A major declared by sophomore year
Dartmouth says students do not need to declare a major until sophomore year. The pages read describe no separate admission to African and African American Studies.
Undergraduate · Dartmouth College
Dartmouth African and African American Studies: eleven courses, two surveys and two areas
Dartmouth lets students wait until sophomore year to declare a major. The African and African American Studies major is eleven courses with a deliberate structure: two survey courses, one African and one African American; eight electives with at least two from each distributive designation; and two area courses, one on Africa and one on African America including the Caribbean. It can also be the secondary part of a modified major.
Official information · read 31 October 2026, no entry-year label
What Dartmouth says about Dartmouth African and African American Studies
Taken from the Dartmouth African and African American Studies Program's major page, Dartmouth Admissions' Majors & Minors and Testing Policy pages, read on 31 October 2026. The pages carry no entry-year label, so for a 2028-entry application every statement below is evidence for the previous cycle and may change; check Dartmouth's pages for the 2028-entry details.
Eleven courses
Two surveys, eight electives and one culminating experience.
Two surveys
One African and one African American, with AAAS 9 able to fulfil either.
A modified-major option
AAAS can be the secondary part of a modified major with four courses.
The SAT or ACT, or an international alternative
US high school students submit the SAT or ACT. Students outside the US can meet the requirement in one of five ways, including predicted or final A-level or IB results.
Official sources
- Dartmouth Admissions: Majors & Minorsadmissions.dartmouth.edu
- Dartmouth African and African American Studies: Majoraaas.dartmouth.edu
- Dartmouth Admissions: Testing Policyadmissions.dartmouth.edu
Read on 2 November 2026 on the Dartmouth African and African American Studies Program's major page, Dartmouth Admissions' Majors & Minors and Testing Policy pages, which describes 2027 entry. The pages carry no entry-year label. Dartmouth's Organization, Regulations and Courses catalogue, the full requirement worksheet, deadlines and financial aid were not read and are not stated.
The major
What the programme says the AAAS major is
The programme describes a cross-disciplinary study of the diaspora with a focus on a particular topic or theme. The major has eleven courses: two survey courses, eight electives with at least two from each distributive designation, area courses on Africa and on African America, and a culminating experience (a senior seminar, senior independent research or an honours thesis). Students declare by meeting the Vice Chair to discuss requirements and arrange approval. As a modified major, AAAS needs four courses in addition to those of the primary department.
Is it the right major?
AAAS beside Anthropology and History
Dartmouth lists these as separate majors, so the choice is made after admission. Avandy's comparison is general.
AAAS fits if
you want the African and African American experience and the diaspora as the organising theme.
Anthropology fits if
you want comparative study of cultures. Avandy's Dartmouth Anthropology guide covers it.
History fits if
you want the past as the organising frame. Avandy's Dartmouth History guide covers it.
Admission and testing
A Dartmouth application, an SAT or ACT and A levels or the IB
Dartmouth requires students who attended high school in the United States to submit the SAT or ACT. Students who attended high school outside the United States may fulfil the requirement in one of five ways, which include predicted or final results from British A-Levels or the IB Diploma. The major is not a separate application. This guide states no score.
A decision framework
Three questions before you commit
This is Avandy's own framework, not Dartmouth's.
Which area would you focus on?
Electives must include area courses on Africa and on African America.
Would a modified major suit you?
AAAS can be taken as the secondary part of one.
Which testing route would you use?
Students outside the US can meet Dartmouth's requirement in one of five ways, including predicted or final A-level or IB results.
Planning for 2028 entry
Planning for 2028 entry: what carries over and what is awaiting publication
Dartmouth's pages carry no entry-year label, so nothing on them is confirmed for 2028 entry. Use them to understand the structure of the application, then check Dartmouth's own pages for the 2028-entry details.
The requirements and descriptions on the pages read on 31 October 2026, which carry no entry-year label
These are the best guide to what to prepare. Dartmouth has not confirmed them for 2028 entry.
Deadlines, fees, financial aid and any department prerequisites not quoted here: not stated
This guide has not read them. Check Dartmouth for the values that apply to your application year.
What to do now
Read the department's African and African American Studies page and decide which testing route you will use for Dartmouth.
Support
Independent support with planning your own application
Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support. It is not affiliated with Dartmouth College or any of its colleges or departments. Preparation sits within the Avandy Trinity Advisory Model: a Strategic Admissions Consultant, a PhD-level Academic Mentor and a Subject-specific Tutor, working to the actual requirements of each course. Support here is limited to understanding the requirements and planning the applicant's own work; Avandy does not write or edit essays, does not submit any materials and has no partnership with Dartmouth College. No outcome is promised.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
Can I apply directly to Dartmouth African and African American Studies?
The pages read describe admission to Dartmouth. Students do not need to declare a major until sophomore year.
How many courses does the AAAS major need?
The programme says eleven courses.
Can AAAS be combined with another subject?
Yes. It may be the secondary part of a modified major, with four AAAS courses in addition to those of the primary department.
Do A levels and the IB count for testing?
Dartmouth lists predicted or final British A-Level and IB Diploma results among five ways to meet the requirement for students who attended high school outside the United States.
Is the SAT or ACT required?
For students who attended high school in the United States, yes: they must submit either test.
Are these the rules for 2028 entry?
No. They are Dartmouth's wording with no entry-year label. Check Dartmouth's pages again when Dartmouth publishes its 2028-entry requirements.
Students and families
Talk to us about Dartmouth African and African American Studies
Tell us about the student's curriculum, which area and disciplinary courses appeal, whether a modified major interests them and their testing route, the universities on the list, and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare.