University of Notre Dame (ND) Admissions 2026: Application Deadline, Eligibility & Fees

University of Notre Dame Application Deadlines for Fall 2027

Notre Dame runs one primary Fall intake per year across undergraduate and most graduate programs, with Mendoza MBA rounds staged from September through March. The dates below come from the official Notre Dame international application page and the Mendoza MBA apply page. Undergraduate applicants submit through the Common Application or Coalition Application; graduate applicants use the university’s GradConnect portal.

Notre Dame’s primary intake for Indian students is Fall (August) 2027 — every undergraduate seat and the majority of graduate seats open in this cycle.

Indian MBA candidates are encouraged to apply by Round 2 (7 January 2027) to allow enough time for I-20 issuance and F-1 visa processing before the August 2027 start. Round 3 remains open but leaves little runway for visa slots at Indian consulates.

Planning note: Notre Dame’s undergraduate Restrictive Early Action is single-choice but non-binding; you may not apply Early Decision or Early Action to any other private US university, but you can still apply Regular Decision to public universities and any international university.

University of Notre Dame Eligibility for Indian Students

Eligibility floors differ sharply between undergraduate and graduate applications. Undergraduates are evaluated holistically — strong Class XII grades matter, but so do the writing supplement, teacher evaluation, and extracurricular record. Graduate programs place more weight on the Bachelor’s GPA and program-specific fit.

Notre Dame Undergraduate Eligibility

• Academic record: Completion of Class XII from a recognised board (CBSE, ISC, state, or IB). Admitted Indian students typically present 85% and above with a rigorous subject load.
• Standardized tests: Notre Dame is test-optional through the 2026-27 cycle. SAT or ACT scores may be self-reported; the testing requirement returns for Fall 2028 entry.
• English proficiency: TOEFL iBT 100 minimum with 25 on Speaking, IELTS 7.5 minimum composite, or Duolingo English Test 125 minimum.
• Writing supplement: Notre Dame-specific short-answer essays through the Common App or Coalition.

Notre Dame Graduate Eligibility

• Academic record: A four-year Bachelor’s degree from a recognised Indian institution. Competitive programs look for a Bachelor’s GPA equivalent to 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (around 70% or a first class from an Indian university).
• English proficiency: TOEFL iBT 80 minimum with 23 on Speaking, IELTS 7.0 minimum, or Duolingo English Test 120 minimum. Individual departments may require higher scores.
• GRE: Required by some programs and optional at others. Mendoza MBA requires GMAT or GRE unless a waiver is granted.
• Statement of intent and three letters of recommendation submitted through GradConnect.

Notre Dame IELTS Waiver for Indian Students

Undergraduate applicants can skip the IELTS or TOEFL if their SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score is 650 or above, or the ACT English or Reading score is 26 or above. Graduate applicants can request a waiver if they have completed a minimum of two academic years at an institution where English was the primary language of instruction. Indian undergraduate degrees from English-medium universities frequently qualify — attach an official letter confirming the medium of instruction with your application. Medium of instruction letters from Indian schools alone (without university-level English-medium study) generally do not clear the graduate waiver bar.

Insider note: Notre Dame practises need-blind admissions for all students, so applying for aid does not affect the admission decision. Indian applicants requesting need-based aid submit the CSS Profile alongside the Common App.

Note: Program-specific entry requirements, fees, and intake availability may differ from the institution-wide minimums shown above. Always confirm on the official Notre Dame international applicants page for your chosen program before applying.

University of Notre Dame PG Programs and English Scores

Notre Dame’s graduate portfolio spans Mendoza College of Business, the College of Engineering, the College of Science, Arts and Letters, the Keough School of Global Affairs, and Notre Dame Law. Base tuition for most graduate programs sits at USD 67,434 per year (around INR 63.72 Lakhs) for full-time master’s students; program-specific fees, deposits, and course-wise breakdowns are on the detailed fee breakdown page.

Note: Program-specific entry requirements, fees, and intake availability may differ from the institution-wide minimums shown above. Always confirm on the official Notre Dame Graduate School page for your chosen program before applying.

Notre Dame UG Programs for Indian Applicants

Notre Dame admits first-year students to the university, not to a specific major. You indicate an intended First College — Arts and Letters, Business (Mendoza), Engineering, Science, Global Affairs (Keough), or Architecture — on the Common Application. Base tuition is USD 67,607 per year (around INR 63.89 Lakhs) plus mandatory fees; the funding options for Indian students include need-based aid available to internationals.

All first-year Notre Dame undergraduates enter the First Year of Studies programme before formally declaring their major at the end of the first year, so an early First College choice does not lock you in permanently.

Mendoza MBA Admissions at Notre Dame

The Mendoza Two-Year MBA is Notre Dame’s flagship management programme. The Financial Times ranked Mendoza’s MBA at 61 globally in 2026. Applications for the Fall 2027 cohort run across four rounds; Round 1 closes on 20 October 2026, per the official Mendoza MBA apply page.

Mendoza MBA Test and Experience Bar

• GMAT / GRE: Required for all applicants unless a waiver is granted. Median class GMAT is 655; median GRE is around 315.
• English proficiency: TOEFL, IELTS, PTE Academic, or Duolingo English Test accepted. Recommended minimums align with graduate norms: IELTS 7.0 or TOEFL 100.
• Work experience: Not formally required, but the median cohort brings 5 years of professional experience.
• Application components: Transcripts, one recommendation letter, one-page resume, 500-word career-goals essay, Applicant Snapshot slides, and a video assessment.

Mendoza MBA Interview Format

Interviews are by invitation after an application review. Early Action applicants receive priority interview scheduling, with interview slots opened first-come, first-served in the August-September window. Interviews run for around 30 minutes with a member of the admissions committee or trained student ambassador, on campus or via video call.

Insider note: Indian candidates targeting the Fall 2027 cohort should aim for Round 2 (7 January 2027) at the latest. Round 3 closes just before typical Indian F-1 visa slot windows tighten in April and May.

Note: Program-specific entry requirements, fees, and intake availability may differ from the institution-wide minimums shown above. Always confirm on the official Mendoza MBA page before applying.

University of Notre Dame PhD Admissions

Doctoral programmes across Notre Dame’s Graduate School are department-run and typically funded, with tuition remission plus a stipend for admitted candidates. Applications open in early autumn on GradConnect, and most departments close between mid-December and mid-January for Fall 2027 entry.

Notre Dame PhD Funding

The Graduate School guarantees five years of stipend and tuition support for admitted PhD students in most disciplines. Stipend levels vary by department; STEM stipends are generally higher than humanities and social sciences. Details on doctoral fellowships and topping-up grants sit in the Notre Dame scholarships overview.

Notre Dame PhD Application Bar

• Prior degree: A four-year Bachelor’s is the minimum; many admitted candidates hold a Master’s in a related field.
• GRE: Required for many science and engineering PhD tracks; optional or waived in others. Check the department page before registering for the test.
• English proficiency: IELTS 7.0 or TOEFL iBT 80 with 23 on Speaking (waivable after two years at an English-medium institution).
• Research statement: A focused research proposal identifying the faculty you want to work with is the highest-weighted document.

Planning note: Reach out to two or three potential PhD advisors before you apply. A senior faculty member confirming interest in your area lifts a PhD file above shortlists in every Notre Dame department.

Note: Program-specific entry requirements, fees, and intake availability may differ from the institution-wide minimums shown above. Always confirm on the official Notre Dame Graduate School page for your chosen program before applying.

Notre Dame Application Process Step by Step

The undergraduate and graduate applications sit on different portals but share a broadly similar structure. Undergraduates use the Common Application or Coalition Application; graduate applicants use GradConnect at gradconnect.nd.edu/apply. Follow these steps in order.

1. Choose your platform. First-year applicants create a Common App or Coalition account and add University of Notre Dame to the college list. Graduate applicants create a GradConnect profile and select the specific department.
2. Pay the application fee of USD 85 (around INR 8,033) for undergraduates or USD 75 (around INR 7,088) for most graduate programs — USD 175 (around INR 16,538) for the Mendoza MBA. Pay on the Notre Dame application portal at submission.
3. Upload academic records. Undergraduates self-report Class XII and Class X marks; graduate applicants upload official Bachelor’s transcripts.
4. Submit English test scores. Send TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo scores directly from the testing agency. Institution code for TOEFL is 1841.
5. Complete essays and short answers. Undergraduates finish the Notre Dame writing supplement; graduate applicants upload a statement of intent tailored to the department.
6. Arrange letters of recommendation. One teacher evaluation for UG; two to three academic references for PG through GradConnect.
7. Submit and monitor. Track application status via the applicant portal and respond promptly to interview or additional-document requests.

Before you apply: Confirm the medium-of-instruction letter format your Indian university issues, since some Notre Dame graduate departments accept it as an IELTS waiver only when it is on university letterhead and signed by the registrar.

University of Notre Dame Admission Decisions and Offers

Decision timelines vary by application track. Understanding when to expect your offer helps you plan I-20 issuance, visa slot booking, and enrolment deposit deadlines.

• Undergraduate REA: Decisions released mid-December 2026 (three categories: admit, defer to Regular Decision, or deny).
• Undergraduate Regular Decision: Decisions released by late March 2027. Admitted students respond by 1 May 2027, the national reply date.
• MBA and graduate offers: Released on the round-specific decision date. Confirmation deposits are usually due 30 to 45 days after the offer.
• Deferrals: Notre Dame considers one-year deferrals on a case-by-case basis for undergraduates who face documented barriers; MBA deferrals are limited.
• Conditional offers: Any offer is conditional on final Class XII or Bachelor’s mark sheets, F-1 visa issuance, and satisfying any pending English-test requirement.

An I-20 form for F-1 visa application is issued after the enrolment deposit is paid and financial documentation is verified.

Documents Required for Notre Dame Applications

The checklist below is the paperwork Indian applicants prepare in the weeks before submission. Every document below is separate from the academic thresholds discussed in Eligibility — this is what you upload or ship, not what you must score.

• Passport bio-page scan valid at least six months past the intended entry date.
• Official transcripts: Class X and Class XII mark sheets for UG applicants; Bachelor’s transcripts (semester-wise) for PG applicants.
• Degree certificate or provisional degree letter for PG applicants who have graduated.
• English test score report: TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo, sent directly by the testing body.
• Standardized test scores where required: SAT or ACT for UG (optional through 2026-27); GMAT or GRE for MBA and select MS programs.
• Statement of Purpose or Notre Dame writing supplement depending on the application level.
• Letters of Recommendation: One teacher evaluation for UG; two to three academic or professional LORs for PG; one recommender for Mendoza MBA.
• Resume or CV covering education, work experience, projects, and extracurricular leadership.
• Financial documentation: Bank statement or affidavit of support covering at least one year of tuition plus living costs; required before I-20 issuance.
• CSS Profile for undergraduate need-based aid seekers.
• Passport-size photograph per US embassy specifications for the visa stage.

University of Notre Dame Acceptance Rate for Indian Students

Notre Dame’s overall undergraduate acceptance rate sits at approximately 12%, placing it firmly in the highly selective bracket among US private research universities. The rate is not published separately for Indian applicants, but the pool is deeply competitive because Indian applicant volumes have risen faster than international-cohort growth.

What Boosts an Indian Applicant’s Odds

Strong Class XII performance (typically 90% and above in a rigorous board), a coherent writing supplement that ties personal narrative to a specific Notre Dame community or programme, and demonstrated leadership outside the classroom are the highest-weighted factors. Applying via Restrictive Early Action tightens the timeline but signals genuine interest and may edge borderline files toward admission.

Graduate Programme Selectivity

Programme-level acceptance rates vary widely. Mendoza MBA and MS Business Analytics see acceptance rates estimated between 25% and 35%, based on published class-profile ratios. STEM master’s programmes (MS CSE, MS ME) tend to be more accessible than the MBA for well-prepared Indian applicants with a strong first-class Bachelor’s and IELTS 7.0 or above.

Reality check: A 12% institution-wide undergraduate rate does not mean 12% of Indian applicants get in. In practice, admitted Indian first-years tend to combine top decile Class XII performance with sustained extracurricular involvement — the raw score alone does not carry the file.

USA Student Visa Process for Notre Dame

Admitted international students to Notre Dame apply for the F-1 student visa, the standard route for full-time degree study in the United States. After paying the enrolment deposit and submitting financial documentation, Notre Dame’s Office of International Student Services issues the Form I-20, which is the anchor document for the F-1 application. Indian applicants then pay the SEVIS fee (USD 350, around INR 33,075), schedule a visa interview at the nearest US Consulate (Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, or Hyderabad), and submit the DS-160 form along with the visa fee of USD 185 (around INR 17,483).

Financial proof at the visa interview must cover at least the first year of tuition and living costs and be readily accessible in a bank account. F-1 visa holders on STEM-designated Notre Dame programmes qualify for a 12-month Optional Practical Training (OPT) after graduation plus a 24-month STEM extension, for a combined 36-month post-study work window. Detailed application guidance sits in the USA student visa article.

2026 update: US consulates in India continue to prioritise F-1 interview slots between May and August. If you receive a March or April offer, book the earliest available slot as soon as your I-20 arrives — waiting even two weeks can push you into a July or August slot.

Tips and Checklist for University of Notre Dame

The following tips and steps are drawn from Indian-applicant patterns at Notre Dame across recent cycles. Mix the timeline anchors below with the document list from the Documents section — the two are complementary.

• Start the writing supplement early: Notre Dame’s short essays reward specifics about programmes, dorm communities (residence halls are central to campus life), or student organisations. Draft three weeks before submission.
• Book the IELTS or TOEFL by August 2026: Test slots fill fast in Indian metros for October and November windows before the REA deadline.
• Request academic transcripts eight weeks before deadline: Indian universities often take four to six weeks to issue and courier official sealed transcripts.
• Line up recommenders in September 2026: Notre Dame values substantive recommendations; give your teacher or professor at least a month plus your resume, essays, and target-programme rationale.
• File the CSS Profile alongside the Common App if you plan to seek need-based aid — missed CSS deadlines cannot be reopened.
• Schedule an alumni interview if invited; Notre Dame’s alumni interview network for undergraduates is active in India, especially in Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru.
• Confirm the visa interview slot within 10 days of receiving your I-20 to secure a May or June appointment.
• Prepare financial documentation early: A bank certificate showing one year of tuition plus living costs (approximately USD 90,000, around INR 85 Lakhs) speeds up I-20 issuance.

Content on programme-specific fees, scholarships, and rankings lives on separate pages — see the ranking band for a comparative view against peer US universities.

Notre Dame admissions reward genuine fit: an Indian applicant with a strong Class XII record, a clear reason for choosing Notre Dame, and one or two high-quality extracurricular commitments outperforms a stronger-on-paper generalist. Track the REA deadline of 1 November 2026, the Regular Decision deadline of 4 January 2027, and MBA Round 2 on 7 January 2027 as the three most decision-shifting dates for Indian applicants this cycle.