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 Linguistics.
Undergraduate · Dartmouth College
Dartmouth Linguistics: ten courses, a computational twin and a culminating activity
Dartmouth lets students wait until sophomore year to declare a major, and the Linguistics Department offers two majors: Linguistics and Computational Linguistics. Students cannot take both. The Linguistics major is ten courses beyond LING 1 and ends in a culminating activity that can be an honours thesis, an advanced seminar or an independent study, which makes the first decision the choice between the two majors.
Official information · read 31 October 2026, no entry-year label
What Dartmouth says about Dartmouth Linguistics
Taken from the Dartmouth Linguistics Department's Major and Minor 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.
Two majors, not both
Linguistics and Computational Linguistics are separate, and students may not major in both.
Ten courses beyond LING 1
The Linguistics major is ten courses beyond the introductory course.
Three ways to finish
An honours thesis, an advanced seminar or an independent study satisfies the culminating activity.
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 Linguistics: Major and Minorlinguistics.dartmouth.edu
- Dartmouth Admissions: Testing Policyadmissions.dartmouth.edu
Read on 2 November 2026 on the Dartmouth Linguistics Department's Major and Minor 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 department says the Linguistics major is
The department says students who pursue the Linguistics major take ten courses beyond LING 1, including at least three numbered in the 20s or 30s or higher and four more in linguistics, one of which satisfies the culminating activity. Up to two courses may be substituted from other departments with an adviser's agreement, and no more than two courses designated LING 11 may count. The Computational Linguistics major combines linguistics and computational coursework and cannot be taken alongside it.
Is it the right major?
Linguistics beside Computer Science and Anthropology
Dartmouth lists these as separate majors, so the choice is made after admission. Avandy's comparison is general.
Linguistics fits if
you want the structure of language as the main object of study.
Computational Linguistics fits if
you want language and computation combined; it is a separate major in the same department.
Anthropology fits if
you want language within a wider study of cultures. Avandy's Dartmouth Anthropology 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.
Linguistics or Computational Linguistics?
The department offers both and does not allow both.
Which culminating activity suits you?
The options are an honours thesis, an advanced seminar or an independent study.
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 Linguistics 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 Linguistics?
The pages read describe admission to Dartmouth. Students do not need to declare a major until sophomore year.
Can I do both Linguistics and Computational Linguistics?
No. The department says students may not major in both.
How many courses does the Linguistics major need?
The department says students should take ten courses beyond LING 1.
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 Linguistics
Tell us about the student's curriculum, whether they want the Linguistics or the Computational Linguistics major, which culminating activity suits 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.