Private institution of higher learning in Hanover, N.H., a traditional member of the Ivy League .
It is consistently ranked as one of the best liberal arts colleges in the U.S. It was founded in 1769 by Rev. Eleazar Wheelock (1711–79) for the education of "youth of the Indian Tribes . . . English Youth and others." The original charter was approved by King George III . Women were first admitted in 1972. Besides offering a broad range of undergraduate programs, Dartmouth grants graduate and professional degrees in the arts and sciences, business, engineering, and medicine. See also Dartmouth College case .