Notre Dame is a large private research university in Notre Dame, Indiana with to the Catholic church. Notre Dame is strong in academics, in research, in faith, in purpose, and in identity. One in three undergraduates take part in research, 87%+ do a study abroad experience, and they have been a top producer of Fulbright scholars for . The overall acceptance rate is only , and the Restrictive Early Action acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 was 13%.
Notre Dame is for first-year applicants through at least the 2025-2026 application cycle, which means that you don’t need to submit SAT or ACT scores to be considered for admission. This doesn’t mean that you should simply leave your scores out, though. Strong standardized test scores underline an impressive application. Like strong grades, they can entice an application reader to spend a little more time considering your candidacy, and in an era when you’re lucky to get more than five minutes of an admissions officer’s time that additional attention is critical. We encourage our students to submit their scores to Notre Dame if an SAT at or above 1510 or an ACT of 34+.
In this post, we’re going to address the unquantifiable part of your application to Notre Dame, though — the supplements. Notre Dame looks for top students with impressive grades and scores, but that isn’t enough to get in. In addition to having those grades and scores, you need to tell a story that clicks with the admissions officers as they look to add students to their community. Succeeding at this results in an acceptance, so let’s make that happen.
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Notre Dame wants to see more than your stats — they want to see you. The one short essay and three short-answer questions. Each requires thoughtful consideration, drafting, and time. Giving yourself the time to approach the Notre Dame supplements is critical, and is ultimately more important than any impressive accomplishment or leadership role. Titles and awards are great, but how you tell the story of these accomplishments is even more important than the number of trophies on your dresser.
Too many times to count, we’ve watched our students, with fewer awards but more thoughtful and story-ful answers, get into schools early that more objectively ‘impressive’ students are rejected by. We know this because those rejected students contact us asking for help in the Regular Decision round. In the end, it all comes down to how the application was crafted. The supplement is a key piece of this crafting, and we’re going to break it down for you below so you can get it right on the first try.
SHORT ESSAY
Everyone has different priorities when considering their higher education options and building their college or university list. Tell us about your “non-negotiable” factor(s) when searching for your future college home. (150 words)
This is an awesome prompt, and you need to approach it from a highly strategic perspective. We’re sure you have a list of things you really want in a school, but this isn’t a good place to share all of them. Instead, you need to pick one or two things that are both true to you — and true to Notre Dame.
Frame them within a story. It’s a short supplement, but 150 words is a full paragraph. Make the most of this space. Tell your non-negotiables through a short story, and you can write about faith here. You don’t have to, as you absolutely do not have to be Catholic or Christian to get into Notre Dame, but if faith matters deeply to you, it makes sense to include it here.
SHORT ANSWER
Please choose three questions from the options below. Your response to each short-answer question should be between 50-100 words.
These are short at 50-100 words, only a few sentences each. Every word needs to do work and serve a purpose. You also only pick three from the five options, so below we also guide you towards your best fit.
How does faith influence the decisions you make?
First, don’t pick this prompt if you mentioned faith in the first supplement. If you didn’t mention faith at the top, this can be a good option as long as you have something meaningful to say. If this prompt doesn’t immediately click for you, it isn’t for you. If it does click, lean into it. We especially love this prompt for students with strong religious or faith beliefs that aren’t Christian. This is not, though, a place to talk about crystals even if you keep quartz next to your bed. That’s not the Notre Dame vibe, so it could turn them off to your application, even subconsciously.
What is distinctive about your personal experiences and development (e.g., family support, culture, disability, personal background, community, etc.)? Why are these experiences important to you and how will you enrich the Notre Dame community?
This prompt lets you share a piece of yourself that won’t show up in your application otherwise. This is key. Do not answer this prompt with something you’ve said anywhere else. It can’t be in your college essay or an additional information section. Whatever goes here absolutely must be new. Beyond that, remember that you don’t have a lot of space so the stories you tell need to be simple. Or, at minimum, told simply. Let’s use the example of impaired eyesight or blindness. You will not be able to convey the whole story of not being able to see in 100 words, but you can talk about looking for a button on a new remote and having to maintain the patience necessary to find the solution despite massive amounts of frustration. This same concept can be applied to almost any personal experience. You need to communicate more than what you have faced, there must be a trait or characteristic that shines through.
Notre Dame’s undergraduate experience is characterized by a collective sense of care for every person. How do you foster service to others in your community?
This is a very important prompt for Notre Dame, and we encourage all of our students to include this as one of the three that they select. Notre Dame strongly emphasizes service to their community — and yours at home.
To write a strong answer to this prompt, pick one way that you have served locally and long-term. Tell a story that spotlights a particular moment that exemplifies why that service means so much to you. This should include you engaging with someone else, or a small group, and may include techniques like dialog and symbolism to increase impact in a compact package.
More than anything, do not position yourself as the hero of the narrative. You should be an impactful piece of a larger puzzle, not the captain of the ship.
What compliment are you most proud of receiving, and why does it mean so much to you?
To us, this prompt is a dud. It is far too easy to come off as self-important, conceited, or blind to your flaws. It’s sort of like being asked what your biggest flaw is and answering with “perfectionism.” That never plays well, so don’t do it. Skip this prompt and pick better ones.
If you insist on selecting this prompt, and we hope you don’t, you need to be very careful with which compliment you pick. Make sure it is earnest, not manipulative, and shared through a story that underlines that earnestness.
What would you fight for?
This prompt is awesome, but they don’t mean “fight for” literally. They do not want to feel, after reading this prompt, like you are going to bring chaos to campus. They do, though, want to see and feel passion. To write a strong response to this prompt, focus on something that you are already doing and could build upon at Notre Dame — and with the support of their community. You should also be sure to focus on something that is collaborative. Isolating yourself is a bad thing, so look for opportunities to talk about working with others.
The Notre Dame supplement offers opportunities for passionate, driven, and community-minded students to spotlight how awesome they (you) are. Take advantage of this to get to an acceptance letter. And if you want a guide, we can help.
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