QuestBridge Frequently Asked Questions

How does the QuestBridge College Match process work at Notre Dame? 

All students who are selected as QuestBridge Finalists and rank Notre Dame will be considered in our Restrictive Early Action cycle. Notre Dame will review all complete applications and select students for the College Match Scholarship. The National College Match Program is binding for Notre Dame. 

If a student with a complete application is not matched to Notre Dame or any other QuestBridge partner school, he or she will receive a Restrictive Early Action decision from Notre Dame in mid-December. 

How many students will be matched to Notre Dame through QuestBridge?

The number of Notre Dame's QuestBridge matches varies from year to year depending on the applicant pool. Please keep in mind that many QuestBridge Finalists who are not matched to Notre Dame are still admitted through Restrictive Early Action or Regular Decision.

If I am selected as a Finalist and have ranked the University of Notre Dame, what else do I need to submit to complete my application to Notre Dame?

Students who become QuestBridge College Match Finalists must submit the following materials to Notre Dame by November 1:

1. Notre Dame QuestBridge Supplement
2. Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
3. CSS Profile

Once Notre Dame has received your application from QuestBridge for the College Match, you will receive an application acknowledgement email from Notre Dame with instructions on accessing your applicant status portal. Once you log in, you will be able to access and complete the Notre Dame QuestBridge Supplement. When you have completed all of the required items in your applicant checklist, you will receive a final communication from our office via email stating that your application is complete and ready for review.

Please refer to our application requirements for more information.

What is the Notre Dame QuestBridge Supplement?

The Notre Dame QuestBridge Supplement is an electronic form required of all QuestBridge applicants to Notre Dame. The form will be available as a link in a student’s Notre Dame applicant status portal as a required checklist item. All QuestBridge Match candidates, Regular Decision Finalists, and non-Finalists will need to complete the Notre Dame QuestBridge Supplement to finalize their application. 

The Notre Dame QuestBridge Supplement includes a short-answer essay question, which should be answered in approximately 150 words:

The founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross, Blessed Basil Moreau, wrote, “We shall always place education side by side with instruction; the mind will not be cultivated at the expense of the heart.”  How do you hope a Notre Dame education and experience will transform your mind and heart?

How do I receive access to Notre Dame’s applicant status portal?

QuestBridge applicants to Notre Dame will receive an application acknowledgement email two to three days after QuestBridge applications are available to us. The email will include instructions for establishing your Notre Dame applicant status portal account. 

You will be able to view the following in your Notre Dame applicant status portal:

• Your application checklist (including a link to the Notre Dame QuestBridge Supplement)

• Your admission decision

• Financial aid information

College Match Finalists who have ranked Notre Dame will receive their email with instructions for accessing the applicant status portal in mid- to late-October. Regular Decision Finalists and non-Finalists will receive their email in mid- to late-December. 

If I am a Finalist and rank Notre Dame but do not match to Notre Dame, when will I receive an admission decision? 

All Finalists who rank Notre Dame and have submitted a complete application for admission will receive a Restrictive Early Action decision in mid-December. If you are not matched to Notre Dame and would prefer to have your application reviewed in Regular Decision, contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at admissions@nd.edu by December 2, 2022. Be sure to use the email address listed on your QuestBridge application, and include your QuestBridge ID number.

If I am not matched with Notre Dame, is the Restrictive Early Action deadline binding?

Notre Dame’s Restrictive Early Action deadline is non-binding. Typically, applying Restrictive Early Action to Notre Dame means that a student may not apply to any college or university in their binding Early Decision program. QuestBridge College Match applicants are exempt from this rule leading up to the match since many partner schools, including Notre Dame, have binding matches. If you are not matched to Notre Dame or any other partner schools, you may have the option to enter some schools’ binding Early Decision deadlines. If you plan to do this, we request that you inform us that you’d like to move your application to Regular Decision by December 2, 2022 in order to abide by Notre Dame’s Restrictive Early Action policy.

If I am admitted through Restrictive Early Action or Regular Decision but not selected as a QuestBridge Match Scholar, what type of financial aid offer will I receive? 

Notre Dame is committed to meeting 100 percent of your demonstrated financial need. Our experience is that the decisions are very similar to the financial aid offers of our Matched Scholars. The difference is that your financial aid offer will be based upon the estimated cost of your books rather than the actual cost of books and you will not automatically receive scholarship to pay for the cost of health insurance.  

Learn more about financial aid at Notre Dame.

If I am selected as a QuestBridge Finalist but did not rank Notre Dame, can I still apply to Notre Dame through QuestBridge?

A QuestBridge Finalist who did not rank Notre Dame and was not matched to another QuestBridge partner school may still choose to apply through QuestBridge Regular Decision. Submission of the QuestBridge Regular Decision Form does not complete your application. Please refer to our application requirements for more information.

Should I use the QuestBridge application, the Common Application, or the Coalition Application?

Notre Dame does not prefer one application over another, and we employ the same selection criteria regardless of which application a student has chosen. However, you should not submit multiple applications - you must choose either the QuestBridge Application, the Common Application, or the Coalition Application.

QuestBridge applicants will have a different checklist of required materials, so if you choose to apply through QuestBridge, please refer to the complete list of application requirements here. 

If you plan to complete the Common Application or Coalition Application, please refer to instructions here.