Dates & Deadlines

Exchange students attend Dartmouth in all four terms! The dates and processes associated with registering and arriving are a bit different for each term. Students will receive a Welcome Letter with term-specific instructions on preparing for their arrival about three months before the start of their program. In the meantime, the following information can be a helpful reference.

For more information on dates and deadlines at Dartmouth, view the detailed academic calendar, and the Registration Schedule for details on the course election process (students starting in the fall should reference the Entering Students section). 

Students who begin their exchange at Dartmouth in the fall may arrive during the regular move-in weekend or they may arrive earlier in order to participate in New Student Orientation (NSO). 

Exchange students who will be at Dartmouth for the full academic year are eligible to participate in optional First-Year Trips (FYT) as part of New Student Orientation.

While FYT and NSO are intended for matriculating, first-year students, eligible exchange students can join them if they choose for some additional cost. As these are optional events, the cost is not covered by the exchange. Instead, students will be billed by College and will pay that independently.

Regular Move-in Weekend
Exchange students can move in during the regular move-in weekend of September 13th-14th along with all of the returning students. 

If you choose to arrive on this weekend, we suggest you arrive to campus by Saturday, September 13th so that you have time to move in before our mandatory orientation for exchange students on Sunday, September 14th. Our orientation usually starts at 10 AM, so students should be on campus by then and ready to participate.

Unlike FYT and NSO, there is no additional charge to move-in on this weekend.

First-Year Trips (FYT)
Exchange students who will be at Dartmouth for the full academic year are eligible to participate in an optional First-Year Trip (FYT). 

Each FYT takes place over four days and involves a small group of primarily first-year students and two "Trip Leaders" who are upper-level Dartmouth students. Exchange students who participate in FYT join one of these groups and are often the only exchange student in their Trip group. There is a wide variety of Trip types; read more about them on the FYT website. 

The FYT office will contact eligible students in late June regarding sign-up and other details. FYT is part of New Student Orientation (NSO). Students who participate on a FYT will arrive to begin NSO on Wednesday, September 3rd. 

The cost of a FYT is usually about $350. If you participate in a FYT you are required to participate in the rest of NSO when you are not involved in your FYT. The cost of NSO is usually about $250, so the total estimated cost to participate in FYT and NSO is about $600.

New Student Orientation (NSO)
All exchange students arriving in the fall are eligible to join New Student Orientation (NSO). 

NSO takes place the week before the term begins and is primarily designed as a thorough introduction to Dartmouth for matriculating freshman and transfer students. Some of the programming is not relevant to exchange students, but some exchange students find it a helpful way to meet people and get to know the College. There are programs that will be required for any exchange students participating in FYT and NSO.

There is not a special sign-up process for NSO. Instead, your participation is tracked by the planned arrival date you provide to the Office of Residential Life when you update the Housing Portal in DartHub. 

Students who choose to participate in the NSO (but not FYT) will arrive on Sunday, September 7th. 

The cost of the NSO is usually about $250.

Alternative Arrivals
If you choose to arrive on another date, you will be responsible for providing yourself lodging until you are able to move into your housing at Dartmouth. The official move-in dates for the fall term are only  September 3, 7, 13, and 14. Rooms are not available for early arrivals.