In this paper we develop a simple, physically based method for predicting what fraction of sediment moving over the crests of dunes will bypass their lee faces. The bypass fraction is found by calculating a characteristic excursion length for every grain size making up a particular train of dunes. All particles with excursion lengths greater than the downstream span of the lee face of the average dune are assumed not to contribute to dune propagation. Bypass fractions based on distributions of excursion lengths account for the discrepancies between total sediment discharge and dune migration rate measured by Stein <1965> and Guy et al. <1966> in laboratory flumes, as well as by us in the North Loup River of Nebraska. Calculations and these data agree over sediment-transporting conditions associated with the entire stability field for dunes composed of medium sand. The two laboratory studies show that commonly 30--60% of all sand moving over fully developed dunes is not deposited on slip faces. Measurements from the North Loup River reveal that of all sediment moving over the dune crests there, roughly 45% is not being captured on lee faces even though 99% of sediment is transported within 2 cm of the bed. The method developed herein successfully estimates measured values for the bypass fraction from 0 to 80%. Our analysis indicates that the division between grains that are deposited versus those that are bypassing falls within the range of sand sizes making up the suspended load at dune crests. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1996