Student Life
Pursue Your Passions
It takes more than academic achievement to create a fulfilling future. It takes intellectual curiosity and drive, plus an encouraging environment where you can become your own person as well as part of a community.
With the support of a campus community dedicated to your growth and development, you’ll have the opportunity to explore every interest at Notre Dame. You’ll find your niche, embark on new adventures, and make friends for life.
Student Clubs and Organizations
500+ Ways to Explore and Strengthen Your Talents and Passions
It would be overkill to list all 500+ student clubs and organizations, but it’s important to know that no matter where your interests lie, you can explore them at Notre Dame. Our students captain interhall athletic teams, write for The Observer, our student newspaper, and lead the student government. They develop ideas through the Entrepreneurship Society. They motivate at-risk children to pursue their dreams through College Mentors for Kids. From acappella to rock-climbing at Duncan Student Center, our students fill their time outside of the classroom with experiences that enrich their lives and shape their education—and they have a lot of fun while they’re at it.
At Notre Dame, people are from all over the world and bring different perspectives. Their backgrounds, heritages, and identities have encouraged me to become more authentic with myself and the people around me.
The strength of community on Notre Dame's campus is the biggest reason I chose ND. Our campus is a community of communities–from residence halls to clubs to academic groups. These communities are interconnected and strengthen the everyday campus community.
Coming back to Notre Dame every semester feels like coming home. This place has given me lifelong friends and a second family I can always depend on. It has deepened my connection to my faith and taught me how to be both a better student and member of society.
Residence Halls
Thirty-Two Halls, Four Walls, A Thousand Points of View
100% of first-year students and 80% of sophomores, juniors, and seniors live in the 32 residence halls on campus.
There are no fraternities or sororities at Notre Dame—the residence hall is the focus of social, religious, and intramural athletic activities. Each hall boasts its own chapel, signature annual event, interhall athletic teams, service initiatives, and personality.
Athletics
Continue to play the sport you love at a high level
Even if you're not a varsity athlete, Notre Dame provides countless opportunities to engage in athletics, including:
- Interhall sporting events (we're the only non-academy school to offer full-tackle, full-pad tackle football)
- Extensive recreational facilities, including the Smith Center for Recreational Sports and Rockne Memorial
- An intramural program that Sports Illustrated deemed one of the best in the country
We Are Notre Dame
Home of the Fighting Irish, Notre Dame has earned 35 national championships since 1924. Most recently, the fencing team captured its 13th championship in 2023.
- Notre Dame has ranked number one in student-athlete graduation rate among all NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision schools for the last 14 years.
- The Women's Basketball Team has won the NCAA National Championship twice, first in 2001, and again in 2018 when the No. 1-seeded Irish completed the second-largest comeback in Final Four history to defeat the No. 1-seeded Bulldogs 61-58.
- Thirteen National Fencing Championships: (Men) 1977, 1978, 1986, (Women) 1987, (Combined) 1994, 2003, 2005, 2011, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
The Arts
Inspiration can Happen Anywhere. Here, it Happens Everywhere.
With hundreds of arts events annually and numerous programs and departments, the Notre Dame campus offers a wide variety of opportunities for students to explore the fine and performing arts. Museums and galleries, like the Snite Museum of Art, host exhibits and events, along with showcases of student work. Venues like the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center attract international acts and feature music, dance, theatre, and cinema.
South Bend
Explore the Local Scene
Welcome to South Bend, IN, a Midwestern city with great restaurants, cultural attractions, and plenty of access to the great outdoors. Here, you’ll find a home away from home both on and off campus. Notre Dame is interwoven with the surrounding community—and we couldn’t be prouder of our hometown.