Notre Dame, IN · Private · 8,818 undergraduates · suburban
University of Notre Dame
Highly selective
Notre Dame is the Catholic university known for the Golden Dome, Fighting Irish football, and an alumni culture that stays close to campus. Most undergraduates live in single-sex residence halls with their own traditions and social identities. Faith is visible but the attraction is broader: a strongly residential university where shared rituals, service, and school spirit create a clear institutional personality.
Institutional profile
Top tier Exceptional in career outcomes, and strong in academic standing.- Admission
- 12.4% admitted
- Price by income
- Varies across five income ranges
- Completion
- 96.3%
28,353 applicants in the reported year
Compare recent average annual costs by household income
$99,980 median earnings 10 years after enrollment
What sets Notre Dame apart
Residence halls organize undergraduate identity
Hall affiliation connects housing, traditions, intramurals, and alumni relationships.
Catholic identity remains visible
Faith, ethics, and service appear throughout campus life while students of other backgrounds enroll fully.
The alumni network returns to campus
Athletics and hall traditions keep graduates connected to undergraduate life.
The Notre Dame community
A university built from residence halls
Notre Dame makes the place a student lives one of the most lasting parts of the degree.
Join a hall
The residence supplies the first friendships, events, and traditions.
Represent the community
Intramurals, service, performances, and hall events reward involvement.
Keep the affiliation
Hall and university ties continue through alumni events and return visits.
Can I get in?
12.4% admitted
Notre Dame expects demanding coursework and strong performance, then reads for character, service, and contribution to a residential community. Religious affiliation is not required.
Recent applicant pool
28,353About 12 in every 100 applicants were admitted.
Academic range
Of admitted students, 29% submitted an SAT, and 29% submitted an ACT. Use your score when it adds strength to the application; withhold it when it does not.
In the season card
Where your GPA sits in the entering class
The full entering-class GPA distribution for Notre Dame, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.
See where I landIn the season card
What Notre Dame weighs when it reads a file
See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.
- Course rigor
- GPA
- Test scores
- Essay
- Recommendations
- Extracurriculars
- Demonstrated interest
What moves the application
The evidence that separates a strong file
Academic command
Show readiness across a demanding senior schedule rather than relying on one area of strength.
Contribution to community
Use examples where other people depended on the applicant.
A specific cultural fit
Explain why residence-hall life, service, and shared traditions appeal.
Personal conviction
Writing should reveal values through decisions and action rather than broad declarations.
How to apply
Rounds, route, and required materials
Notre Dame offers Restrictive Early Action and Regular Decision. The application should show why its residential and service-oriented culture fits, not simply invoke football or reputation.
Fee waiver: accepted
Major and program admission
Some fields have their own entry path.
The college admit rate above covers the university as a whole. These requirements apply only to the named program.
BusinessAdmits separately
What this program asks for, and when it closes.
Can I afford it?
Compare annual cost by household income.
Need-based aid can lower the actual price substantially. Travel to South Bend and limited merit aid should remain part of the comparison.
College funding
Scholarships and financial aid
Review available aid, application requirements, and renewal terms.
University of Notre Dame publishes one merit award.
Open across the university · Merit · Competitive
In the season card
This award, by name
What each one is called, what it pays, the grades and scores it asks for, and what to send.
- The name of each award
- What it pays
- The grades and scores it asks for
- How to be considered
- What to send, and where
In the season card
Average annual cost by household income at Notre Dame
Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.
- $0–30k
- $30–48k
- $48–75k
- $75–110k
- $110k+
Is it worth it?
Completion, debt, and earnings
A large alumni network supports finance, consulting, engineering, technology, business, education, service, and graduate study. Completion and placement are strong across the university.
Degree completion across the reported entering cohort
First-year students who return for year two
And what that comes to against what they earn.
Reported 10 years after enrollment
Academic portfolio
Largest bachelor’s fields
How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.
Finance and Financial Management Services
Admits separately
Economics
Political Science and Government
Computer and Information Sciences, General
Admits separately
Neurobiology and Neurosciences
What is campus life like?
Notre Dame beyond the classroom
Residence halls, football weekends, Mass, service, clubs, and campus traditions organize daily life. South Bend adds options, but the university remains the social center.
Residence halls become lasting affiliations
Single-sex halls combine housing, intramurals, events, traditions, and alumni identity.
Meals reinforce a residential campus
Dining halls and campus cafés keep daily life concentrated around the university.
Service and school spirit are highly visible
Service, faith groups, engineering teams, arts, publications, business clubs, and athletics recruit broadly.
Halls matter more than Greek life
Notre Dame has no fraternities or sororities; residence halls, clubs, teams, and traditions carry the social structure.
Football weekends change the place
Home games bring alumni and families back, turning school spirit into a recurring campus-wide event.