Notre Dame notified 7,334 Restrictive Early Action (REA) applicants on Friday, December 14, of their admission decisions. Reflecting national trends, restrictive early action applications were up by 17 percent this year. The University admitted 1,534 applicants to the Class of 2023, welcoming students of exceptional academic merit, with impressive records of service and demonstrated leadership, to the Notre Dame family.
In addition, the University increased admission of students from a variety of demographics. The number of admitted first-generation students is up 16 percent and the number of U.S. students of color has risen by 15 percent compared to last year. The number of QuestBridge Scholars was doubled; 42 National College Match Scholars will enroll at Notre Dame.
This year, 1,375 applicants (19 percent) were deferred to the regular decision pool and remain under consideration.
Profile of Restrictive Early Action Admitted Students
Students hail from a diverse cross-section of high schools and geographic areas.
- Students attend 1,055 high schools around the world
- 43% attend public schools; 40% attend Catholic schools; 17% attend private or charter schools
- 48 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam are represented
- 53 different nations of citizenship are represented
- 34% are U.S. students of color or international students
- 193 (13%) are citizens of other nations, dual citizens, or U.S. students studying abroad
- 21% of students come from the Northeast, 17% from the Southeast, 18% from the Midwest, 21% from the Central Midwest, 17% from the West/Southwest, and 6% attend high schools outside the U.S.
Notre Dame reviews applications in a holistic process, evaluating students on their records of achievement and significant attributes revealed through essays, letters of recommendation, and extensive discussions of extracurricular activities, along with the students’ determination and motivation for their success.
Don Bishop, associate vice president of undergraduate enrollment says, “Our admitted students have surpassed our prior class profiles with their academic accomplishments, but they were selected due to their motivation for scholarship as well as their exceptional levels of achievement in leadership and service to others. We are inspired by the creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, humility, and ambition of the students who aspire to join the Notre Dame family. It is a powerful group of young students who possess an amazing capacity to become dynamic leaders.”
Last year, 68 percent of students admitted in Restrictive Early Action enrolled at Notre Dame. Overall, the University typically ranks among the top 10 schools in the nation for its enrollment rate and in the top six for universities that have early action rather than binding early decision programs.