Dartmouth Leadership Institute

You spend the first week on Dartmouth's campus in Hanover and the second at Moosilauke Ravine Lodge, a 75-minute trip away. On campus, weekday classes run from 9 a.m. to noon and from 2 to 4 p.m., with a long lunch in between and optional clubs and evening activities afterward. On Saturday the residential staff lead a field trip, which might be a baseball game or museums in Boston.

On the second Sunday you move to the lodge, where classes continue from Monday to Thursday. Summer Discovery describes the lodge week as hiking, orienteering, team challenges and trail work, and you also write a personal This I Believe leadership essay. In free time there's spikeball, frisbee or soccer on the lodge field, the fire pit and the river. Evenings may bring movie nights, contra dancing or an ice cream trip to nearby Lincoln. The lodge has no wifi or cell service, so expect to be offline until you leave. On Friday you're either picked up at the lodge or taken back to Hanover for a morning departure.

At the lodge you sleep in shared bunkhouses, in alcoves separated by gender and supervised around the clock by residential staff. Students have no phone signal, but staff keep a connection for emergencies. On campus you live in an undergraduate residence hall, with girls and boys on separate floors or in separate buildings. Only residents and staff can get in, and guests aren't allowed. You can't leave the designated Home Area, which covers parts of campus and downtown Hanover, unless a staff member goes with you or an approved parent checks you out with 24 hours' notice. Curfew is set at orientation.

Families must provide medical information and permission for staff to arrange care. A camp nurse lives in one of the program residences, and staff take students to medical facilities when needed. Summer Discovery can send a student home for breaking its code of conduct. If that happens, there's no refund and the family pays for the trip home.

Dartmouth Precollege takes high school students aged 14 to 18 from the US and abroad, including homeschoolers. You must have finished 8th grade and not yet graduated from high school, and the course has no prerequisites. If you're 14, check with Dartmouth Precollege before applying, because it says 14-year-olds can only take its Summer Scholars in the Meriden Valley courses and doesn't say how that applies to the Leadership Institute. Selection is competitive, although Dartmouth Precollege publishes no acceptance rate or cohort size, and children of Dartmouth alumni get no preference.

The application asks for your personal details, your course preference, short answers about your interests and a grade report or transcript. International students also need to show English proficiency. They can do this with test scores, a transcript from an international school that teaches its core curriculum in English, or a video interview.

Tuition for 2027 starts at $9,299, and Dartmouth Precollege says prices depend partly on when you apply, so the figure you're quoted may be higher. There's no cheaper commuter option for the Leadership Institute. Summer Discovery says tuition covers housing, three meals a day on campus, activities and excursions, linens and laundry. On top of that you pay the $100 application fee, which is never refunded, plus your travel to New Hampshire, spending money and any medical costs. You can ask Summer Discovery to waive the application fee. Students who live outside the US also pay a $379 international registration fee, which covers US health insurance, airport transfers and a letter to support a visa application, although any visa fee itself is separate.

Once you're accepted, the deposit depends on when you enroll. It's $1,900 before 31 January 2027 and $2,500 from 1 February to 1 April 2027. From 1 April it's $3,500, and full payment is due at the same time. Otherwise the balance is due by 1 April 2027. Paying by credit card adds 3.5%, while an e-check costs nothing extra. Cancellation charges rise in steps through the spring, and any cancellation must reach Summer Discovery in writing.

You leave with a Dartmouth-branded certificate of completion, emailed once all the summer sessions are over, usually around August or September. Summer Discovery says students also get a letter of recognition for their coursework. The course carries no credit and no grades, and taking part has no effect on your chances of getting into Dartmouth as an undergraduate, since Dartmouth Precollege says the two admissions processes are separate. If you mention it in a college application, Dartmouth Precollege suggests reflecting on how you learned and grew, and the This I Believe essay from the lodge week gives you something concrete to draw on.

Applications for 2027 go through Summer Discovery's Dartmouth application site. The early round on 15 December 2026 is the one to aim for. Dartmouth Precollege recommends applying early because prices depend partly on timing, and with a decision within two weeks and 10 days to accept, an early applicant can enroll before 31 January 2027, while the deposit is still $1,900 rather than $2,500.

1. 1

   Choose the July or August 2027 session and list it on your application with your course preference.

2. 2

   Submit your short answers, grade report or transcript and the $100 fee by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on 15 December 2026 (early), 27 January 2027 (regular) or 23 March 2027 (extended).

3. 3

   Expect a decision within two weeks of submitting.

4. 4

   Accept your offer and pay the deposit within 10 days, then pay the balance by 1 April 2027.

5. 5

   From 1 May 2027, any remaining places are offered on a rolling basis, with a decision within a week and the full fee due when you enroll.