Liberal Arts Advising Handbook

Why Advising Matters at Dartmouth

"Dartmouth educates the most promising students and prepares them for a lifetime of learning and of responsible leadership through a faculty dedicated to teaching and the creation of knowledge." — Dartmouth College Mission Statement

Academic advising in the liberal arts is among the most direct expressions of Dartmouth's commitment to undergraduate education. It is the conversation where a student's intellectual curiosity meets an experienced faculty member's knowledge of what a Dartmouth education can become.

The purpose of faculty pre-major liberal arts advising is not simply to approve course schedules or to satisfy distributive requirements. It is to help students think carefully about what they want from their education, to introduce them to the breadth of intellectual life available to them, and to build the kind of mentoring relationship that can extend well beyond a student's first two years. At its best, advising at Dartmouth is a form of teaching — open-ended, student-centered, and oriented toward helping students become confident, curious intellectual interlocutors rather than passive consumers of requirements.

Pre-major advising occupies a distinctive place in a student's Dartmouth career. For many new students, the faculty advisor is the first faculty member with whom they will have sustained conversation. The relationship between student and advisor, built in the first two to four terms, can shape not just which major a student chooses, but how seriously they engage with their education.

What Good Advising Looks Like

Good advising at Dartmouth combines two things that are sometimes treated as separate: procedural knowledge (knowing the curriculum, the deadlines, the tools) and relational investment (knowing the student, asking good questions, being genuinely curious about their development). Both matter. The procedural knowledge makes the advisor useful; the relational investment makes the advisor memorable.

As a faculty member advising at Dartmouth, you are not alone in this task. Your nearest partners are the professionals in the Undergraduate Deans Office. Their training in student affairs, student development, and the specific rules, procedures, and processes at Dartmouth represent an invaluable resource for you and your advisees. You are not expected to know everything. Advising is curiosity and conversation, thinking with and alongside your advisees and demonstrating how to find resources across the College.

Practically, strong advising means:

• Being accessible and responsive. Students will not always know when they need you. Some will reach out easily; others will go an entire term without contact unless you initiate it. Proactive outreach — especially in the first year — is one of the highest-return investments an advisor can make.
• Asking more than you tell. The most useful advising conversations are ones where the student does most of the talking. Your job is to ask the right questions, not to prescribe the right answers.
• Knowing where to refer. Again, you are not expected to know everything about every department, career path, health professions requirement, or campus resource. What you are expected to know is who does know, and how to get your advisee to the right person efficiently. This handbook is designed to help you with that process. You may also always reach out to pre-major.advising@dartmouth.edu or to the Undergraduate Deans Office.
• Seeing the whole student. Academic decisions don't happen in a vacuum. A student struggling to choose courses may actually be struggling with belonging, finances, identity, or mental health. You don't need to be a counselor; however, we do ask that you hold space to notice, ask, and refer. See Holistic Advising & Student Wellbeing below.

What Advising Is (and Isn't)

Faculty new to advising — and students new to being advised — often arrive with assumptions about the role that don't quite fit. Setting expectations clearly, early, makes the relationship work better for everyone.

You don't need to know everything. You are not expected to be an expert on every department's requirements, every pre-professional pathway, or every campus resource. What you are expected to do is know who does know, and make the referral. A good advisor is, above all, an expert in navigation — and we will support you in this!

You are not responsible for deciding what courses students take. Your job is to help students think through their choices, not to make the choices for them. Advisees who want to be told exactly what to do should be gently redirected toward their own agency. The goal is to produce confident, self-directing students. Consider: if students do not sit in their own agency, they will seek direction elsewhere — including from less-experienced peers, family members with different experiences, or untrained upperclass students.

You are not a counselor, but you are a first responder. If an advisee walks in and something seems wrong — not just academically, but personally — your job is not to diagnose or treat. It's to notice, to ask a simple question, and, if needed, to connect the student to someone who can help. See When You're Concerned About a Student.

You are not responsible for enforcing College rules. You are a resource, potentially a mentor, and an advocate for your advisee's development. Questions about academic policies, formal exceptions, or disciplinary matters generally begin with the Undergraduate Deans Office. You are welcome to guide and support to your level of comfort, but also make liberal use of the many professionals across campus divisions.

Students will not always come to you. Even students who most need advising may never initiate contact. This is especially true of first-generation students and students from backgrounds where asking for faculty help doesn't feel natural or safe. Proactive outreach — emails, a note after class, an invitation to office hours — is not overstepping. Especially in the first year, modeling outreach to students can train them to reach out to you and to their instructing faculty more regularly.

The Liberal Arts Advising Program

Overview

With the expressed commitment of the faculty, the pre-major advising program aims to give students a resource to navigate the liberal arts curriculum of Dartmouth College. The Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education for Academic Support & Advising pairs each incoming student with a member of the faculty who will serve as that student's faculty advisor into their second year, and the Office of Academic Advising supports faculty in their advising endeavors. The Associate Dean also coordinates all elements of academic advising during New Student Orientation and in the School of Arts & Sciences.

The Associate Dean is Timothy Baker, PhD, D'08 (tbaker@dartmouth.edu, 603.646.2139).

Eligibility to Advise

Tenured and tenure-track members of the faculty serve as advisors to first-year students if they are in residence (either teaching or on an "R" term) during the Fall and Winter terms of the academic year. Faculty keep, or are assigned, second-year students if they are teaching or in residence during the Fall term (they may be off Winter). Faculty not assigned advisees in the Fall term may be drawn upon to fill in advising during other terms when assigned faculty are off. Faculty on FRO are not usually assigned new advisees (except by request). Faculty do not generally advise until they have been employed by the College in a tenure line for at least half of an academic year.

Expectations for Liberal Arts (Pre-Major) Advising

As a faculty advisor, you offer your perspective and expertise to your advisees. You are not expected to know the entire course catalog or all of the requirements of the College, though we do hope you will be familiar with the general curriculum requirements and Distributive and World Culture Requirements. We also hope that, if and when an advisee asks you a question that you do not know, you will model for students how one might find the answer—by contacting the Undergraduate Deans Office, the Registrar, the relevant department or program administrator, the Office of Academic Advising, or by looking on the relevant websites. Often simply demonstrating curiosity and investigating for and with an advisee can be one of the most helpful and instructive things you can do. Advising is teaching. Meeting with your advisees normalizes the "office hours" experience that we all encourage.

What You Can Expect of Your Advisees

Students are told that, as their faculty advisor, you are but one of their many resources. They are reminded that you do not, and cannot, know the entire course catalog, all the regulations of the College, and all answers broadly. Some of your advisees will take advantage of what you can offer; others will not. In all cases, it is helpful to ask your advisees to prepare for their meetings with you. Doing so by email, with concrete instructions to complete the "Advising Questionnaire" beforehand, will make your meetings with them more focused and productive.

At the beginning of the year, first-year students are still very much in "high school" mode and may think of you as a guidance counselor. Often they want basic answers to basic questions. The best thing you can do is help them plan their schedule and make sure they understand how the Courses@Dartmouth works. As they progress and become acclimated to Dartmouth and to college life, they may be interested in a broader discussion of their longer-term goals, their changing expectations, or the role of the academic enterprise. Often the best thing you can do as an advisor is to ask appropriate and probing questions. "Why?" is often a good starter.

Important Information for 2026–2027

Key Websites

For Faculty: acad.dartmouth.edu — Academic Advising resources, guidelines, and tools for faculty advisors

For Students: Undergraduate Deans Office — academic advising, D-Plan, resources by class year, and support services

The schedule for entering students (first-year students, transfer students, and exchange students) to elect their fall courses is as follows:

Chosen Name/Identity

Students may indicate a chosen name, pronoun, and other identity information through DartHub at any time. Please review each advisee's chosen name and pronoun preferences before your first meeting — using a student's chosen name and pronouns is a straightforward and meaningful expression of respect. See the Chosen Name and Identity website for more information, including guidance on how this information appears in Banner and DartWorks.

DartWrite Digital Writing Portfolio

Incoming students are invited to start a "DartWrite" portfolio featuring an "About Me" and sample pre-college writing. If your advisee has done this, you'll see a link to their portfolio in their Pre-Major Advising Portal. (The password is your own login.)

Advanced Placement Tests

Dartmouth College does not count Advanced Placement scores towards the 35 credits required for degree completion. These scores may, however, allow a student to be placed in an appropriately-advanced course and may help determine the student's pathway to fulfill the language requirement. You can view this on the student's placement record and on their DartWorks degree audit. Students may decline an AP credit to allow them to register for the course at Dartmouth by contacting the Registrar's Office.

See Pre-Matriculation Credit on the Registrar's website for more information about AP and pre-matriculation credit.

Advising Timeline

For the full academic calendar with all official dates, see the 2026–2027 Registrar’s Calendar.

Fall Term 2026

Winter Term 2027

Spring Term 2027

Fall Term 2027 (Second Year of Advising)

Meeting Guides

Holistic Advising & Student Wellbeing

Academic advising and student wellbeing are not separate concerns. Students don't arrive in advising meetings as just students — they arrive as people, carrying whatever is happening in their lives alongside their questions about courses and majors. The most effective faculty advisors recognize this without overstepping into territory that belongs to trained professionals.

Holistic advising doesn't mean being a counselor. It means being attentive. It means asking "how are things going beyond the academic?" at least once per meeting. It means not assuming that a student who seems disengaged or anxious is simply indecisive about a major. And it means knowing, clearly, who to call when something exceeds the advising relationship. Whenever in doubt, never hesitate to contact pre-major.advising@dartmouth.edu or undergraduate.deans.office@dartmouth.edu.

When You're Concerned About a Student

If you are worried about a student — their mental health, their safety, their basic wellbeing — please don't wait for the situation to resolve itself or assume that someone else has it covered. You don't need to be certain something is wrong to reach out.

Ask the simple question. If you're concerned about a student, you don't need an elaborate opening. "How are you doing, really?" is enough. Students often respond to a direct, genuine question in ways they wouldn't to a formal inquiry.

You don't need to have the answer to open the door. "I don't know exactly who you should talk to, but let's figure it out together" is a completely appropriate advising response. What matters is that the student doesn't leave your office with a problem and no next step.

Document your concern. If you've had a conversation that worried you, please send the student's undergraduate dean a brief email note. We keep notes on students internally to maintain continuity of care across relevant offices. You can find a student's undergraduate dean assignment using the "Show Undergraduate Dean" entry on your Banner Student Pre-Major Advising page.

Advising First-Generation Students

Research on first-generation college students consistently shows that they are less likely to initiate contact with faculty advisors, more likely to interpret silence as a negative signal, and more likely to benefit from proactive, explicit outreach than continuing-generation peers. Dartmouth's First-Generation Office (FGO) makes every effort to maintain regular communication with our first-generation and low-income students — but the conversation sits differently coming also from the faculty.

If you suspect an advisee is navigating Dartmouth without a family roadmap, some adjustments to your advising practice can make a meaningful difference:

• Be explicit about expectations. Don't assume students know how often to meet, what it's appropriate to ask, or that your office hours are genuinely open to them. Say it plainly: "I'd like to hear from you at least once a term, even if you think everything is fine."
• Name the things that go unsaid. First-gen students are often navigating unwritten rules — how to email a professor, how to ask for a recommendation, what research opportunities actually are. Unspoken assumptions and expectations disproportionately impact under-resourced, underrepresented, and minoritized students.
• Invite rather than wait. A brief, warm email after the first advising meeting costs thirty seconds and can change the whole character of the relationship.
• Connect them to FGO early. The First-Generation Office offers FYSEP (First-Year Summer Enrichment Program), peer mentoring, the Prepare to Launch career program, and ongoing community support. Email: First.Generation.Office@Dartmouth.edu

Peer Advising: UGAs, SAMs, and the Broader Ecosystem

Faculty advisors are not the only resource available to your advisees. Peer advising, for good and for ill, occupies a unique and important part of the advising ecosystem. On one hand, peer advisors have recent, lived experience with exactly the questions your advisees are asking, and they can offer practical, candid guidance that complements what you provide as a faculty mentor. On the other hand, well-meaning upper-class students, Trips Leaders, Orientation Leaders (OLs), and others may offer advice on "what worked for them" that doesn't account for each student's individual circumstances.

Where formal peer advising programs exist at Dartmouth, the appropriate staff offices make every effort to train peer advisors in line with best practices and divisional guidance. Two key peer advising resources worth knowing:

• Undergraduate Advisors (UGAs) — Residential peer advisors who work within House communities, trained in collaboration with the Undergraduate Deans Office and the Division of Undergraduate Education. UGAs are often the first peer contact for your advisees. For pilot faculty advisors, UGAs are a formal partner in the advising structure.
• Senior Academic Mentors (SAMs) — Trained senior-class peer advisors coordinated by the Undergraduate Deans Office, prepared to offer a peer perspective on course elections, D-Plans, and distributive requirements. Learn more about SAMs. Contact: undergraduate.deans.office@dartmouth.edu

A useful way to think about the division of labor: peer advisors are excellent for practical, experiential, "what's it actually like" questions. Faculty advisors are the right resource for intellectual mentoring, academic risk-taking, research opportunities, and long-term planning. The Undergraduate Deans Office provides broad-spectrum support for undergraduate students, whether a student is thinking about their courses, D-Plan, off-campus study, navigating College policies, or personal or social concerns. No one source of advice replaces the others; together they cover more ground than any single person or office could alone.

Research, Experiential Learning, and the D-Plan

Dartmouth's D-Plan is still described by Admissions as one of its most distinctive features. The quarter system's built-in off-terms create structured opportunities for research, off-campus study, internships, and independent projects that don't exist in the same way at semester schools. Those opportunities don't activate automatically, however, and they do require some intentional advising.

As a pre-major advisor, you are often the first faculty member who may know a student well enough to point them toward a specific research lab, a faculty collaborator outside your department, an off-campus program that matches their interests, or a summer research opportunity they wouldn't have found on their own. Those referrals — made at the right moment and to the right people — can define the arc of a student's Dartmouth career.

Ask the research question. At least once a year, ask your advisee: "Is there something you'd want to investigate or create that you couldn't do inside a regular course?" This single question, asked consistently, has been shown at Dartmouth and at peer institutions to unlock undergraduate research engagement that would otherwise never happen.

Introduce the D-Plan as a four-year map. First-year students often think of the D-Plan in terms of the current term. Advisors who introduce a longer view — "what might an off-term in sophomore year look like?", "when do LSA programs make most sense relative to major requirements?" — help students make proactive choices rather than reactive ones.

Make research personal. If your own research connects even loosely to a student's interests, say so. An invitation to a lab, a talk, or even a conversation about your work is one of the most powerful things a faculty advisor can offer — and one of the things most distinctive about a place with a 7:1 student-faculty ratio. Even if your research doesn't intersect with student interests, you likely know a colleague whose does. Leverage those relationships; you are the model, not the guru.

SURFD: Scholars Programs, Undergraduate Research, and Fellowships at Dartmouth

SURFD administers programs that provide funding for Dartmouth undergraduates to engage in faculty-mentored research. Contact: Undergraduate.Research@dartmouth.edu — 603-646-3690

• URAD (Undergraduate Research Assistantships at Dartmouth) — Part-time research assistantships while taking classes; $1,700 stipend. Learn more
• James O. Freedman Presidential Scholars — Two-term part-time research during junior year; GPA-based eligibility. Apply through SURFD
• Leave-Term Research Grants — Full-time research during an off-term
• Senior Fellowships — Projects that go beyond what can be accomplished in coursework
• Honors Thesis Grants — Support for independent thesis research
• Conference Travel Funding — For undergraduates presenting faculty-mentored research
• Department-Specific Programs include: First-Year Research in Engineering, FROiC (Chemistry), Neukom Scholars (computational research in any discipline), Ethics Institute, Historical Accountability Student Research Program, Hopkins Center (visual/performing arts), E.E. Just Program, Class of '74 Health Equity Scholars, CS Lovelace Program, and others. See SURFD's full list.
• Scholars Programs: Coulter Scholars, Gerstner Scholars, Hanlon Scholars, Stamps Scholars, Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship

The Frank J. Guarini Institute for International Education

The Guarini Institute provides off-campus study opportunities to approximately 600 Dartmouth undergraduates each year. Contact: Guarini.Institute@dartmouth.edu — 603.646.1202

Program types include:

• LSA (Language Study Abroad) — Language-based programs abroad; requires demonstrated language proficiency. Application deadline for most programs: October 1; decisions by March 1.
• LSA+ (Advanced Language Study Abroad) — Intensive advanced language study with academic coursework
• FSP (Foreign Study Programs) — In-depth study of a culture, discipline, or region, taught largely in English
• DSP (Domestic Study Programs) — English-language programs at domestic locations
• Fall+ — Intensive one-credit programs during the winter interim period, domestic and international
• Exchange Programs — Reciprocal exchanges with partner institutions in the US and abroad

Financial aid adjusts for off-campus study; tuition and expected family contribution remain the same as for an on-campus term. The right moment to introduce off-campus programs to students is no later than fall of sophomore year — the planning window closes earlier than most students expect. Encourage all first-year advisees to attend the fall Off-Campus Programs Fair, regardless of whether they plan to study away.

General Academic Requirements for Graduation

First-Year Writing and First-Year Seminar Requirements

Every incoming first-year student must fulfill these first-year writing requirements.

1. First-Year Writing Course(s): Students begin their writing sequence by choosing from three options:

• Writing 2–3 (two-term course, fall and winter terms): Students will have already been registered for WRIT 2 if they indicated interest and received one of the limited seats. Both courses are required to fulfill the first-year writing requirement.
• Writing 5 (one-term course, fall or winter terms): Students are assigned to a particular term (see Banner for term assignment).
• Humanities 1 (fall term): Students apply over the summer for entry into the Humanities sequence; space is limited. For more information, see dartmouth.edu/hums1-2.

2. First-Year Seminar: In the term immediately following completion of one of the above courses, students enroll in a First-Year Seminar (or, if they took HUM 1, continue into HUM 2). These are small, writing-intensive courses taught on particular topics, always under the course number "7.XX" (e.g., SOCY 7.21 or FILM 7.14).

Information on the Directed Self-Placement for First-Year Writing

The common practice of using standardized test scores for writing placement often leaves students feeling disempowered and stigmatized. Dartmouth's Directed Self-Placement (DSP) process empowers students by allowing them to choose the first-year writing course that best suits their needs. Although students are entrusted with making their own choice, the decision is a supported and guided one. Students complete the DSP throughout June; around July 15th they receive an email notification of their placement from the Writing Program.

First-Year Residency Requirement

Although it is not an academic requirement, first-year students are required to complete their first three terms in "residence" at Dartmouth. Students are not eligible for off-campus programs, exchange terms, or leave terms until this requirement is completed.

College Requirements

35 Courses

All students are required to earn 35 credits before graduation. Credits may include those earned at Dartmouth and a maximum of 4 courses from transfer or exchange credit. Typically, Dartmouth students take three classes per term for 12 terms.

Wellness Education

By faculty vote, students are now required to take "Wellness Education." In practice, all PE courses count toward WE, and the offerings are now expanded toward Wellness courses as well. Credits are partial, depending on the course, but 3 full credits of WE are needed for graduation.

Distributive and World Culture Requirements

For the complete list of degree requirement codes, see the Registrar's Degree Requirement Codes page. Use Courses@Dartmouth to search for courses meeting specific distributive or world culture requirements.

Distributive Requirements

Each student must take one (or two if so indicated) course(s) in each of the following areas by graduation. There are 10 distributive credits needed for graduation.

World Culture Requirement

Advising Tips

Additional Information

• All College Distributive Requirements must be met by Dartmouth classes, with two exceptions: (1) Courses from the Twelve-College Exchange, and (2) Courses from other institutions taken after matriculation and pre-approved by the Committee on Instruction.
• Although some courses may be listed in two distributive areas, each distributive area must be filled by a unique course — thus, 10 separate courses for 10 distributive requirements.
• A single course can be used to fulfill both a Distributive Requirement and a World Culture Requirement. By careful selection, a student can satisfy all requirements with ten courses.
• A student must earn a D or better in a course for it to fulfill a Distributive or World Culture Requirement.
• If a student elects to "NRO" a course, the student cannot get distributive or world culture credit.

You can filter courses by Distributive Requirement using the advanced search in Courses@Dartmouth. oracle-www.dartmouth.edu/dart/groucho/timetable.main

The Language Requirement

Full details, including the placement paths and FAQs, are on the Registrar's Language Requirement page.

All students must fulfill the Language Requirement through one or more courses taken at Dartmouth. It is no longer possible to gain an exemption from the language requirement on the basis of prior knowledge or high-school study alone.

Language Requirement Paths

Effective for students matriculating with the Class of 2026 and beyond. Students in the Class of 2025 and earlier follow the requirement as outlined in the ORC/Catalog from their matriculation year.

A student's Language Requirement Path is shown on their placement record. Students are eligible to satisfy the requirement only in the ways indicated by their own path. Language courses cannot also be used to fulfill Distributive Requirements. A student may not elect a language course they are using for the Language Requirement under the NRO. For questions about a specific student's path, consult the Registrar's Language Requirement page or contact the Registrar's Office.

Other Points to Note

1. Students are eligible to satisfy the Language Requirement only in the ways indicated by their own placement record.
2. If your advisee feels their placement record is inaccurate, they should contact the relevant department right away.
3. There is a good option to fulfill the Language Requirement through an Off-Campus Program (LSA or FSP).
4. A student who wants to start a new language may be able to progress more rapidly by taking an accelerated course. For example, ITAL 11 covers ITAL 1 + ITAL 2; ARAB 1.20 covers ARAB 1 + ARAB 2.
5. A student with documentation for a language learning disability should consult Student Accessibility Services.
6. Regardless of placement, students need to fulfill their language requirement by the end of their seventh term of study.

Advising Tips for Languages

LSA and LSA+ Prerequisites

For the full program schedule including which terms each program runs, see the Guarini Institute Program Offerings page. Application deadlines are generally October 1 (decisions by March 1). Prerequisites listed are as currently published by each department; always confirm current requirements with the student's placement record and the relevant Guarini program page before advising.

Course Registration Information

How Do New Students Register for Courses at Dartmouth?

• They meet with their advisor on Friday, September 11 prior to the start of the Fall term, and elect their preferred courses using DartHub by 6pm.
• They may view the results of the election processing on DartHub after 8pm on Friday, September 11.
• They may make changes online if desired during add/drop beginning at 8am on Saturday, September 12. The Registrar's staff is available to provide assistance.
• All students may add and drop courses beginning at 8am on Monday, September 14 through Sunday, September 20.

The D-Plan: What It Is and How It Works

The D-Plan refers to a student's enrollment pattern — which terms they will be on campus, which terms they will be doing an off-campus program (registered for classes but not in Hanover), and which terms will be off.

First-year students must register a plan with the Registrar's Office in the spring of their first year. April 15, 2027 is the deadline for the Class of 2030. D-Plans can be changed as a student's plans change, though a student is strongly encouraged to register changes two terms in advance. Students do not always get their first choice because of D-plan space constraints, and thus students are asked to submit first, second, and third choices.

Sample Residence Pattern

The "off-term" represents one of Dartmouth's unique opportunities, and students should be encouraged to begin thinking about how they might make use of it during their first year. Students should use the Dartmouth Center for Career Design to explore internships. Various offices also sponsor internships and offer competitive grants, including the Office of Academic Advising & Research, the Dartmouth Center for Social Impact, the Dickey Center, the Ethics Institute, Outdoor Programs, and the Rockefeller Center.

The Non-Recording Option (NRO)

Students may elect to "NRO" a course for courses that permit the option. This means that they select a letter grade they would accept as a minimum acceptable grade.

• A student may have up to three "NR" grades on a transcript, but only one per term.
• A course in which a student receives an NR cannot be applied to the Language Requirement, Distributive or World Culture Requirements, or the major requirements.
• The NR is irrevocable.
• Some classes are off-limits for the NRO. These are listed each term under "Non-Recording Option and Credit/No Credit Courses" on the Courses@Dartmouth.

Answers to Commonly Asked Questions

Exemption (EX) vs. Placement (PLC) in the Placement Record

An exemption (EX) means the student is exempt from the course listed. A placement (PLC) means the student is placed in the course listed. Students are not required to take a course in which they are placed (except Writing 2–3 or 5, and First-year Seminar).

Pre-Matriculation Credits

For the classes of 2018 and later, the College is no longer awarding pre-matriculation credit.

PE/WE Requirement (Implications for Varsity and Club Sports)

Students who participate in an intercollegiate or club sport may receive credit for that activity during the term in which they participate. A maximum of two credits may be earned in this manner. See Wellness Education Requirement for more information.

Exchange and Transfer Credits

There are two ways to get credit for courses taken at other institutions. See the Registrar's Transfer Credit Review and Study Away pages for complete information.

1. Participating in one of the Twelve-College Exchange programs administered through the Frank J. Guarini Institute for International Education.
2. Acquiring prior approval from the Registrar's Office for a course taken at another institution. A student must receive approval by the first day of the preceding term.

Term Course Loads

Dartmouth students typically take three classes per term for 12 terms. Students are permitted up to 3 two-course terms, and up to 4 four-course terms. Additional two-course or four-course terms require permission from the Registrar, by petition.

Accessing Information about Your Advisees

FERPA & Student Records

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) governs the privacy of student education records. As a faculty advisor, understanding FERPA is part of your advising responsibilities.

Key principle: You may not share a student's academic records — grades, course enrollment, academic standing, advising notes — with parents, guardians, or other third parties without the student's written consent, regardless of the student's age or who is paying tuition. This applies even when parents contact you directly.

Practical guidance:

• If a parent contacts you about a student's academic situation, you may acknowledge receiving their message but should not confirm or discuss specifics. Direct them to the Undergraduate Deans Office.
• Students may voluntarily share their own records or authorize their release. Dartmouth's Release of Information Form (FERPA waiver) allows students to authorize specific individuals to receive academic information.
• FERPA does permit disclosure without consent in genuine health or safety emergencies. When in doubt, consult the Undergraduate Deans Office.
• General information about a student that you observe directly (e.g., that they are enrolled at Dartmouth) may be considered "directory information" and subject to different rules. See Dartmouth's FERPA Policy for details.

For questions about FERPA as it applies to specific situations, contact the Undergraduate Deans Office or the Registrar’s FERPA resources.

DartWorks (formerly DegreeWorks)

Advisors can access ANY student record through the degree-auditing tool, DartWorks. For more information, see the DartWorks resources on the Registrar's website.

Banner Student

• Go to dartmouth.edu/bannerstudent
• Log in using your NetID and password
• Click on the Faculty and Advisor page
• Click Pre-Major Advising to access your advisee list and placement information

To look up a student's NetID, use the Dartmouth Lookup Tool.

Fall Term Advising Questionnaire

Reading the Placement Record

Key for Reading Placement Records

Standardized Tests

Languages

Grade Codes

Math Placement and Sequencing

Math placement is one of the most complex advising issues with entering students. The best source of information is the Mathematics department placement information page. Professor of Mathematics Erik van Erp serves as the department's First-year Advisor and is available for consultation at fyadvising@math.dartmouth.edu.

Math 1 is the default starting point for calculus at Dartmouth. Students who have not taken calculus before should begin in Math 1. Students who have taken calculus before but do not place out should begin in Math 3. Math 3 is the prerequisite for all chemistry and physics courses that are part of the pre-health requirements.

Course Descriptions

Typical Introductory Sequencing

Science Sequencing

Biological Sciences

Students can begin the study of Biology with Biology 11 or one of the "foundation courses" (numbered 12–16). The department has assembled a Biology Placement/Advisory Test accessible in Canvas to help students make this choice.

Chemistry

The General Chemistry curriculum consists of: Chem 5 and Chem 6 or Chem 11 (completion of which also provides credit-on-entrance [CR] for Chem 5). Either sequence serves as the prerequisite for organic chemistry courses (Chem 51 and 52).

• AP/IB/A-level Chemistry scores of 4 or 5 (or 6/7 on IB) automatically receive credit-on-entrance (CR) for Chem 5 and placement into Chem 11.
• All other students planning to take General Chemistry must take the Chemistry Placement test before they can take General Chemistry.
• Math 3 (first term of calculus) is a prerequisite for Chem 5 and Chem 11 and must be taken first.

Computer Science

Computer Science 1 is the department's entry-level course. The second course is Computer Science 10, followed by the gateway courses to the three pillars of CS (30, 50, 70). Engineering 20 may substitute for CS 1. Students may receive exemption credit for CS 1 through the AP Computer Science A exam or the local placement exam.

Earth Sciences

Students typically begin with any introductory survey course (EARS 1–9 exclusive of EARS 7) or a more focused applied course (EARS 14–19). EARS 1 is recommended for those planning to pursue advanced study of earth sciences.

Engineering Sciences in the First Year

• Math 3–8–13, Physics 13–14, Engineering 20 (with no advanced placement)
• Math 8/9–13, Physics 13–14, Engineering 20 or 21 (with AP credit for Math 3)
• Math 11 or 13, Physics 13–14, Engineering 20 and 21 (with AP credit for Math 3 & 8)

Physics and Astronomy

• Physics 13–14–19 (19 required for Physics and Engineering Physics Majors)
• Physics 15–16 (accelerated equivalent to Physics 13–14–19; for students who took calculus-based classical mechanics in high school; requires an online placement exam)
• Physics 3–4 (terminal — often for pre-health track and non-physical science majors)

Typical Courses/Sequencing for Pre-Health

General Pre-Health Principles

Science Courses for the Non-Major

First- and Second-Year Advising Publications

Academic Departments and Programs

Most academic department/program websites maintain detailed information on courses, majors/minors, off-campus programs, and other offerings. Contact information is listed below.

Other Courses of Study

Resources for Academic and Student Support

The Faculty Liberal Arts Advising Pilot

During the 2026–27 academic year, the School of Arts and Sciences is piloting a new faculty advising model for first-year students. This handbook is designed to be useful to all pre-major faculty advisors this year; a dedicated addendum for pilot participants will be distributed separately.

What the Pilot Is

Approximately 400 of this year's ~1,150 incoming first-year students are assigned to Faculty Liberal Arts Advisors (FLAAs) situated within two House communities. Each Faculty Liberal Arts Advisor works with a cohort of approximately 20 students, in formal partnership with the Undergraduate Deans Office. Pilot participants are compensated for approximately 60–70 hours across the academic year, distributed across training, advising meetings, residential programming, and evaluation activities.

The pilot aims to:

• Test an advising model that integrates faculty academic mentoring more deeply into residential community life
• Develop clearer communication pathways among faculty advisors, residential communities (UGAs, house faculty), and the Undergraduate Deans Office
• Clarify roles and expectations across the advising ecosystem — faculty, UDO, Athletics, Engineering, Health Professions
• Promote faculty engagement with students during New Student Orientation
• Evaluate and refine Dartmouth's liberal arts pre-major advising system in preparation for a full launch in 2027–28

Key Features of the Pilot

• Training: Initial training in late summer 2026 focused on advising best practices, soft skills, and generalist advisor preparation; termly training meetings throughout the year
• New Student Orientation engagement: Pilot advisors participate in NSO programming including Intellectual Community Days (Sept. 4 & 8), a floor welcome (Sept. 10), and Advising Day (Sept. 11)
• Residential Community Meals: Advisors meet with their advisee cohort for a check-in/debrief group meal each term within the House community
• UGA Partnership: Each pilot advisor works alongside a trained Undergraduate Advisor (UGA) residential peer
• Evaluation: Termly meetings with first-year deans and the academic advising team to discuss pilot progress and refine the model

Looking Ahead

The pilot is designed as the foundation for a revised liberal arts academic advising system for all first- and second-year students, launching in 2027–28. Feedback from pilot faculty is integral to that design process.

For more information about the pilot, contact Timothy Baker, Associate Dean of Academic Support and Advising: tbaker@dartmouth.edu. To express interest in participating in future cohorts, visit acad.dartmouth.edu/for-faculty/faculty-liberal-arts-advising-pilot.