1.  [College research](/)
2.  /
3.  [University of Notre Dame](/school/university-of-notre-dame/)
4.  /
5.  Admissions & selectivity

Admissions & selectivity

Copy linkPrint brief

# University of Notre Dame Acceptance Rate & Admissions

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/university-of-notre-dame/)[Cost & aid](/school/university-of-notre-dame/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/university-of-notre-dame/outcomes/)Admissions[Majors](/school/university-of-notre-dame/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/university-of-notre-dame/similar/)

**On this page**+

## What is the acceptance rate at Notre Dame?

Notre Dame’s reported acceptance rate is 11.3%.

**Acceptance rate · Fall 2024**
11.3%

Source: College Scorecard · Fall 2024 admissions. Acceptance rates can change from year to year; this figure does not predict the current or next admission cycle.

First-year applicants and admitted students · CDS 2025-26

**Applicants**
35,401

**Admitted**
3,320

Source: University of Notre Dame Common Data Set 2025-26, C1 · first-time, first-year students.

How to interpret the acceptance rate

University of Notre Dame admitted 11.3% of applicants, a rate far below the median of 71.2% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 35,401 applicants, 3,320 admitted students, and 2,118 enrolled first-year students.

## What SAT and ACT scores do enrolled Notre Dame students report?

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, University of Notre Dame reported the middle half of enrolled first-year students who submitted SAT scores scored between 1460 and 1540. For the ACT, the middle half of submitters scored between 33 and 35.

Among enrolled first-year students with a reported class rank, 92% finished in the top tenth of their high-school class and 100% placed in the upper quarter.

The ranges below describe enrolled students who submitted test scores at Notre Dame. Use them as academic context, then check the university’s current testing policy for your application cycle.

SAT: reported composite scores

**25th percentile**
1460

**Median**
1500

**75th percentile**
1540

CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.

ACT: reported composite scores

**25th percentile**
33

**Median**
34

**75th percentile**
35

CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.

Source: University of Notre Dame Common Data Set 2025-26, C9 · Enrolled first-time, first-year score submitters.

## Who enrolls at Notre Dame?

**Pell Grant recipients**
13.7%

**Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group**
8.9%

**First-year retention**
99.1%

Retention source: College Scorecard; full-time first-year retention.

About these student measures

The entering-student group includes part-time entrants as well as other attendance patterns.

The University of Notre Dame enrolls 8,818 undergraduates, and its admission rate of 11.3% sits far below the median of 71.2% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 35,401 first-year applicants, 3,320 admitted students, and 2,118 enrolled first-year students.

Transfer admission is also selective: 1,541 applied, 262 were admitted, and 207 enrolled. Pell Grant recipients make up 13.7% of undergraduates, and an estimated 8.9% of students enter as transfers or part-time students.

Most undergraduates arrive directly from high school and come from families that do not rely on federal need-based grants. Pell-eligible and transfer applicants can use the university's net price calculator to see what aid they might receive before committing to an application.

Students who enroll at University of Notre Dame tend to stay and finish. The university's first-year retention rate is 99.1%, and its [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) for the first-time full-time cohort is 95.2%.

Both figures run well above the medians for comparable institutions, which are 83.4% and 68.8% respectively. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported a retention rate of 98% for the first-time, full-time fall 2024 entering class.

Pell Grant recipients complete at nearly the same high rate. Their six-year completion rate is 93.8%, 1.4 percentage points below the overall rate.

Enrolled students can expect strong persistence and completion outcomes across the board.

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Admission rates describe past applicants, not an individual’s chance of admission; confirm requirements and deadlines with the institution.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).