How to Get Into Notre Dame: What Actually Works

Acceptance Rate: 9%

The University of Notre Dame has reached a historic low acceptance rate of 9% for the Class of 2029, admitting only 3,186 students out of a record-breaking 35,401 applicants. Getting into Notre Dame is extraordinarily competitive, even compared to many Ivy League schools. With an acceptance rate of just 9%, you need far more than strong grades and test scores to gain admission; Notre Dame is looking for applicants who demonstrate exceptional character, leadership, and a genuine commitment to service. The Regular Decision acceptance rate was even tighter at 6.7%, making it one of the most selective universities in the country. This level of selectivity means that being a strong student is merely a starting point; admissions officers need to see evidence of who you are as a person and how you will contribute meaningfully to their community.

Average SAT: 1500

Average ACT: 34

Admitted Notre Dame students typically score in the 99th percentile nationally on standardized tests. The middle 50% of admitted students scored between 1460 and 1540 on the SAT and between 33 and 35 on the ACT, placing them among the highest test-takers in the country. While Notre Dame remains test-optional through at least the 2025-26 admissions cycle, submitting strong scores significantly strengthens your application; among enrolled students, roughly 48% submitted SAT scores and 52% submitted ACT scores, while about 42% of applicants did not submit any test scores. However, of those who did not submit scores, fewer than one-third received admission offers, suggesting that submitting competitive scores is advantageous in this highly selective process.

Average Unweighted GPA: 3.91

Approximately 68% of admitted Notre Dame students graduate in the top 10% of their high school classes, while 98% come from the top 25%. Most admitted students carry GPAs at or above 3.9, with the majority taking the most rigorous courses available at their high schools, including AP, IB, and honors courses. Notre Dame evaluates your academics within the context of your high school; they understand that opportunities vary between schools, but they expect you to maximize whatever rigorous options are available to you. Maintain consistently strong grades across all four years of high school, with particular attention to core academic subjects like English, mathematics, science, history, and foreign language.

What truly sets successful Notre Dame applicants apart is their demonstrated commitment to something larger than themselves. Beyond achieving top grades and test scores, admitted students show depth of character and purpose. You need to demonstrate that you think deeply about ideas and problems, that you ask meaningful questions, and that you pursue knowledge with genuine intellectual curiosity. Rather than simply listing interests in your application, show how you have independently explored those interests. If you are fascinated by environmental science, demonstrate this by reading beyond what is assigned in class, exploring real-world environmental issues in your community, or applying scientific concepts to problems you care about. Admissions officers receive thousands of applications from talented students; what separates those who are admitted is the ability to articulate a coherent intellectual narrative that shows how your mind works and what drives your curiosity.

Successful Notre Dame applicants demonstrate sustained leadership and meaningful impact in a select number of extracurricular activities rather than joining numerous clubs. Notre Dame values depth of involvement over breadth; admissions officers want to see evidence that you took on leadership roles, made concrete contributions to your activities, and grew as a result of your involvement. Choose activities you genuinely care about, commit to them over multiple years, and pursue leadership positions whenever possible. This might mean becoming president of a club, founding a new initiative, leading a team, or spearheading a community service project. What matters is showing that you did not simply participate passively but actively shaped the direction and impact of your involvement. If you have talent in the arts, including this prominently in your application strengthens your candidacy; Notre Dame particularly values students with meaningful engagement in visual or performing arts.

Perhaps most importantly, Notre Dame seeks students who understand and embrace the university's mission of service to others and commitment to character development. This is a distinctly Catholic university that values faith, service, and the development of the whole person (mind and heart), not just academic achievement. Successful applicants demonstrate awareness that they are part of something larger than themselves and show genuine commitment to making a difference in their communities. This does not require you to be Catholic (though over 80% of students are), but it does require you to understand Notre Dame's values and articulate how you will engage with them. Whether through community service, leadership in addressing social problems, or personal qualities like integrity and empathy, your application should reveal that you care about contributing to others' wellbeing and that you think seriously about how to live a life of purpose and meaning.

Essays are rated as "very important" by Notre Dame admissions officers, making them one of the most critical components of your application alongside GPA, coursework rigor, and extracurricular involvement. Your essays are the primary place where admissions officers hear your authentic voice and understand how you think and what you value. With a 9% acceptance rate and most applicants having strong academics, your essays may be what ultimately determines whether you are admitted or denied. This is your opportunity to reveal dimensions of yourself that grades and test scores cannot convey, to show your genuine personality, and to demonstrate why you are a meaningful fit for Notre Dame's community.

You should check out the how to write the Notre Dame supplemental essays article to see details on how to write the Notre Dame essays.

Your supplemental essays require serious, thoughtful preparation well in advance of the deadline. For the required "non-negotiable factors" essay, go beyond surface-level reasons for attending college and dig deeply into what matters most to you in your educational experience. Instead of mentioning a beautiful campus or strong football tradition, articulate what aspects of Notre Dame's academic structure, community values, or mission genuinely resonate with your own priorities and goals. Show how your values align with Notre Dame's commitment to faith, service, and character development. Make your essays distinctive by incorporating specific details about programs, professors, research opportunities, or campus traditions that you have researched, and explain concretely how your interests and goals will be advanced by your time at Notre Dame. Avoid generic praise; instead, demonstrate through specific examples that you have done genuine research and that Notre Dame is not interchangeable with other universities on your list.

For the short-answer questions, select prompts that allow you to reveal aspects of yourself not yet fully conveyed in your application. Choose topics where you have something substantive to say rather than forcing yourself to answer a prompt that does not resonate with you. If faith is genuinely important to your life, consider answering the faith-related prompt, but only if you can write authentically about your faith journey; Notre Dame values genuine reflection over expected answers. When describing extracurriculars, volunteer work, personal background, or other experiences, focus on demonstrating how those experiences have shaped who you are and how you will contribute to the Notre Dame community. Show growth, self-awareness, and the lessons you have learned. Admissions officers care less about what you did and more about what your involvement reveals about your character, values, and potential to make a positive impact at Notre Dame and beyond.

Take time to develop a cohesive application narrative where each component works together to present a compelling picture of who you are. Select the most rigorous curriculum possible at your high school, including AP and IB courses, and excel in them to demonstrate both your academic capability and your willingness to challenge yourself. Secure strong recommendations from teachers who know you well and can speak to specific examples of your intellectual engagement, your character, and your potential to thrive at Notre Dame. Choose teachers who can describe you as one of the most impressive students they have taught, and help them understand what to emphasize by sharing specific examples of moments where you showed growth, demonstrated leadership, or engaged deeply with material. Most importantly, communicate throughout your application that you understand and embrace Notre Dame's distinctive Catholic mission and commitment to preparing students to serve others. Demonstrate demonstrated interest in Notre Dame by attending campus events, visiting campus if possible, and engaging with admissions representatives. Apply through Restrictive Early Action if Notre Dame is your top choice; the early action acceptance rate of 12.9% is notably higher than the 6.7% Regular Decision rate, and applying early signals genuine commitment to the university.