University of Notre Dame Acceptance Rate & Admissions Data (2025-2026)
Every figure on this page comes from the school’s own Common Data Set (2025-2026 edition) and was independently verified against official sources.
#20
2026 US News Best National Universities
9.4%
acceptance rate
35,401
applicants
3,320
admitted
How Hard Is It to Get Into University of Notre Dame?
Notre Dame admitted 3,320 of 35,401 applicants in its 2025-2026 Common Data Set, a 9.4% acceptance rate. Testing is optional, and its early route is Restrictive Early Action, non-binding, with no binding Early Decision offered.
Notre Dame's filing has one of the broadest top tiers anywhere, and its shape says something specific: this is a community that admits people, not just records.
University of Notre Dame Common Data Set: What It Values Most
Every college officially reports how much each application factor matters in section C7 of its Common Data Set. These are University of Notre Dame’s own published ratings from the 2025-2026 edition, not our opinion.
Academic factors
Rigor of coursework
Class rank
Academic GPA
Standardized test scores
Application essay
Recommendations
Nonacademic factors
Interview
Extracurricular activities
Talent / ability
Character / personal qualities
First generation
Alumni relation
Geographical residence
State residency
Religious affiliation
Racial / ethnic status
Volunteer work
Work experience
Level of applicant interest
Writing the University of Notre Dame supplement? See every current University of Notre Dame essay prompt, with strategies.
What this means
Notre Dame rates nine factors very important: rigor, class rank, GPA, the essay, recommendations, extracurriculars, talent, character, and volunteer work. Volunteer service in the top tier is rare and deliberate at a school with Notre Dame's mission; religious affiliation is also formally rated further down its filing, a transparency few schools offer. The practical read: the academic bar is real, but the file is won on evidence of contribution, to a team, a community, a cause, confirmed by recommenders who watched it happen.
Testing policy
Test optional: scores are considered if submitted but not required.
How to Get Into University of Notre Dame: 3 Ways to Stand Out
- 1
Make service substantive. Volunteer work is very important in Notre Dame's own filing, so sustained service with responsibility and results carries rated weight that one-off hours do not.
- 2
Show community in action. With character, extracurriculars, and recommendations all top tier, the strongest files demonstrate being a multiplier for other people, and the letters confirm it.
- 3
Use Restrictive Early Action as a signal. REA is non-binding but exclusive, and at a fit-driven school an early, complete application reads as conviction.
Studying Business at University of Notre Dame
Applicants indicate Mendoza College of Business intent on the Notre Dame application and are told at admission whether they are approved for direct enrollment in its six undergraduate majors (Accountancy, Business Analytics, Finance, Marketing, Strategic Management, and the Business Computer Science track), while students not initially approved have two windows to apply for internal transfer into Mendoza during their first year.
Applicants signal Mendoza College of Business intent on the Notre Dame application and learn at admission whether direct enrollment is approved, so the business case has to be made in high school, not after arrival. Mendoza's ethos, business as a force for good, aligns unusually well with Notre Dame's rated factors: an applicant whose venture or internship also served a community is hitting the exact combination the filing describes.
Building a profile for University of Notre Dame?
University of Notre Dame rates extracurriculars very important in its own filing. Real internship experience is exactly that kind of signal.
University of Notre Dame Admissions FAQ
Is Notre Dame test optional?
Yes. Notre Dame is test optional in its 2025-2026 Common Data Set, with scores rated important rather than very important. Its nine top-tier factors span the transcript, essays, recommendations, activities, character, and volunteer service.
Does Notre Dame have Early Decision?
No. Notre Dame offers Restrictive Early Action: non-binding, but you may not simultaneously apply to binding or restrictive early programs elsewhere. It is a signal of serious interest at a school that reads for fit.
Do you have to be Catholic to get into Notre Dame?
No. Notre Dame enrolls students of many faiths and none. Its Common Data Set does list religious affiliation among rated factors, a transparency few schools offer, but the top of its filing is rigor, grades, essays, recommendations, activities, character, and service.
Sources
Data reflects the 2025-2026Common Data Set, the most recent verified edition at the time of publication. Always confirm current requirements on the school’s admissions site.
Campus photo: Eccekevin via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0