Application Overview

How to Apply

The University of Notre Dame offers three secure online applications for first year applicants:

• Common Application at commonapp.org.
• Apply Coalition on Scoir at app.scoir.com/app/signup/2800092.
• Questbridge Application at questbridge.org (QuestBridge applicants are not required to submit the Common Application or Coalition Application.)

Please note that after your application is submitted electronically, letters of recommendation and transcripts can still be sent to complete your application. 

First-Year vs. Transfer Applicants

The Notre Dame Writing Supplement: We want to meet the real you.

We require applicants to submit the Notre Dame Writing Supplement in addition to the Common Application or Coalition Application. This form is available to registrants of either website and is submitted with the application. It must be submitted online. 

The writing supplement gives us an opportunity to get to know you in a more personal way outside of your stats. So, let your personality shine, take risks, and remember that there is no right answer.

The University of Notre Dame Writing Section consists of one (1) required short essay question and two (2) short-answer responses to questions you select from the options provided.

Please provide a response to the following prompt. The word count is a maximum of 150 words.

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.

Please choose two questions from the options below. Your response to each short-answer question should be between 50-100 words.
1. How does faith influence the decisions you make?
2. What is distinctive about your personal experiences and development (eg, family support, culture, disability, personal background, community)? Why are these experiences important to you and how will you enrich the Notre Dame community?
3. 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?
4. What would you fight for?

Application Checklist

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions must have all of the following items before beginning application review:

• Your application, submitted via the Common Application or Coalition Application website.
• The Notre Dame Writing Supplement, submitted via the Common Application or Coalition Application. 
• Official high school transcripts or record of academic achievement in secondary school. Note: Restrictive Early Action applicants are encouraged to submit an optional summary or progress report of first quarter or first trimester performance via their applicant status portal.
• A letter of evaluation from a high school teacher in a core academic subject area who knows you well
• We highly recommend that your school counselor complete the second letter of evaluation, but an additional member of your community (e.g., additional teacher, mentor, etc.) may submit a letter if no counselor evaluation is available. 
• Optional: Results of your ACT or SAT assessment scores - Notre Dame is test-optional through at least 2026-27, meaning you are not required to submit scores from ACT and/or SAT exams when you apply. This policy applies to both first-year and transfer students. Current high school seniors (grade 12) and all transfer applicants will not be required to submit scores from either of these exams when applying to Notre Dame through at least the 2026-27 academic year. 
• A non-refundable application fee of $85

NOTE: If you are an international student, please visit the International Admissions pages for additional instructions and information. 

Regarding Deadlines

Submit the online version of the Common Application (with the Notre Dame Writing Supplement) or the Coalition Application (the writing supplement is included within the application) no later than November 1 for Restrictive Early Action or January 4 for Regular Decision.

We reserve the right to make a decision on your application based on the materials that we receive. Be sure to pay careful attention to your applicant status portal and monitor your email as well. We send regular communications to students with incomplete applications.

Note that we will continue to accept required supplemental application materials past the application deadline (i.e., letters of recommendation, test scores), but encourage students to submit documents as soon as possible so that we may take all important information into consideration during our review.