Admission

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions saw around 35,000 applications for admission to Notre Dame’s first-year class this past year. The Committee on Admissions decides which applicants will be among the 2,080 included in the class. The strongest applicants demonstrate academic preparedness and potential, extracurricular and community engagement, and a commitment to engage with Notre Dame's community and mission.

Academic Preparation

The University requires the completion of the following high school courses in order to be considered for admission. A unit is equivalent to the credit for a year of satisfactory work in an accredited secondary school. The two language units should be in the same language.

Students are required to take a minimum of 16 units during their high school career. This distribution will differ slightly based on the student’s intended area of study, but must include the following:

• 4 units of English
• 3 units of Mathematics—Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry (4 units preferred)¹
• 2 units of Foreign Language (3–4 units preferred)
• 2 units of Science (4 units preferred)²
• 2 units of History/Social Science (3–4 units preferred)

It is also strongly recommended that students with the following intended majors take a unit of Physics:

• Architecture
• Biological Sciences
• Computer Science (B.A. and B.S.)
• Environmental Sciences
• Neuroscience and Behavior (B.A. and B.S.)
• Science Preprofessional Studies
• Arts and Letters Pre-Health
• Science – Computing
• Science – Education
• Statistics

¹

For students with an intended major within the College of Science, the College of Engineering, the School of Architecture, or certain majors within the College of Arts & Letters (Neuroscience and Behavior, Pre-Health, Computer Science), 4 units of Mathematics are required, which must include an advanced Mathematics course (Pre-Calculus or Calculus).

²

Students with an intended major within the College of Science or the College of Engineering must take a unit of Chemistry. Additionally, the following majors require a unit of Physics:

• Applied and Computational Mathematics and
• Statistics
• Chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Chemistry with Business
• Chemistry with Computing
• Mathematics (B.A. or B.S.)
• Physics
• Physics-in-Medicine
• All Engineering majors (except for Computer Science)

Although a minimum of 16 academic units are required for admission, the most competitive applicants will have four units in each major academic area and in the most rigorous level their high school offers. We do include algebra and/or foreign language courses completed during eighth grade in our count of admissions requirements. For the most up-to-date requirements, please view our evaluation criteria at https://admissions.nd.edu/apply/evaluation-criteria/

Application Process

First-year students are admitted to the University of Notre Dame for the fall semester of each academic year. A student who wishes to be considered must have the following items on file:

1. a completed application with accompanying writing supplement
2. an official high school transcript
3. one letter of evaluation from a teacher of a core subject area.

While SAT or ACT have historically been required, the University has been test-optional for the past five years, and will continue to be so for the 2025–26 application cycle. This policy allows applicants to choose whether or not they wish to submit their test scores as part of their application. 

Application

The application is a student’s opportunity to tell the Office of Undergraduate Admissions about themself. Applicants are encouraged to include any information about their personal and academic circumstances that may give the Committee on Admissions a more comprehensive view of their attributes.

The University of Notre Dame offers three secure online application options for first-year applicants. Prospective applicants may register for an account to access the online application and writing supplement beginning August 1.

• Common Application at commonapp.org
• Apply Coalition on Scoir at https://app.scoir.com/app/signup/2800092
• Questbridge Application at questbridge.org

Evaluation

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions requires one letter of evaluation from a teacher in a core subject area for every applicant. We do not encourage additional letters of recommendation. Your school counselor can complete a counselor evaluation, which helps us gauge your performance in your high school environment. Usually school counselors will include a short personal letter of evaluation. It will assess your performance in class as well as your character and involvement. You may choose any high school teacher to write your letter of evaluation, as long as he or she has taught you in an academic subject area (math, science, English, social science, or foreign language) and knows you well.

Testing

Notre Dame is test-optional for the 2025–26 application cycle, meaning applicants have the choice of whether they wish to submit SAT or ACT scores for consideration as part of the evaluation process for admission. Those wishing to include test results, should take the standardized tests no later than October or January of their senior year, depending on application round. 

The College Board code for the University of Notre Dame is 1841, and the ACT code for Notre Dame is 1252. 

If you have taken other standardized tests (AP, IB, TOEFL), please include the results with your application. We will use these scores as supplementary information.

Decision and Notification Plans

Students seeking admission to Notre Dame’s entering class must choose to have their applications reviewed under one of two deadlines.

Restrictive Early Action: November 1

Notre Dame has a Restrictive Early Action program.

• A student applying Restrictive Early Action to Notre Dame may apply to other Early Action programs.
• A student applying Restrictive Early Action may not apply to any college or university that has a binding Early Decision program.
• Students do not indicate a first-choice preference by applying early.

Students who apply in the Restrictive Early Action process receive an admissions decision before Christmas. Three decisions are possible:

• Admission to the University
• Not selected for admission to the University
• Deferral of decision until Regular Decision

Students admitted to Notre Dame have until the May 1 deadline to decide whether they would like to confirm their attendance at the University. If a student is not selected for admissions in Restrictive Early Action, then the process ends and he/she cannot apply later during the Regular Decision process. If a student is deferred, the Admissions Committee has decided to review the application further in the Regular Decision process.

Because the Admissions Committee is unable to extend all of its offers of admission in the Restrictive Early Action process, it is highly conservative when making these admission decisions. Further clarification of Restrictive Early Action standards for this year can be gained by contacting the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at admissions@nd.edu or visiting admissions.nd.edu.

Regular Decision: January 2

The Regular Decision process at Notre Dame is also non-binding. Three decisions are possible following the Regular Decision process:

• Admission to the University
• Not selected for admission to the University
• Waitlist

Students will receive one of these decisions by the beginning of April and, if admitted, are required to submit their enrollment confirmation and deposit by May 1. Students who are not selected for admission to the University may choose to attend another four-year institution for one or two years and then apply to Notre Dame as a transfer student.

Waiting List

Some applicants will be notified that they have been placed on a waiting list and will receive a final decision by mid-June. Applicants who are placed on the waiting list should make plans to attend another institution as the number of applicants who will gain admission from the waiting list in a given year is unpredictable. Students admitted from the waiting list typically have around one week to submit a $500 advance payment, confirming their intention to enroll in the first-year class. 

The Selection Process

Notre Dame seeks to enroll intelligent, inquisitive, energetic, and compassionate students who will bring a diversity of talents and backgrounds to our campus. In selecting the class, the Committee on Admissions evaluates thoroughly each applicant’s personal and academic credentials. 

Academic Preparedness

In evaluating a student’s academic achievement, the Committee on Admissions considers a student’s curriculum, classroom performance, concentration of talent in the high school, test scores and/or other quantitative evidence (if submitted), teacher recommendation, and essays. Most students admitted to Notre Dame have taken the most demanding courses available and have demonstrated a high degree of academic preparation. 

Personal Qualities

Each student’s application is studied to determine what talents, skills, and interests that person might offer Notre Dame’s community. We have a strong interest in people who can make unique contributions, as there is need in each f irst-year class for a variety of talents and personalities. The listing of activities, written statements, and evaluations give the Committee on Admissions a view of the person represented by the application. T herefore, it is important to present talents as well as personal and intellectual interests on the application.

Mendoza College of Business

Applicants who indicate an intent to major in business will be informed, at the time of admission, whether they are pre-approved to do so at the end of their first year, should that remain their goal. If they are not pre-approved, students will be advised that they will be free to enroll in any other college or school, but that the chances of being approved to major in business after the first year may be limited. Such students will be advised that they should reconsider enrolling in Notre Dame if they are only interested in majoring in business. If a student who is pre-approved to major in business later decides not to do so, she or he will be free to major in any other college or school at Notre Dame.

Students with Disabilities

Each year Notre Dame admits a number of academically talented students with various disabilities. Once enrolled here, students with disabilities may use a variety of services intended to reduce the effects that a disability may have on their educational experience. Services do not lower course standards or alter essential degree requirements but instead give students an equal opportunity to demonstrate their academic abilities. Students can initiate a request for services by registering with the Sara Bea Center for Student Accessibility Services and providing information that documents his or her disability. Individual assistance is provided in selecting the services that will provide access to academic programs and facilities of the University. 

Sara Bea Accessibility Services provides services to students with mobility, hearing, or visual impairments, as well as students with learning disabilities. T he services that are typically used include alternative formats of textbooks, modifications in the way students take exams, and readers, note takers, and academic aides. The University maintains accessible rooms in nine residence halls for students with physical disabilities. 

All Notre Dame students must supply the necessary initiative and determination to discover and utilize the available campus resources. Students with disabilities will find that a truly creative ability to solve daily problems may be as important to success as developing alternative skills through academic experience. We invite admitted applicants to visit Notre Dame and become familiar with the facilities here before making a final college choice. 

For more information, contact Sara Bea Accessibility Services at 574-631-7833 or sarabeacenter@nd.edu.

International Students

Notre Dame welcomes students from around the world. International students enhance the cultural and intellectual atmosphere of our community.

Additionally, as English proficiency is critical to a student’s academic success at the University, students who are not educated in an English-speaking school must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), IELTS, DET, or PTE Academic. We will wave the English proficiency exam if:

• An applicant scores 650 or above on the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section of the SAT, and/or
• An applicant scores 26 or above on the English or Reading Sections of the ACT.

Please refer to admissions.nd.edu for up-to-date information related to our international admissions process.

Transfer Admission

Some students are admitted to Notre Dame with advanced standing. Students wishing to apply for admission as a transfer student must have obtained the equivalent of at least 24 semester hours of transferable credit, and maintained a cumulative “B” average in all courses. (The competition is such that the average GPA for admitted students is significantly higher.) The committee gives strong preference to applicants whose curriculum aligns with Notre Dame’s Core Curriculum and have satisfied course prerequisites for particular majors, as outlined on the admissions website. Asynchronous online courses, distance-learning courses, USAFI courses, and credits earned through the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) are not transferable.

To be eligible for an undergraduate degree, students must complete a minimum of 50% of the degree credit hours at the University (not less than 60 credit hours) and a minimum of 75% of the degree credit hours (not less than 90 credit hours) must be earned after high school graduation through college and university courses. Please consult the Academic Code for details.

Transfer applicants must provide the Office of Admissions with (1) a completed application form, (2) an official transcript from each college attended along with course syllabi, (3) a final high school transcript, (4) optional: an official SAT or ACT score, (5) a mid-term grade report, and (6) a college student record form.

On-campus housing for transfer students cannot be guaranteed. Off-campus housing close to the University is available; and transfer students are offered campus accommodations from a waiting list if rooms become available.

The transfer application deadline for the fall semester is March 15. The Transfer Admissions Committee will notify of its decision between May 20 and June 14. The deadline for the spring semester is October 1. The committee will notify you of its decision between December 1 and January 5. 

Students interested in applying for transfer will find the application at https://admissions.nd.edu/apply/resources-for-transfer-applicants/apply/.

In addition to the standard transfer process, Notre Dame also offers Engineering Dual-Degree Programs with specific partner institutions. Students in these programs spend three or four years at the partner institution, then apply to complete their engineering studies at Notre Dame in their fourth and/or fifth year. Students earn two degrees at the end of five years—a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree from the partner institution and a bachelor of science in engineering degree from Notre Dame. Student requirements for eligibility in the program are determined by a Memorandum of Understanding between Notre Dame and individual partner institutions. Additional details of the program, including a current list of partner institutions, can be found on Notre Dame’s Admission website at https://admissions. nd.edu/apply/resources-for/transfer-applicants/ dual-degree-programs-with-partner-schools/.