University of Notre Dame Supplemental Essay Prompts & Writing Guide 2025-2026

With only 150 words, your essay must go well beyond listing generic factors like "mid-size school" or "strong football program." Instead, choose one or two genuinely non-negotiable elements that reflect your core values and honestly explain why they matter to you personally. Common non-negotiables that resonate at Notre Dame include a faith-based learning environment, strong community and residential life, undergraduate research opportunities, service-oriented culture, or a close-knit residential college system. The key is choosing something authentically important to you, not what you think Notre Dame wants to hear.

Once you've identified your non-negotiable(s), explain the deeper reason behind it. For example, don't just say "I need a school with strong engineering labs"—instead, explain that you've been passionate about renewable energy since your grandmother's battle with respiratory illness sparked your commitment to environmental innovation, and hands-on research is essential to preparing for a career in that field. Admissions officers want to understand what drives you, what makes you tick, and how your values will shape you as a community member at Notre Dame. This personal context transforms a practical requirement into a window into your character.

Avoid the trap of trying to explain how Notre Dame meets your needs; that's not the purpose of this essay. You're not writing a "Why Notre Dame" essay. Instead, focus entirely on you: your reasoning, your priorities, and what this non-negotiable reveals about your identity and future aspirations. Be specific, be honest, and let your authentic voice shine through. Admissions readers read thousands of essays, and they appreciate genuine reflection over polished perfection.

In 50-100 words, you need to show Notre Dame that you understand faith as a meaningful force in your life and decision-making, not as a passive belief. The school explicitly welcomes students of all religious backgrounds (Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Protestant, or secular spirituality), so don't feel pressured to adopt a specific tradition. What matters is demonstrating that you believe in something larger than yourself and that this belief shapes how you act in the world. Authenticity will resonate far more than a generic reflection on religion.

Rather than listing multiple faith-influenced decisions, focus on one concrete moment or pattern that reveals your values in action. For example, you might describe a time when faith prompted you to show up for a friend in crisis, to speak up against injustice, or to prioritize community care over personal convenience. The story should be specific enough that the reader can visualize the situation and your role in it. This approach makes your faith tangible and human, not abstract or preachy. Short examples like tutoring a neighbor, standing beside someone being mocked, or choosing service over comfort work powerfully in constrained word counts.

End by briefly naming the core value or principle that faith instilled in you, then show (don't tell) how you live it now. Rather than saying "faith teaches me compassion," demonstrate the compassion through your specific choices and commitments. This ties your past to your present and hints at the version of yourself you'll bring to Notre Dame's community. Be honest if you're still wrestling with faith questions; growth and openness matter just as much as certainty, and admissions officers are looking for thoughtful, reflective people who are genuinely considering what they believe.

Given the tight 50-100 word constraint, treat this essay as a concentrated snapshot of who you are and why you belong at Notre Dame. Admissions reviewers expect specificity and authenticity; avoid vague abstractions or generic statements about your background. Instead, choose one or two formative experiences (whether related to family, culture, disability, socioeconomic circumstances, or community ties) that have genuinely shaped your identity and values. Be concrete: mention a specific moment, challenge, or insight, and explain why it matters to you today.

Notre Dame places tremendous emphasis on service, faith-guided character, and community contribution. Your response must clearly connect your distinctive background to how you will actively enrich the campus. Rather than simply describing your experiences, show how they have equipped you to bring something meaningful to Notre Dame's residential community. For example, if your family's immigration experience shaped your perspective, you might explain how that background will help you support international students or advocate for underrepresented voices on campus.

Keep your tone grounded and genuine; admissions counselors read hundreds of essays and instantly recognize when an applicant is overreaching for effect. Write in your natural voice without flowery language or clichés. Avoid making the essay about your struggles alone; focus equally on the resilience, perspective, or values you developed as a result. End by directly stating how you will be a positive force within Notre Dame's community of care, whether through mentorship, cultural dialogue, accessibility advocacy, or another meaningful contribution tied directly to who you are.

With only 50-100 words, you need to cut right to the heart of who you are and what drives you. Don't waste time explaining what service is or why it matters generally; instead, show Notre Dame admissions officers a concrete snapshot of how you actively care for your community. Open with a vivid, specific action you take: whether that's mentoring younger students, organizing a fundraiser, helping a family member, or standing up for someone in your peer group. The key is demonstrating that service flows naturally from your values, not that you're checking a box. Make the reader see your actions, not just hear about your intentions, so they understand the type of person you are and how you'll contribute to their residential community.

Remember that Notre Dame interprets community expansively, so don't feel limited to formal volunteer work or large-scale projects. Your community might be your family, your friend group, your neighborhood, a shared identity you hold, or even an online space where you show up for others. The admissions team is looking for genuine commitment to caring for people around you, whether that's through allyship, listening, showing up consistently, or using your talents to help others. Avoid sounding like a savior narrative or boasting about your contributions; instead, focus on what compelled you to act and how the experience has shaped your understanding of what it means to belong to something larger than yourself. This honest, humble tone resonates much more powerfully than grand gestures.

Connect your service back to Notre Dame's core identity as an institution that teaches students to serve the Church and the world, particularly those most in need. Close by briefly signaling how you see yourself continuing this commitment as part of the Notre Dame community. This final sentence should feel like a natural extension of your story, not a forced pitch to the school. Your goal is to demonstrate that you don't just do service; you live it, and you're eager to find peers and opportunities at Notre Dame who will challenge and inspire you to deepen this part of who you are.

This prompt asks you to reflect on a compliment that reveals something meaningful about your character and values. Notre Dame admissions officers want to understand not just what people have said about you, but what qualities you're genuinely proud of and why those qualities matter to your sense of self. Choose a compliment that connects to deeper values the university cares about, such as integrity, service, intellectual curiosity, compassion, or resilience, rather than something superficial. The compliment should come from a credible source (a teacher, coach, family member, mentor, or peer) and reflect a trait you've actively worked to develop or embody.

In your explanation of why this compliment means so much to you, focus on showing vulnerability and self-awareness. Explain what made the comment resonate; for instance, perhaps you received it during a challenging moment and it reminded you of your values, or it validated work you've been quietly committed to. This is your chance to show the admissions team your inner world, not just your accomplishments. Connect the compliment to how you show up for others or your approach to learning and growth. Avoid generic praise (like "hardworking" or "smart") unless you provide a specific context that makes it personal and distinctive to you.

Given Notre Dame's emphasis on community, collective care, and character development, you can strengthen your response by subtly indicating how this quality will allow you to contribute to their community. If someone complimented you on being a good listener, for example, explain how that trait helps you support friends or collaborate with peers, hinting at how you'd show up as a community member at Notre Dame. Keep your tone humble and genuine; admissions officers can sense when students are trying too hard to appear impressive, so authenticity and reflection will serve you far better than embellishment.

With just 50-100 words, you need to pick a single cause and anchor your response in genuine conviction. Notre Dame's mission centers on being a force for good by serving the common good and addressing injustice, so your answer should reflect a cause that connects to building a better world, whether through social justice, intellectual pursuit, human dignity, or community uplift. Admissions readers will look for specificity here, not abstract ideals; they want to see what has actually moved you to action or what drives your thinking right now.

Lead with the concrete issue you care about, then briefly explain why it matters to you personally. Rather than just naming the cause, show a hint of your passion or the values that fuel your commitment. For example, if you care about educational equity, explain not just that disparities exist, but why access to learning is central to your worldview. Keep language direct and avoid clichéd phrasings like ("making a difference") that blur your voice. Your answer should feel authentic to who you are, not polished PR.

Finally, if possible, note something you have already done or would do in support of this cause. This grounds your response in reality and shows Notre Dame that you do not just believe in something abstractly, but that you are willing to act. You do not need a heroic story here, just evidence that this conviction shapes your choices. The university's entire ecosystem, from the Center for Social Concerns to undergraduate research labs, exists to turn learning into action, so showing readiness to do the same demonstrates real alignment with Notre Dame's culture and will make your answer memorable.