartmouth with a cheaper university
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Dartmouth states that it has expanded its need-blind admissions policy to include all international citizens, and that it meets the demonstrated need of all admitted undergraduates including students from other countries.
3351. International applicants file the CSS Profile with code 3351, and parents living in India also send income tax documents directly to the Dartmouth financial aid office.
1 February 2027 for Regular Decision. The Early Decision aid deadline of 1 November has closed, and transfer applicants file by 1 March 2027.
US$98,427 for the full three-term year: tuition US$71,697, fees US$2,157, housing US$13,032, food US$8,496, books and supplies US$1,005 and personal expenses US$2,040. Health insurance of US$5,216 and a computer package of about US$1,700 are extra.
Dartmouth says it has scholarships and loans available to international students, so an award can combine a Dartmouth scholarship with a loan and a student work contribution of US$1,500 a year from the second year.
No. International students have no summer earnings expectation in the first year; the US$1,500 student work contribution applies in subsequent years, and the award includes an estimated US$2,450 of term-time work income.
Official links
Related reading: Dartmouth – financial aid for international students
Dartmouth – how to apply for aid (deadlines)
Dartmouth – documents for international applicants
Dartmouth – cost of attendance 2026-27
Related reading: browse USA scholarships, international scholarships and study abroad scholarships for more fully funded options for Indian students.
Related scholarship posts: Cornell financial aid for international students, Notre Dame financial aid for international students and MIT financial aid for international students.