This article will not tell you whether Notre Dame is "the right one" for your family. No article can decide that. What I can do is help you understand it thoroughly, with the same clarity a parent needs to understand any important decision before committing money and a child's future. You already know these decisions are not made in isolation. They are made by bringing together what the school actually offers, what your child wants and has accomplished, and what your family can and is willing to pay. Here, we work through the first piece.
What kind of university Notre Dame is
Notre Dame is classified among the doctoral universities with the highest level of research activity in the country. It is a private, nonprofit, four-year school that offers programs through the doctoral level. The government describes it as a highly residential institution: in the most recent data available, at least half of its undergraduate students lived in university-owned or university-affiliated housing, and at least 80 out of every 100 attended full time. It is also in the most selective admissions group under this same classification.
None of this tells you yet how many out of every hundred applicants are admitted. We will look at that later, and it is useful to see it before your child puts together a complete college list. Make sure this is not the only school on that list.
Geographically, Notre Dame is in the town of Notre Dame, Indiana, within St. Joseph County and the South Bend-Mishawaka metropolitan area. Its census code places it in a suburb: inside the urbanized area but outside the principal city. If your child were considering living at home and commuting to class, the only real way to know how long it would take is to drive that route on a weekday at the exact time the class would meet. A map almost never tells the whole story.
One fact worth understanding from the outset: Notre Dame is not listed in the federal records as a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 universities in this national directory, 138 do have at least one of those three designations. Notre Dame's lack of those designations says nothing about which students it serves today, how many Latino students are on campus, or how your child would feel there. You investigate that by asking which cultural centers and student organizations currently exist and by speaking with someone who already attends the university.
The community's actual size and who makes it up
Notre Dame reported fall enrollment of 13,174 in the official count: it is a large school, within the government's band of 10,000 to 19,999 students. Compared with the 941 selective private four-year schools in this census that report this figure, it is among the largest: no more than one in ten has more students.
But that large figure hides something important: it is divided between 8,968 undergraduate students and 4,206 graduate students. A substantial part of the school consists of people who have already completed an undergraduate degree. If your child is entering a bachelor's degree program, the number that really matters is not 13,174. It is 8,968.
Within the undergraduate population, 14 out of every 100 students are Hispanic or Latino. That is a small minority. Compared with the 941 selective private schools in this census, Notre Dame ranks above the midpoint of the group but below the highest quartile. Put plainly: there are few Latino students here. That does not remove the school from your child's list, but during a visit it is worth asking directly what is available for Latino students: a student group, a cultural center, or someone in an office who speaks Spanish.
The undergraduate population is almost evenly divided between men and women: out of every 100 students, 49 are women. And something worth noting: fewer than 25 out of every 100 first-time students had a reported permanent residence in Indiana. The exact figure was 6 out of every 100. The rest came from other states or other countries, or their residence was not clearly reported. This does not measure actual distance or travel costs, but if your child would be coming from far away, this figure confirms one thing: most classmates will also come from outside the state.
How academic life is organized
Notre Dame's academic year is organized into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The university reported that it accepts credit from AP exams, but it did not indicate that it accepts credit for life experience, nor does it enroll high school students in college courses for credit.
Accepting AP does not mean the university will grant credit for every exam your child takes. It does not say what scores are required, how many credits are awarded, or whether those credits count toward the specific major that interests your child. Before budgeting for any savings of time or money from AP credits, request a written credit-equivalency evaluation.
Between July 2022 and June 2023, Notre Dame awarded 2,249 bachelor's degrees across 22 distinct fields-of-study families. The largest family was business and management, accounting for 25 out of every 100 degrees awarded that year, but no other family accounts for the bulk of them. Compared with 942 similar schools, Notre Dame ranks in the quartile with the broadest academic offerings. Still, the 22 families represented in the report are not 22 specific majors, and a row may even show no degrees awarded that year. Always verify the exact program that interests your child, not merely the general family.
One figure that often catches parents' attention: the student-to-instructional-staff ratio is 9 to 1. It is among the lowest ratios reported in the country and places Notre Dame in the lowest quartile compared with 941 similar schools. But be careful: this ratio does not measure class size or actual individual attention. It is an institution-wide average. If you want to know how small first-year classes are, ask the university directly.
The institution also reports structured opportunities: study abroad, a complete program that can be taken only in the evenings or on weekends, and pathways for teacher-certification preparation.
What admission is like: requirements, selectivity, and tests
Notre Dame does not have open admission. It reviews several components before saying yes. Of the nine admissions considerations reported in this count, it marked five as required: the high school record, completion of the college-preparatory program the university requires, the personal essay, letters of recommendation, and an English-proficiency exam when applicable. Put simply: submitting documents is not enough here. Your child must write an essay, without exception.
Other components are not required but are considered if submitted: the high school GPA, class rank, a portfolio or competency exam, work experience, and whether a family member attended the university. On that last point, if it does not apply to your family, do not spend energy worrying about it. Spend that energy on what is within your child's control. The published undergraduate application fee is $75.
Now for the figure you were probably expecting: in the 2023 cycle, Notre Dame received 28,353 first-time applications and offered admission to 3,510 applicants. That is 12 out of every 100. It is among the universities with the lowest acceptance rates within the 942 selective private schools in this census: nine out of ten schools in that group, or more, admitted a larger percentage of their applicants. On the other side of that calculation are 24,843 applicants who did not receive an offer.
This number says how many offers were made. It says nothing about your child's worth. A low percentage does not make a school better, and a high one does not make it worse: it only measures how many offers were made relative to how many people applied. Your child's college list should include schools on both sides of this spectrum, including at least one that admits most applicants.
Something interesting: of those admitted, 59 out of every 100 ultimately enrolled at Notre Dame that year. This is among the highest rates compared with similar schools. But this number does not measure quality or satisfaction; it only counts how many admitted students enrolled. When your child's admission letters arrive, this figure is not what decides anything. Put the letters side by side and compare net price, major, and distance before the deposit deadline.
Regarding standardized tests: Notre Dame is test-optional. The SAT and ACT are not required, but if your child submits them, they are considered. Among the students who enrolled, 29 out of every 100 submitted SAT scores, and among those students, the middle half scored between 710 and 760 in reading and writing and between 730 and 780 in mathematics. These numbers describe students who enrolled and submitted scores, not all applicants. That 710 is not a minimum that must be reached, and that 760 does not guarantee anything either.
Regarding transfers: in fall 2023, 192 undergraduate students arrived at Notre Dame for the first time after studying at another institution. The rate of students who transfer out of Notre Dame is not reported in this file. That does not show that no one transfers; it only means that this specific figure is not published here.
The listed price and what each family actually ends up paying
At University of Notre Dame, among a group of 129 full-time, first-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $8,873. Among a group of 90 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $14,841; among a group of 304 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $46,879. For dependent students, the band combines their parents' income with their own.
There is a difference of $38,006 between the average for the lowest-income band, which included 129 students, and the average for the highest-income band, which included 304 students. These are group averages, not a prediction of your family's price. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $29,083.
Among the 937 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same period coverage, Notre Dame falls in the least expensive quartile for the lowest-income families after grants and scholarships are subtracted. That does not mean it will be inexpensive for your family. It is a factor to weigh when deciding which schools to apply to.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, correctly identifying yours is the first step. The income bands in this profile describe full-time, first-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average with grant or scholarship aid, when shown, describes full-time, first-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The financial aid letter sent to you is what ultimately matters.
Financial aid and loans, specifically
At Notre Dame, 61 out of every 100 degree-seeking students received aid that does not have to be repaid—grants and scholarships. That is more than half, but not everyone. Compared with 942 similar schools, Notre Dame falls in the quartile where grant or scholarship aid reaches fewer students. Among those who received it, the annual average was $47,929. That is real money, but it is not a price: what matters is the amount left after aid, and you must obtain that school by school rather than calculate it from this average.
The Pell Grant—federal aid for low-income families—reached only 13 out of every 100 students. That means at least 48 out of every 100 received aid that was not Pell but came from another institutional or state source.
And now the loans, because this is where many families are surprised: 26 out of every 100 Notre Dame undergraduate students received a federal student loan in the 2022-23 academic year. More than two out of ten, but fewer than half. Among those who borrowed, the amount per borrower was $5,600 on average that year. Compared with 942 similar schools, Notre Dame is on the low side: seven out of ten schools in that group, or more, had a larger share of students with loans.
This percentage describes other families, not yours. This figure does not determine which of the two groups—those who borrowed and those who did not—your child will fall into. The financial aid letter your child receives in writing determines that. And keep something in mind: that average of $5,600 covers only one year and only federal loans in the student's name. It does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes end up signing for, bank debt, or credit card debt. Nor is it the total debt with which someone graduates after four years. That is not included in this report and must be added up separately, year by year.
Notre Dame does report a formal mechanism to make payment easier: an installment tuition plan.
Campus life, sports, distance, and support
Notre Dame has institutionally controlled housing with a reported maximum capacity of 6,934 students. According to the university's official response, not all first-time students are required to live there, although that does not rule out the possibility that a specific program may require it. It also offers meal plans, with a fixed number of meals per week in the largest plan. The existence of an option does not automatically guarantee a bed or a plan included in the price: request the year's rate, the housing application deadline, and whether a place is guaranteed or you will be placed on a waiting list, all in writing.
Regarding ROTC: Notre Dame marked all three service branches—Army, Navy, and Air Force. That is uncommon: of the 3,012 universities in this directory, only 135 mark all three. But a checkmark does not confirm that the program operates directly on this campus, how many spots are available, or whether it offers a scholarship. Ask about each branch separately.
In athletics, Notre Dame competes in intercollegiate sports and is affiliated with the NCAA. This figure does not identify current teams, specific divisions, or whether each sport awards athletic scholarships. If your child plays a sport seriously, direct the question to that sport's coach, in writing.
Regarding distance education: Notre Dame does offer it at the undergraduate and graduate levels and reported having at least one complete program that can be taken remotely. However, in the fall count, 0 out of every 100 undergraduate students took their entire course load remotely. All took at least one in-person class. If this matters to your child, confirm in writing the exact academic level and major to which it applies.
The library operates with paid staff, annual expenditures above the government's reporting threshold of $100,000, physical and digital collections, and interlibrary lending. That is the baseline the government asks about; it does not guarantee that the specific databases needed for the major that interests your child are available. Ask about them by the name of the major.
Finally, Notre Dame reports combined academic and career counseling, employment services, placement services, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program for veterans, a point of contact for service members and their families, a student veterans' organization, and a published web address for disability services.
Outcomes: how many stay and how many finish
Here we come to something that often carries considerable weight in a family's decision, and at Notre Dame the number is noteworthy.
Of the cohort that entered in fall 2022—a group of 2,036 full-time, first-time bachelor's-degree-seeking students—1,999 met the official retention criterion: 98 out of every 100 were still enrolled or had already graduated one year later. Compared with 930 similar schools, Notre Dame is among those retaining the largest shares of their cohorts. Nine out of ten schools in that group, or more, retained an equal or smaller share. This figure combines those still enrolled with those who had already graduated; it does not separate the two or reveal what happened to the 37 students outside that count.
Regarding graduation: out of every 100 students who entered a bachelor's degree program in 2017, 97 graduated within six years. By four years, the figure was already 93 out of every 100—a difference of only 4 points. Compared with 920 similar schools, Notre Dame is among those graduating the largest shares: nine out of ten schools in that group, or more, reported an equal or smaller share.
And by eight years, looking at a different cohort that entered between July 2015 and June 2016, 96 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this school. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure was 92 out of every 100—only 4 points below the rest. Here too, Notre Dame is among those graduating the largest shares compared with similar schools.
I need to tell you this with complete clarity, because it is the truth and because I owe you the full truth: a high percentage is not a promise for your child. It is what happened to a specific cohort, in specific years, at this school. What is within your control, and your child's, is entering with credits in order, knowing from the first semester who the academic advisor is, and knowing when registration opens for courses in the major. No percentage guarantees that. You build it together.
What you now know and what comes next
You now know Notre Dame as thoroughly as the official data allow: a large, highly selective university with a high listed price but a net price that can be surprisingly low for lower-income families, graduation outcomes among the highest in the country, and a Latino community that is still small within its undergraduate population.
None of these numbers decides for you. The admission rate does not measure your child's worth. The listed price is not what your family will pay. A high graduation percentage is not a guarantee for any particular person. What you can do with this information in hand is ask better questions, make better comparisons, and wait for the financial aid letter before deciding anything.
Combine this with what your child truly wants to study, what your child has accomplished so far, and what your family can and is willing to pay. A real plan comes from that combination, not from a single article.
The information in this article comes from official reports from IPEDS and the United States Department of Education, corresponding primarily to the 2023 cycle and the 2023-24 academic year, as indicated for each figure. Best College Aid does not represent University of Notre Dame or any government agency; this article is independent informational material.