Understanding Notre Dame Scholarship Requirements: A Comprehensive Guide

The University of Notre Dame, located in Notre Dame, Indiana, is renowned for its commitment to academic excellence, strong traditions, and affiliation with the Roman Catholic faith. A significant aspect of Notre Dame's commitment to its students is its comprehensive financial aid program, designed to make education accessible to talented individuals from diverse backgrounds. This article delves into the scholarship requirements and financial aid opportunities available at Notre Dame, providing a detailed overview for prospective students and their families.

Notre Dame's Commitment to Financial Need

University of Notre Dame demonstrates a strong commitment to meeting the financial needs of its students. The university meets 100% of admitted students’ demonstrated financial need. This commitment is realized through a combination of scholarships and federal loans, ensuring that financial constraints do not prevent deserving students from accessing a Notre Dame education. The university utilizes the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and/or CSS Profile to assess a family's financial situation and determine the level of support required.

Types of Scholarships at Notre Dame

Notre Dame offers a variety of scholarships, including need-based aid, merit-based scholarships, and program-specific scholarships.

Need-Based Financial Aid

Need-based financial aid is awarded based on a family's demonstrated financial need, as determined by the FAFSA and CSS Profile. This aid can come in the form of:

University Scholarships and Grants: Notre Dame provides significant scholarship assistance to students with financial need. These awards are renewable for a maximum of eight full-time semesters of attendance (10 semesters for the architecture program and combination five-year engineering program with the College of Arts and Letters), contingent upon maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress and meeting university academic regulations.
Federal Pell Grant: This is a need-based grant offered to eligible undergraduate students who demonstrate financial need by filling out the FAFSA. Students with a bachelor’s or professional degree are not eligible, and the grant does not need to be repaid.
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG): The SEOG assists students demonstrating exceptional financial need, following guidelines and funding allocations established by the Department of Education and the Office of Financial Aid.
State Grants: Residents from states including Indiana and Vermont may be eligible for scholarship/grant assistance from their home state scholarship/grant programs.

Merit-Based Scholarships

The University of Notre Dame offers a limited number of merit scholarships to admitted first-year students. Recipients demonstrate exceptional accomplishment, leadership, commitment to service, and intellectual promise. These scholarships are competitive, with approximately 3% of admitted students receiving merit aid. All applicants for admission are automatically reviewed for an award.

Program-Specific Scholarships

Notre Dame also offers scholarships for students interested in specific programs or areas of study:

Arts Scholarships: Notre Dame awards scholarships for students interested in the arts. These performance-based arts scholarships require an audition to demonstrate talent in the respective performing art form. Students must complete an application by the November deadline, and selected students will be invited for an audition. These scholarships are renewable annually, provided the recipient participates in the respective program and maintains a B average.
ND Drama Scholarship: Awarded to students who have expressed interest and demonstrated talent on the stage. Recipients of the ND Drama Scholarship commit to participation in both the school's fall and spring productions. The scholarship is renewable annually, provided the recipient continues to participate. An application and two-minute video submission expressing interest and the student's theatrical background is required.
Distinguished Scholars Program: On the basis of the entrance exam, elementary/middle school achievement, teacher recommendations, and personal interview, a select number of first-year applicants will be invited to pursue their four-year high school education as Distinguished Scholars. This high honors program is grounded in a challenging and diverse curriculum, featuring interdisciplinary inquiry, independent initiative, and a commitment to academic excellence.
Academic Scholarships: Awarded to students who meet the academic requirements of a B+ average in academic classes (English, Math, Science, Social Students, and Language), the entrance exam score, and teacher recommendation. These scholarships are awarded in a student acceptance letter.
This scholarship is awarded to students who score within the 98% percentile on the entrance exam and have achieved an A average in academic classes. These scholarships are awarded in a student acceptance letter.

Club Scholarships

Approximately 150 Notre Dame clubs offer scholarships from their respective geographic areas. All applicants for financial aid are considered for club scholarships. Students will be advised by participating clubs if any additional steps (e.g., interview, essay) might be required by the local club.

External Scholarships

Many private organizations provide scholarships to Notre Dame students. Students can find scholarship information by contacting civic, professional, religious, and other community organizations. Valuable resources for scholarship searches include College Board's Scholarship Search, FinAid, and BestColleges. Since Notre Dame meets your full demonstrated financial need, any external funds not listed in the initial Financial Aid Offer may require adjustments to your financial aid package. If needed, a revised Financial Aid Offer will be sent to reflect the additional assistance and any adjustments.

QuestBridge

Notre Dame is a member of QuestBridge, a prestigious scholarship program that supports high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds. Students who are “matched” to University of Notre Dame through QuestBridge receive a four year, full ride scholarship to the school.

Stamps Scholarship Program

Notre Dame participates in the Stamps Scholarship Program, which means that they offer recurring scholarships to select admitted students. These awards range between $6,000 to $90,000 per year. Many schools automatically consider admitted students for Stamps Scholarships.

Maintaining Scholarship Eligibility

To maintain eligibility for Notre Dame scholarships, students must:

Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress.
Meet university academic regulations.
For performance-based arts scholarships, participate in the respective program and maintain a B average.
For ND Drama Scholarship, continue to participate in the school's fall and spring productions.

Requirements Associated with Maintaining this Award Students are eligible to receive scholarship assistance for a maximum of 8 full-time semesters of attendance (10 semesters for the architecture program and combination five-year engineering program with the College of Arts and Letters).

Institutional Scholarships and Grants have requirements that a student must have in order to keep their award from year to year. If the requirements are not met, a student's aid could be placed on probation or terminated.

Understanding the Cost of Attendance

The sticker price at Notre Dame is $80,211. The cost of attendance can vary from year to year and will typically rise over your four years in college. College costs can look different for every student based on their financial situation. The FAFSA and CSS Profile use financial information from the prior, prior year. The FAFSA is completely free, while the CSS Profile charges a fee for each college you send it to.

Factors Affecting Cost

Several factors influence the cost of attendance at Notre Dame:

Read also: Enrollment at Notre Dame

Tuition and Fees: These cover the academic instruction and access to university resources.
Room and Board: This includes housing and meal expenses.
Books and Supplies: This covers the cost of textbooks, course materials, and other academic supplies.
Transportation: Because of the national enrollment at Notre Dame, the transportation allowance will generally range from a minimum of $500 to about $1,000, with $750 representing the approximate midpoint. Money for travel cannot be advanced prior to the start of the semester so students need to plan for their travel expenses.
Personal Expenses: This includes costs for personal items, entertainment, and other miscellaneous expenses.
Health Insurance: The Cost of Attendance above does not include the University Student health plan. If you are not covered by a parental plan, the University Scholarship will be increased to pay for the amount of health insurance.

Policy on Outside Funding

Outside funding will first reduce work. Your Notre Dame Scholarship will only be reduced if the total of all scholarships and grants, from all sources, exceeds your annual cost of attendance.

Policy on Student Contribution

Notre Dame offers students the opportunity to work on campus during the academic year. The $1,000 Federal Work-Study requirement is approximately three hours per week.

Club Scholarship Programs

Notre Dame clubs play a crucial role in supporting students through scholarship programs. These clubs often establish endowments as part of the University's overall endowment, maintaining their funds as individual club accounts.

Endowment Accounts

A club's endowment must contain at least $10,000 to utilize earnings to fund club scholarship awards. Each individual endowment receives its pro rata share of earnings, and funds are distributed in accordance with the University's endowment spending policy.

Expendable Accounts

A club without an endowed account or with an endowed account less than the $10,000 minimum requirement may establish an independent expendable account for scholarship awards. Funds in an expendable account are not invested as part of the University's overall endowment and are intended to be awarded on a yearly basis. A club with an endowed account generating earnings for funding of scholarship awards will automatically have an expendable account established in which these earnings will be maintained.

Tax Deductibility

Individual contributions made to an endowed or expendable club account are tax deductible and credited toward the requirement for the football ticket lottery. The donor must indicate the name of the club and the account (endowed or expendable) as a memo on the check to ensure that the contribution is appropriately credited.

Additional Considerations

Midwest Student Exchange: Notre Dame is in a state that participates in the Midwest Student Exchange. That means that if you are a resident of Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, or Wisconsin, you may qualify for discounted tuition at Notre Dame. This program applies to both private and public institutions, although the discount at private institutions is lower.
Taxation of Scholarships and Grants: Scholarships and grants that exceed a certain amount may be subject to taxation by the Internal Revenue Service (federal and state). If the student's scholarships and grants exceed tuition, fees, and the cost of books for the calendar year, the excess may be taxable income. Please note that loans are not counted in this calculation. The Office of Financial Aid is not in a position to advise you on this matter.
Test-Optional Policy: University of Notre Dame is test-optional, which means that applicants are permitted, but not required, to submit their standardized test scores. If you choose not to submit your scores, admissions officers will weigh your grades, extracurriculars, essays, and interviews more heavily.
Coalition Member College: Notre Dame is a Coalition Member College, which means they have completed a vigorous vetting process from the Coalition for College to ensure that they “provide substantial support to lower-income, under-resourced and/or first-generation students; offer responsible student financial aid; and demonstrate a commitment to student graduation.” That also means you can apply to Notre Dame via the Coalition Application. The Coalition Application makes it easy to obtain application fee waivers if you qualify.
Application Deadline: Students must apply by January 1 to enroll at Notre Dame during the fall semester. Remember that college applications involve many pieces, including essays, a transcript, letters of recommendation, and more.

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