PhD Programs Admissions

Applicants must complete the application for admission online. It is not necessary to send us a hard copy. Applications for 2026 will open in early September. Join our mailing list to learn more about our programs and get notified when applications open.

Start Your Application

Updating Your Materials

Your test scores and mailing address can be updated at any time through your application status page. After submission, other components (resume, statement of purpose, essays, etc.) cannot be updated. Please be sure you have entered the most accurate information at the time of submission. Due to the volume of applications received, we cannot update these materials after submission.

Acknowledgment

After submission, you will receive an email acknowledgment through the application system.

Application Status

To see the status of your application, visit your online application status page. Please note that it may take a few days for application materials to be processed.

Application materials and supporting documents become the property of the Admissions Committee and are not returnable.

General Policies

False Statements/Materials: If a candidate for admission to Dartmouth makes a false statement or submits falsified material in connection with his or her application, and the misrepresentation is discovered after the candidate has been admitted, the offer of admission ordinarily will be withdrawn. If the misrepresentation is discovered after a student arrives on campus or at any time during their enrollment, the student will be subject to loss of credits earned and disciplinary action that could include separation from the College. If the discovery occurs after a degree has been awarded, the degree normally will be rescinded.

Verification of Materials: All offers of admission are contingent upon successful verification of submitted application materials, including required recommendations and transcripts. If the materials are unable to be validated, enrollment in Dartmouth cannot be finalized and the offer of admission will ordinarily be withdrawn.

Equal Opportunity: Dartmouth Engineering actively supports equal opportunity for all persons regardless of race or ethnic background. No student will be denied admission or be otherwise discriminated against because of sex, handicap, religion, sexual orientation, race, color, or national origin.

Security and Fire Safety Report: Dartmouth prepares an annual Security and Fire Safety Report which is available to all current and prospective employees and students. The report includes statistics of reported crimes that have occurred on campus, in certain off-campus buildings, or on property owned or controlled by Dartmouth, and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus as well as reported fires occurring in residential facilities. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, such as policies concerning sexual assault, fire safety, and other matters. You may obtain a copy of this report by contacting the Director of Safety and Security and the College Proctor at +1 (603) 646-4000.

A non-refundable application fee of $75 is required of all applicants, except for Dartmouth College or Dartmouth Engineering students and alumni. The fee must be paid by credit card. Applications will not be processed until this fee is received.

Application Fee Waiver

Applicants may be eligible for a fee waiver based on one or more of the criteria below. Fee waivers will be automatically applied to qualifying applications once an application has been started for a Dartmouth Engineering program. Receiving a fee waiver will not affect your application during the review process.

• Fellowship Program Affiliation: Are a current member of an established fellowship program (eg. McNair Scholars Program, NSF, DOE, DOD, NASA, GEM).
• Military Service: Are a current or former member of the United States Armed Forces.
• Dartmouth Affiliation: Are a current Dartmouth student or alumnus/alumna.
• Dartmouth Recruiting Event: Have attended a Dartmouth admissions or recruiting event hosted by the Thayer School of Engineering, including professional conferences or virtual information sessions.

Three (3) letters of recommendation must be completed and submitted online directly by your recommenders. Please have your recommenders complete the evaluation form that will be emailed to them and submit a signed letter on their official institutional letterhead. If your recommender’s company or institution has a policy against letterhead they must provide a copy of this policy with the recommendation letter.

Letters must come from academic and/ or professional references using their institutional or corporate contact information. Applicants with work or military experience, or who are currently in another graduate program, should submit a recommendation from their immediate supervisor, a current or former employer, or someone who knows them well through some other professional or community activity.

At Dartmouth Engineering, we value the integrity of our admissions process. To preserve the authenticity and fairness of applicant evaluations, all letters of recommendation must be authored solely by your designated reference. Applicants may not draft, write, translate, or submit their own letters—even if requested to do so by the reference. Any such involvement will be considered a violation of Dartmouth Engineering's admissions policies and the Academic Honor Policy. You are responsible for informing your references of this policy.

If you foresee any exceptional circumstances that may affect your ability to comply with the standard recommendation letter submission process, please contact Dartmouth Engineering's Academic and Student Affairs Office well in advance of your application submission. Early communication ensures we can provide guidance and support while maintaining the integrity of our admissions process.

When applying, you are required to submit unofficial academic transcripts from each undergraduate or graduate institution from which you obtained your degrees (eg. your bachelor's degree or other advanced degrees), as well as transcripts from all universities and colleges previously attended and/or enrolled.

You may scan and upload an unofficial copy of your academic transcript (not diploma) issued by the institution(s) from which you obtained your undergraduate degree(s) and any advanced/graduate degree(s) directly to the online application.

For grading scales other than 4.0 grading scales: Please include documentation indicating the scale.

Applicants with international transcripts are strongly encouraged to submit a transcript evaluation using a course-by-course evaluation accredited by Naces with their Dartmouth Engineering application. Recommended companies integrated with Dartmouth's application system:

• SpanTran
• WES ICAP

Non-degree coursework: If you attended institutions other than those from which your degree(s) were granted, you are required to scan and upload your academic transcripts from these institutions (transfer coursework, domestic or study-abroad programs, postgraduate non-degree coursework, etc.).

If you have more than three undergraduate transcripts or three graduate transcripts to upload, please combine them by uploading a file that contains more than one transcript.

Remember:

• Scan BOTH sides of your transcript (provided the second side is not blank).
• Depending on the scanner and software, you may either insert individual images (.jpg) into a single word processing document for upload, OR if your software produces a .pdf, simply upload that file.
• The file must be less than 1 MB, in a standard format, WITHOUT password protection or macros. Any of these problems will cause the upload process to fail.
• A diploma is not a transcript.

If you upload a scanned copy of your transcript, you do not need to send a hard copy. The scanned copy fulfills the requirement for the application process. Upon admission, you will be required to supply an official hard copy of your transcript.

Admitted students: Thayer uses ReVera services to authenticate letters of recommendation and transcripts. Applicants who accept the offer of admission will receive an email with instructions on where to send official transcripts. This email will also include an e-release form to be signed.

Research Area: Engineering PhD students typically are funded through a professor’s sponsored research or a fellowship. Students interested in applying to the PhD program are encouraged to reach out to individual faculty members to discuss potential projects.

Through the PhD program, students may elect one of the six program areas to be reflected as a "concentration." In the application, you will be prompted to select which track you are interested in pursuing. Applicants should indicate all areas of interest in order to be considered for the widest possible range of opportunities. Students can switch program areas after starting the program.

Identifying Dartmouth Engineering faculty members of interest: The supplemental form of the application will be used to match your area(s) to those of faculty or to determine your focus. You must select at least one and may choose up to three faculty from the drop-down list in the application.

Fill this out carefully and list your top faculty of interest first. We strongly encourage you to review research by program areas and contact Dartmouth Engineering faculty for an initial conversation about research opportunities.

Statement of Purpose/Essay: You will be prompted to write a brief essay describing your research interests and career goals and the reasons you wish to pursue graduate studies at Dartmouth. Include any information that does not appear elsewhere that will help us evaluate your application. If possible, keep your essay to 1–2 pages.

CV/Resume: Upload your most recent CV or resume. 

Optional Essay: Dartmouth Engineering is committed to a culture that fosters inclusion and actively pursues equity. In this optional essay, applicants are encouraged to share how their personal perspectives and unique life experiences will contribute to Dartmouth and the Dartmouth Engineering community.

At Dartmouth Engineering, we value originality and integrity. Your essay should be entirely your own work, reflecting your personal journey and perspective. While tools like generative AI may be helpful for researching programs or checking grammar, using them to outline, draft, or write your essay compromises the authenticity of your application and violates both Dartmouth's admissions policies and the Academic Honor Policy.

Non-US citizens must submit language proficiency test scores, with the exception of those who are earning or have earned a degree from institutions in the US or Canada, or who are from the following countries: 

• North America: United States, Canada
• Europe: United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Malta, Denmark
• Caribbean: Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica
• Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands
• Asia: Singapore, Philippines  
• Africa: South Africa, Nigeria, Botswana, Kenya, Ghana 
   

For all graduate programs, Dartmouth Engineering accepts the following English proficiency tests: TOEFL, IELTS, and Duolingo. During the application process, self-reported scores are acceptable. However, once admitted, students will be required to submit official test results directly from the testing organization.

The ETS code for Thayer School of Engineering is 3360.

GREs are optional for all Dartmouth Engineering graduate programs. If you would like to include GRE scores to give the admissions committee a better understanding of your qualifications, we accept self-reported scores at the time of application. If you enter self-reported scores, you will be required to provide official scores if admitted. Visit the ETS website and use code 3360.