As a world-class research university with top-ranked academics, a strong campus community, and a lively sports culture, it’s no wonder that the University of Notre Dame attracts thousands of highly qualified applicants every year. In fact, more than 35,000 students applied for first-year admission in 2025. But its highly selective acceptance rate of just 9% means that you’ll need more than just exceptional grades, high test scores, and deep engagement with a variety of extracurriculars.
The good news is, the Notre Dame supplemental essays provide a great opportunity to stand out from the crowd. Notre Dame is a university with a deep-rooted Catholic tradition that values service, ethics, and community, so personal, reflective essays that demonstrate alignment with those values and highlight intellectual curiosity and cultural awareness can make a huge difference in your chances of acceptance.
What Are Supplemental Essays?
Along with your Common App personal statement, college-specific supplemental essays allow you to show colleges who you are as a person beyond your academic record, highlighting personal traits and qualities that will make you a positive addition to the campus community and contribute to your success in college and beyond. They also give you the chance to show that you’ve done your homework about the school: Many essay prompts ask you to explain why you’re interested in your selected major or why you want to attend the college, allowing you to tell admissions officers about your academic interests and career goals—and exactly why you think the college is a good fit for you.
You can check out our Ultimate Guide to Writing Supplemental Essays for more information about supplemental essays in general, and read on to learn about how to write the Notre Dame supplemental essays.
What are the Notre Dame Supplemental Essays?
Notre Dame requires all applicants to write two short essays and short answers for three of five prompts.
- Everyone has different priorities when considering their higher education options and building their college or university list. Tell us about your “non-negotiable” factor(s) when searching for your future college home. (150 words)
- Briefly share what draws you to the area(s) of study you listed. (100 words)
- Please choose three questions from the options below. Your response to each short-answer question should be between 50–100 words.
- How does faith influence the decisions you make?
- What is distinctive about your personal experiences and development (eg, family support, culture, disability, personal background, community)? Why are these experiences important to you, and how will you enrich the Notre Dame community?
- Notre Dame’s undergraduate experience is characterized by a collective sense of care for every person. How do you foster service to others in your community?
- What compliment are you most proud of receiving, and why does it mean so much to you?
- What would you fight for?
How to Write the Notre Dame Supplemental Essays
The Notre Dame supplemental essays are short, which means every word has to count. These prompts give you the chance to highlight what matters most to you, and when taken together, they should give admissions a clear picture of who you are.
Notre Dame Supplemental Essay #1
Everyone has different priorities when considering their higher education options and building their college or university list. Tell us about your “non-negotiable” factor(s) when searching for your future college home. (150 words)
This is essentially a “Why College?” essay, with a prompt that encourages you to think deeply about what’s most important to you in choosing a college and to discover what Notre Dame has to offer that fits the bill. You don’t have a lot of space to work with, so the best way to approach this essay is to focus on two or three “non-negotiables,” explaining why they are so important and highlighting how Notre Dame fulfills them.
Dig deep here: This prompt isn’t asking for the kind of generic criteria you might have used to identify college choices, like location, size, and programs. Instead, think about what matters most to you when considering your college experience and how you see yourself engaging as a student at Notre Dame.
Notre Dame Supplemental Essay #2
Briefly share what draws you to the area(s) of study you listed. (100 words)
Most “Why Major?” essays ask you to describe your academic and career goals and connect them with the programs and experiences offered at that college. Notre Dame’s is a little different. This prompt—which doesn’t appear on Notre Dame’s admissions page but is a required answer once you’ve selected a major in the Common App—asks you to simply share what draws you to your intended major.
One way to respond to this very short essay is with an anecdote. Think about how you first became interested in your major and any experiences you’ve had that have supported or reinforced that interest. There’s likely an interesting story to share that highlights your interest in the field and gives admissions officers a bit more insight into who you are and what makes you tick.
Notre Dame Short Answer Essays
Please choose three questions from the options below. Your response to each short-answer question should be between 50-100 words.
There’s a little something for everyone in Notre Dame’s five short-answer prompts, all related to Notre Dame’s values, including faith, service, community, and advocacy. As you read through the prompts, take the time to carefully consider which ones will best highlight your own values and the attributes that will make you an asset to the Notre Dame community.
- How does faith influence the decisions you make?
Notre Dame’s values are shaped by its identity as a Catholic university with a culture of service, but its campus community is made up of people from all faiths. If your spirituality, whatever form it takes, is central to your life, your response to this prompt can highlight how it has shaped you. Think about your values, your goals, and your vision for your future as you consider the impact of your faith on the choices you’ve made to get where you are, and where you’re going.
- What is distinctive about your personal experiences and development (eg, family support, culture, disability, personal background, community)? Why are these experiences important to you, and how will you enrich the Notre Dame community?
Every person is unique, and who we are is informed to a large degree by our individual backgrounds and experiences. To answer this prompt, consider what parts of your own history set you apart from other people, how these experiences have shaped you, and the impact they’ll have on your college experience.
- Notre Dame’s undergraduate experience is characterized by a collective sense of care for every person. How do you foster service to others in your community?
Notre Dame is known for its strong sense of community and emphasis on service, and this prompt seeks to understand where you’ll fit into that culture. If you have a passion for caring for your community—however you define it—through service or advocacy, this essay is a great opportunity to show how your experiences align with Notre Dame’s values. It’s important to remember, though, that you’ll want to illustrate a long-term commitment rather than something you do only once in a while.
- What compliment are you most proud of receiving, and why does it mean so much to you?
This prompt gives you the opportunity to show admissions officers two interesting things about you: a quality others recognize in you and why you feel that quality is important. It’s best here to stay away from generic compliments that might be true of almost anyone; instead, personalize your response by thinking about times when you were recognized for a trait, talent, or interest that highlights an important piece of your identity or values.
- What would you fight for?
Notre Dame takes its nickname “Fighting Irish” nickname seriously, with a Fighting For website and podcast that spotlights people in the Notre Dame community who are fighting for what matters. This prompt asks you to share what you think is worth fighting for. For this one, think beyond the obvious—family, faith, justice, and other broad responses—and consider what sort of impact you want to have in your community, your career, and the world around you.
Conclusion
Compared to many colleges, Notre Dame asks applicants to take a deeper dive in their supplemental essays and pack a lot into a very short space. But these essays are a fantastic opportunity to show how your values align with Notre Dame’s mission. By taking the time to carefully consider the prompts, think deeply about yourself and what matters most to you, and write essays that demonstrate a sense of purpose and an understanding of what you can contribute to the university, you can set yourself apart from other applicants—and potentially earn yourself a coveted spot among the Fighting Irish.
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