University of Notre Dame supplemental essays
University of Notre Dame asks for three supplemental essays in 2026-27, chosen from five options. Common App. Personal statement required (250-650 words).
That is three supplements plus the Common App personal statement: four pieces of writing in all. Restrictive Early Action closes November 1, 2026, Early Action closes November 1, 2026 and Regular Decision closes January 4, 2027. The prompts carry these limits: 150 words, 50-100 words. Every University of Notre Dame prompt is printed on this page in full, with its word limit and who has to answer it, checked against the college’s own admissions page.
Deadlines
| Round | Date |
|---|---|
| Restrictive Early Action | November 1, 2026 |
| Early Action | November 1, 2026 |
| Regular Decision | January 4, 2027 |
Checked against admissions.nd.edu/apply/application-overview. Confirm on the college’s own page before you submit.
The essays, 2026-27
Required · 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.
Short answer. Paste it on the homepage and we will read it.
Required (choose 2 of 4) · 50-100 words
Short answer option 1. How does faith influence the decisions you make?
Short answer. Paste it on the homepage and we will read it.
Required (choose 2 of 4) · 50-100 words
Short answer option 2. What is distinctive about your personal experiences and development (e.g. family support, culture, disability, personal background, community)? Why are these experiences important to you and how will you enrich the Notre Dame community?
Short answer. Paste it on the homepage and we will read it.
Required (choose 2 of 4) · 50-100 words
Short answer option 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?
Short answer. Paste it on the homepage and we will read it.
Required (choose 2 of 4) · 50-100 words
Short answer option 4. What would you fight for?
Short answer. Paste it on the homepage and we will read it.
Your University of Notre Dame checklist
Three supplements, two of them required. The first deadline, Restrictive Early Action, is November 1, 2026.
- Common App personal statementRequired250-650 words
- Supplement 1Required150 words
- Supplements 2 to 5Required50-100 words each
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Getting into University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame admits 11.3% of applicants. The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 1455-1560 on the SAT and 33-35 on the ACT.
About 1 in 9 applicants are admitted, at a college of 8,818 undergraduates.
| Enrolled students | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT total | 1455 | 1520 | 1560 |
| SAT reading and writing | 720 | 750 | 770 |
| SAT math | 735 | 770 | 790 |
| ACT composite | 33 | 34 | 35 |
What SAT score do you need for University of Notre Dame?
A 1560 puts you in the top quarter of the students who enrolled, a 1520 at their midpoint, and a 1455 at the bottom quarter, meaning one in four enrolled students scored below it. The same three points on the ACT are 33, 34 and 35. A quarter of an enrolled class scoring under the 25th percentile is not a rounding error, so a score below the range is a reason to strengthen the rest of the application rather than a reason not to apply.
US Department of Education, College Scorecard (2026-09-17). Percentiles describe students who enrolled, not everyone admitted. SAT totals are the reading and math bands added together, which is how every source in this market reports them and is an approximation of about 10 to 20 points, because the two sections are correlated.
- What SAT score do you need for University of Notre Dame?
- University of Notre Dame sets no minimum. Among students who enrolled, the middle 50% scored 1455-1560 on the SAT: a 1455 sits at the 25th percentile, 1520 at the median and 1560 at the 75th. A score at or above 1560 is a clear strength in the application; below 1455 it is the part of the file the rest has to make up for. These are the figures University of Notre Dame reports to the US Department of Education, released in the College Scorecard of 2026-09-17.
- What ACT score do you need for University of Notre Dame?
- The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 33-35 on the ACT, with a composite of 34 at the median. There is no cutoff: a quarter of the enrolled class scored below 33. Reported by University of Notre Dame to the US Department of Education, College Scorecard release of 2026-09-17.
- What GPA do you need for University of Notre Dame?
- The honest answer is that the federal data behind this page does not contain one. Colleges report their admit rate and their enrolled students' test scores to the Department of Education; they do not report a GPA distribution, so any site quoting an exact average GPA for University of Notre Dame is either reading that college's own Common Data Set or estimating. What the reported data does say is that University of Notre Dame admits 11.3% of applicants, and the more selective a college is, the closer to the top of the class its admitted students sit and the more the strength of your course load counts alongside the number itself.
- How hard is it to get into University of Notre Dame?
- University of Notre Dame admits 11.3% of the people who apply, which is about 1 in 9 applicants. At that rate no set of numbers makes admission likely, a perfect one included, because the college turns away far more qualified applicants than it takes. Strong grades and scores get the application read; the essays, the recommendations and what you have actually done decide it from there.
What University of Notre Dame costs after grant aid, by family income, from the same federal data.
Sort your whole college list into reaches, targets and likelies, or find colleges that fit your GPA and test scores. Both are free and neither needs an account.
University of Notre Dame essay questions, answered
- Does University of Notre Dame have supplemental essays?
- Yes. University of Notre Dame asks for three supplemental essays in 2026-27, chosen from five options. Every prompt is printed in full on this page. Word limits: 150 words, 50-100 words.
- How many essays do you write for University of Notre Dame in 2026-27?
- Three supplements, plus the Common App personal statement.
Schools with similar admit rates
University of Notre Dame admits 11.3% of applicants. The colleges either side of it in our set by admit rate, most selective first, each with its own prompts and deadlines: Emory University (10.7%), Middlebury College (10.8%), Boston University (11.1%), Tufts University (11.5%), Carnegie Mellon University (11.7%), Washington University in St. Louis (12.1%).