Declare by sophomore year
Dartmouth says students do not need to declare a major until sophomore year, and classes span disciplines beyond the major.
Undergraduate · Dartmouth
Dartmouth Government: four subfields, declared after arriving
Dartmouth admits students to the College and does not require a major until sophomore year. Government, Dartmouth's political science department, is organised around four subfields (American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations and Political Theory/Public Law), with four introductory courses, mid-level courses and research-intensive seminars. For an A-level or IB applicant, the questions are what the major contains, how it is entered and how Dartmouth's testing routes work for students outside the United States. This guide makes no claim about admission to the major.
Official information · read 31 October 2026, no entry-year label
What Dartmouth says about Dartmouth Government
Taken from Dartmouth Admissions' Majors & Minors and Testing Policy pages and the Department of Government's major and minor page, 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.
Four subfields
American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Political Theory/Public Law, plus Political Analysis courses.
Introductory, mid-level and seminar courses
Four introductory courses (GOVT 3 to 6) come first; seminars are generally taken in the third or fourth year.
A statistics prerequisite
A course in the statistics and methods of the social sciences, GOVT 10 or equivalent, is a prerequisite.
A-Levels and the IBDP named
Students from outside the US may meet the testing requirement through five routes, including predicted or final A-Levels or IBDP results.
Official sources
- Dartmouth Admissions: Majors & Minorsadmissions.dartmouth.edu
- Dartmouth Department of Government: Major and Minorgovt.dartmouth.edu
- Dartmouth Admissions: Testing Policyadmissions.dartmouth.edu
Read on 31 October 2026 on Dartmouth Admissions' Majors & Minors and Testing Policy pages and the Department of Government's major and minor page, which describes 2027 entry. The pages carry no entry-year label. Dartmouth's Organization, Regulations and Courses pages, the Government course lists and honours programme detail, deadlines and financial aid were not read and are not stated.
The major
What the department says Government is
The department describes political science as the study of power, especially power used for public purposes, normatively and empirically, within states, among states and beyond them. The major is built from introductory courses in each of the four subfields, mid-level courses numbered 11 to 69 and seminars numbered 80 to 86. Students can combine Government with Economics or Philosophy as a modified major. This guide did not read the course lists.
Is it the right major?
Government, Economics or Quantitative Social Science
Dartmouth describes each as a separate major, so the choice is made after admission. Avandy's comparison is general.
Government fits if
you want to study power, institutions and international politics through theory and evidence.
Economics fits if
you want economic theory and research. Avandy's Dartmouth Economics guide covers it.
Quantitative Social Science fits if
you want quantitative methods across several social sciences. Avandy's Dartmouth QSS guide covers it.
Admission and testing
Five testing routes for students outside the US
Dartmouth says students who attended high school in the US must submit SAT or ACT results, while students from outside the US can meet the requirement in one of five ways, which include predicted or final British A-Level results and predicted or final IBDP results. This guide states no score.
A decision framework
Three questions before you commit
This is Avandy's own framework, not Dartmouth's.
Which subfield attracts you most?
The four introductory courses cover each.
Are you comfortable with statistics?
A statistics and methods course is a prerequisite.
Which testing route fits your school?
Dartmouth lists five routes for students outside the US.
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 major page and choose a testing route.
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
When do I declare Government at Dartmouth?
Dartmouth says students do not need to declare a major until sophomore year.
What are the subfields?
American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Political Theory/Public Law.
Is statistics required?
A course in the statistics and methods of the social sciences, GOVT 10 or its equivalents, is a prerequisite.
Does Dartmouth accept A-Levels and the IB for testing?
Yes. Students from outside the US can meet the requirement through five routes, including predicted or final A-Levels or IBDP results.
Do I need the SAT or ACT?
Students who attended high school in the US must submit them; students outside the US have five routes.
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 Government
Tell us about the student's curriculum, their interest in political science, the four subfields 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.