圣母大学 FAQs
http://admissions.nd.edu/apply/faqs/
You have questions. We have answers.
Is my application complete?
You’ve submitted your application online and are wondering whether your application is complete. Once we’ve processed all of the supporting documentation we’ve received, we’ll begin to notify students who are missing a portion of their applications. At that time, it is your responsibility to promptly send the required documentation.
We appreciate your concern for your application, but contacting our office close to the application deadline is unlikely to be productive. If we receive the missing portions of your application in a timely manner, the evaluation of your application will not be negatively affected.
In order to evaluate your application we require: the Common Application, which includes the Notre Dame writing supplement, the application fee, your essay, one teacher’s evaluation, your full transcript, and a standardized test score (either SAT or ACT). You will receive a final communication from our office via email stating that your application is complete and ready for review.
How do I pay the application fee?
Payment of the required $75 application fee is available online and is located in the ‘Payments’ section through the Common Application website.
Payment methods include the following:
• Credit card/eCheck – Secure online payments can be submitted using any major credit card. Alternatively, providing bank account information allows for submission of an electronic check.
• Eligibility for the Common Application Fee Waiver is based on financial need. Qualified applicants may use this payment method to satisfy the application fee requirement. Your counselor will receive notice of your intent to use the Fee Waiver, and will then need to verify that you meet the eligibility criteria outlined by the Common Application. Once eligibility is confirmed, the Common Application process will bypass the payment step.
Can I see my admissions decision online?
You will receive a communication from our office via email stating that your application is complete and ready for review. You are not able to see the status of your application, nor are you able to obtain an admissions decision online. All communication regarding your admission decision is done via postal mail.
When will I hear my decision?
Decision letters will be mailed in mid-December for Restrictive Early Action and late-March for Regular Decision.
How do I apply for financial aid?
You can find information about how to apply for financial aid here. February 15 is the priority deadline to apply for financial aid.
Should I apply during Restrictive Early Action or Regular Decision?
Every college and university uses Restrictive Early Action in a different way. The easiest way to understand how Notre Dame uses it is to describe what it is not. It is not the avenue students should take merely because Notre Dame is their first choice. Nor is it easier to gain admission through the Restrictive Early Action process.
In deciding whether or not to apply Early, ask yourself: can I submit my best application in October of my senior year? If so, then Restrictive Early Action is probably the correct route for you. However, if you believe that an extra semester could be beneficial for whatever reason (to raise your grades a little, to take an extra SAT or ACT, to add on to your résumé) then you should consider applying during Regular Decision.
For more information on when to apply, please click here. If you have any further questions, please call the Undergraduate Admissions Office at (574) 631-7505.
What kind of credentials do I need to be competitive in the applicant pool?
The average student admitted for the class of 2018 was ranked in the top four percent of his or her graduating class, and the middle 50 percent of admitted students scored between 1380 and 1510 on the SAT and between 32 and 34 on the ACT.
Students admitted to Notre Dame also build strong extracurricular records, are dedicated, passionate leaders in their communities, creative intellectuals, and are evaluated positively by their guidance counselors and teachers. Finally, best-fit students reveal their personalities in well-written personal statements. Rather than tell us facts about themselves, they show us their uniqueness in a variety of different ways.
Does Notre Dame have a need-blind admissions policy, and if so, what is it?
Notre Dame has a need-blind admissions policy for all U.S. citizens and permanent residents, meaning that a student’s financial situation is not considered in the evaluation of his or her application. We are committed to meeting 100 percent of each family’s demonstrated financial need, which is completely separate from our admissions process.
Is there a paper application?
The Common Application is online only and is not available in paper form. After the application is submitted electronically, letters of recommendation and transcripts can still be sent to complete your application. You will be able to print-preview the application, but please do not mail the print-preview to us. We recommend printing a copy of your completed application to keep for your files.
What type of classes should I be taking in high school?
Take the most demanding curriculum offered at your high school. Usually this includes four years of English, math, foreign language, science, and history. The minimum requirements, however, are as follows:
For students intending to enter the College of Arts and Letters or the Mendoza College of Business, excluding the Arts and Letters Pre-Health program, Neuroscience and Behavior, and the combined Arts-Engineering program, the required 16 units must be distributed as follows:
• 4 units of English
• 3 units of Mathematics - Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry (4 units preferred)
• 2 units of Foreign Language (3-4 units preferred)
• 2 units of Science (4 units preferred)
• 2 units of History/Social Science (3-4 units preferred)
• 3 units of additional History/Social Science, Science, Foreign Language, Mathematics, and English courses
For students intending to enter the College of Science, the College of Engineering, the School of Architecture, the Arts and Letters Pre-Health program, Neuroscience and Behavior, or the combined Arts and Engineering program, the distribution must be:
• 4 units of English
• 4 units of Mathematics - Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, and Advanced Mathematics (e.g. Pre-calculus, Calculus)
• 2 units of Foreign Language (3-4 units preferred)
• 2 units of Science - Chemistry and Physics (4 units preferred)
• 2 units of History/Social Science (3-4 units preferred)
• 2 units of additional History/Social Science, Science, Foreign Language, Mathematics, and English courses
Although we require at least 16 academic units for admission, our most competitive applicants will have 18 – 20 units with four units in each major academic area and in the most rigorous level their high school offers.
A unit is the credit for a year of satisfactory work in an accredited secondary school. The two language units required must be in the same language. If you lack any of the units required for admissions, explain in the application why your high school record lacks those units and describe how you might fulfill the requirements prior to enrolling at Notre Dame.
For example, you might attend a secondary school that does not offer courses such as physics or foreign languages. If admitted to Notre Dame, you would be advised to complete the necessary courses at a local college during the spring and summer.
We do include algebra and/or foreign language courses completed during eighth grade in our count of admissions requirements. For example, if you earned credit for one full-year introductory French course as an eighth grader, then completed French II in ninth grade, both credits will be counted.
What Standardized Tests are required for students graduating high school in 2015?
We use your highest individual SAT Critical Reading and Math sub-scores from multiple testing dates to compute your composite score. Final acceptable testing date for the SAT is 1/24/15.
We use your highest ACT composite scores from a single testing date. We do not require the writing portion of the ACT. Final acceptable testing date for the ACT is 2/7/15.
Can I send in supplementary material for review?
You can send the Admissions Office supplementary material to be reviewed by a particular department at Notre Dame. We encourage this only for students interested in studying art, music, or architecture. Use the SlideRoom application available through the Common Application for your submissions. The University will not accept physical submissions.
All applicants must submit the Common Application before uploading media through the SlideRoom application. The Admissions Office will then direct the material to the appropriate department for review.
Can I send in more than one teacher evaluation?
Please send only one letter of evaluation from a teacher you’ve had in a core academic discipline during high school. Ask the classroom teacher who is most familiar with your work ethic, classroom performance, and character. Your high school guidance counselor also has the option of sending a letter of evaluation along with the “Counselor’s Report".
Are there admissions quotas by region, state, or high school?
We don’t have quotas per region or state. We judge students on the merits of their academic and extracurricular talents rather than where they reside. If we have more students from one state over another, it’s simply because we receive more applications from that one state. For instance, we receive more applications from Illinois than from 10 other western states combined; it makes sense that we have more enrolled students from Illinois than from those other states.
The same holds true for high schools. There’s no guarantee that we’ll admit the same number of students the next year from a particular school or state, as the quality of the applicants may change.
Does Notre Dame accept Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or SAT Subject Test scores?
We award credit for scores of 4 and 5 on AP exams, 6 and 7 on IB Higher Level exams, and 700 or above on SAT Subject Tests in Foreign Language. Check the First Year of Studies website for specific tests and scores we accept for credit.
Am I at a disadvantage if I go to a public high school versus a Catholic high school?
When reading an application, we do not put any preference on the type of school a student attends. Rather, we look at the strength of the school. To get a feel for a school’s strength, we look at its graduation rates, the percentage of its graduates who go on to two-year and four-year colleges, the types of classes offered, and the average SAT and ACT scores of the graduating class, among other factors. For the class of 2018, 42 percent of students attended a public high school, 42 percent attended a Catholic high school, and 16 percent attended a private or chartered high school.
What GPA do I need to be competitive for admission?
Many schools use different GPA scales and computation methods, so it’s difficult to give standardized information regarding Grade Point Averages. Instead, we rely more heavily on class rank when determining how competitive a student is within his/her school. Competitive students are near the top of their class, no matter how their GPA is computed.
Do you offer off-campus alumni interviews, or do I need to come to campus for an interview?
Interviews are not part of our evaluation process. Let your story shine through on your application for admission.
You’re welcome to contact an Admissions Counselor to ask specific questions about Notre Dame or the admissions process. Most students find it beneficial to visit Notre Dame to experience the academics, community, tradition, and spiritual nature of our campus. Once here, you and your family can tour campus and attend an Information Session given by an Admissions Counselor. Families are welcome to ask the Admissions Counselor any questions they have. Click here to find out more about our campus visit program and to register for a visit. Because we receive applications from all over the world, a visit to Notre Dame will not affect an admissions decision.
Should I take the ACT or SAT?
We will accept either the SAT or the ACT and have no preference for either test. We suggest that you take the SAT or the ACT test at least twice, as scores tend to jump between the spring of junior year and the fall of senior year. Please submit all scores to Notre Dame for review. We will take your best composite score for the ACT. For the SAT we will take the highest individual scores for critical reading and math. These two best scores will make up your highest composite SAT score.