Campus tour at the University of Notre Dame. The Golden Dome, or Main Building, is perhaps Notre Dame’s most iconic landmark on the University’s 1,200-acre campus in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Peter Ringenberg Photography)
Notre Dame Is Now A Need-Blind University
If you were worried about how your finances might affect your Notre Dame application, you can put those worries to rest.
Ranked No. 7 on our Poets&Quants Top Undergraduate Business Schools, The University of Notre Dame just made history as they made the announcement that they are now the first faith-based, highly-accredited university to adopt a need-blind admissions policy.
What this means is new opportunities for low-income students, as admissions will no longer be considering a student’s financial situations when deciding whether or not to admit them – and this is effective immediately.
“We want an undergraduate student body that reflects the rich diversity of the Catholic community in and beyond the United States, which requires a Notre Dame education be both accessible and affordable,” said Father Robert Dowd, President of the University of Notre Dame.
This is part of their new Pathways to Notre Dame initiative brought in by Father Dowd, who is helping ensure students are admitted regardless of financial need.
Notre Dame is now among nine highly accredited universities to hop on the need-blind train, the others being Amherst College, Bowdoin College, Brown University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, MIT, Princeton, and Yale.
The second aspect of the initiative involves no student loans – mostly. Student loans are being replaced by gift aid in financial aid packages for those entering the school in fall 2025. That being said, students can still supplement the packages with federal student or private loans.
“These initiatives will remove barriers for talented and faith-filled students to flourish here, regardless of their families’ financial circumstances,” says Vice President for Undergraduate Enrollment Micki Kidder.
In case you missed it last year, another win for diversity in incoming classes – race is also no longer being considered at any college. The U.S. The Supreme Court ruled that race-based admissions violate the Equal Protections Clause of the 14th Amendment.
