Dartmouth College Paper Format & Writing Requirements
The Ivy focused on undergraduate teaching, famous for the Tuck business school, Geisel medicine and its D-Plan quarter system. This page documents what the campus actually requires: citation styles (Chicago, MLA 9, APA 7), the composition sequence, the writing quirks that catch new students, and the assignment genres its programs grade most.
James Parker, MLS
Citation & Formatting Reviewer · Master of Library Science; 9 years as a reference librarian coaching APA, MLA and Chicago styles
Quick answer
Dartmouth College requires Chicago or MLA 9 or APA 7 across most courses. The Writing 5 first-year seminar plus First-Year Seminars (FYS) — most freshmen take two writing-intensive courses in year one. Top programs: Government, Economics, Engineering Sciences. The three quirks that surprise new students are listed below — all checkable before your first deadline.
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Dartmouth College at a glance
The Ivy focused on undergraduate teaching, famous for the Tuck business school, Geisel medicine and its D-Plan quarter system.
The campus sits in Hanover, New Hampshire, operates as a private (ivy) institution, and enrolls about 7,000 students — a scale that directly shapes how writing support works. Founded in 1769 with an acceptance rate around 6%, Dartmouth College pairs selective admissions with the large-course writing loads typical of its category.
Citation styles Dartmouth College actually requires
Dartmouth College courses predominantly require Chicago or MLA 9 or APA 7. That is not a trivial preference: it decides your title page, heading levels, in-text punctuation and reference format on every graded document.
- Chicago: used across history, fine arts and some social science seminars
- MLA 9: used across humanities and writing-sequence courses
- APA 7: used across social science, nursing and business courses
Verify against the specific course syllabus anyway — instructors can override departmental defaults, and the first paper is where they enforce it.
The writing requirement, decoded
The Writing 5 first-year seminar plus First-Year Seminars (FYS) — most freshmen take two writing-intensive courses in year one.
Plan the sequence early: composition requirements compound, and students who defer them discover the advanced seminars — where the writing-intensity lives — conflict with major courses later. The registrar's degree audit shows exactly which flags remain; check it each semester.
Three things about Dartmouth College papers that surprise new students
- The D-Plan quarter system compresses writing deadlines — 10-week terms mean papers due every 3 weeks.
- Writing 5 sections have themed topics and a mid-term revision portfolio.
- Government majors write a senior thesis or take the seminar-track capstone.
None of these appear in the course description. All of them appear in the rubric. Students who learn them in week one report smoother first-semesters than students who meet them at the deadline.
Assignments Dartmouth College students face most
- Essay — most frequently assigned across Dartmouth College's programs
- Research Paper — most frequently assigned across Dartmouth College's programs
- Thesis (Senior/Honors) — most frequently assigned across Dartmouth College's programs
- Case Study — most frequently assigned across Dartmouth College's programs
Popular programs at Dartmouth College include government, economics, engineering sciences — each pairs the assignment list above with its own capstone or practicum expectations, detailed on our subject pages.
What's your next step?
Two taps to the exact page that unblocks this paper.
Citation Generator
BIBLIOGRAPHYSmith, Jane (2024). The effect of spaced practice on essay quality. Journal of Writing Research, 16(2), 245–268. https://doi.org/10.17239/jowr-2024.16.02.03
Verify before submitting (APA 7):
- Author names inverted (Surname, Initials.) with an ampersand before the last author
- Article titles in sentence case; journal names in Title Case italics
- DOI shown as a live https://doi.org/ link (no 'DOI:' prefix)
- Edition and publisher location rules: editions in parentheses, no city since APA 7
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Dartmouth College essentials
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Dartmouth College format check
1 / 3Which citation style is safest as a default at Dartmouth College?
Frequently asked questions
4 answered1What citation style does Dartmouth College use?
Chicago and MLA 9 and APA 7 — the mix depends on the course's department. Social science and health courses lean Chicago; check the specific syllabus before formatting, and use the citation generator on this page to switch styles without re-learning punctuation rules.
2Does Dartmouth College have a first-year writing requirement?
Yes — The Writing 5 first-year seminar plus First-Year Seminars (FYS) — most freshmen take two writing-intensive courses in year one. Plan it in your first year: the requirement chains into writing-intensive courses later, and deferring it creates scheduling conflicts with major requirements in junior year.
3What assignments are most common at Dartmouth College?
Essay, Research Paper, Thesis (Senior/Honors), Case Study. Each has a full format guide on EssayAtlas — the links below adapt them to your specific courses and programs.
4How competitive is Dartmouth College?
Around 6% acceptance, enrolling about 7,000 students since 1769. Admissions selectivity matters for writing because graded curves and writing-center capacity scale with class size — use the GPA calculator below to see what your current grades project.
James Parker, MLS
Citation & Formatting Reviewer · Master of Library Science; 9 years as a reference librarian coaching APA, MLA and Chicago styles
Formats for Dartmouth College assignments
Nearby campuses with format guides
Same-state and same-region schools whose writing requirements differ more than you would expect — transfer students and cross-registration students get caught by these every term.