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University of Notre DameSupplemental Essays

All 2 required prompts, taken apart one by one: what each is really asking, plus two annotated example essays each, so you can see more than one way to do it well.

150 words
Main essay
3 of 5, 50 to 100 words
Short answers
Optional
Test scores
Required
Supplement

Deadlines Restrictive Early Action Nov 1 · Regular Decision Jan 1 Admit rate Around 12% in recent cycles, from roughly 30,000 applicants. Restrictive Early Action is non-binding but limits other early applications. Notre Dame is test-optional. Prompts verified from Notre Dame’s official requirements ↗

Notre Dame keeps its supplement short but pointed: one essay of 150 words or fewer, plus three short answers chosen from five options, each 50 to 100 words. The required essay asks about your non-negotiable factors when searching for your future college. The short answers range across character, community, values, and, in keeping with Notre Dame's Catholic identity, the role of faith or something larger than yourself. Notre Dame is test-optional.

Notre Dame is one of the most distinctive top universities in the country: deeply Catholic, fiercely communal, and proud of a student body that genuinely loves the place. The essays are short, so every word counts, and they reward warmth and sincerity over polish. Notre Dame wants to know whether you would thrive in, and contribute to, its unusually tight community, so authenticity matters more than impressiveness here.

By the numbers · Notre Dame's admit rate has run around 12% in recent cycles from a pool near 30,000. Notre Dame is test-optional. Its Catholic mission and strong community shape the essays.
~30,000Applicants
~12%Admit rate
Notre Dame, INSetting
RecentCycle
What Notre Dame rewards
Genuine fit

The non-negotiable essay reveals whether what you need from a college matches what Notre Dame is. Honest, specific priorities read better than flattery.

Community and care

Notre Dame prizes students who invest in others. Warmth, service, and real relationships resonate across the short answers.

Comfort with the big questions

Notre Dame's Catholic mission means it welcomes reflection on faith, meaning, and something larger than yourself, whatever your own beliefs.

Sincerity over polish

In 50 to 150 words there is no room to perform. A true, plainly told answer beats a clever one every time.

Strategy, read this first

For the non-negotiable essay, be genuinely specific about what you need from a college, and let it quietly point toward Notre Dame without becoming a Why-us essay. The prompt is really asking what you value, so naming a real, concrete priority, a tight community, a place that takes service seriously, a campus where people stay for four years, tells Notre Dame more about your fit than any praise of the school would. Avoid the generic non-negotiables (good academics, nice campus) that every applicant lists.

For the short answers, choose the three of five that are most honestly you, and do not avoid the faith prompt out of nervousness. Notre Dame welcomes applicants of all beliefs, and the faith or something-larger prompt is an invitation to reflect on meaning, not a test of doctrine. Whatever three you pick, get specific fast: with 50 to 100 words, one concrete detail or true admission lands harder than a careful summary. Across the three, aim to show different sides of yourself.

01
Your non-negotiable 150 words
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.
What it’s really asking

What you genuinely cannot do without in a college, and why. It is really a values question in disguise: your non-negotiables reveal what matters most to you, and whether it fits Notre Dame.

Why they ask it

Notre Dame wants students who will love the place for what it actually is. Your non-negotiables tell them whether your needs and theirs line up, without you having to flatter them.

Three ways in
One real priority

Pick a single, specific non-negotiable and explain why it matters to you, rather than listing five generic ones.

Let it point to ND

Choose a priority that genuinely aligns with Notre Dame (community, service, a place people stay) so fit shows without a sales pitch.

Explain the why

The reason behind your non-negotiable is more revealing than the non-negotiable itself.

✕  Weak opening

“My non-negotiable factors when looking for a college are strong academics, a beautiful campus, and lots of school spirit and opportunities.”

✓  Strong opening

“My one non-negotiable is a place where people do not leave on the weekends, because I have spent four years at a school that empties out every Friday at three.”

✦ Annotated example · A specific non-negotiable that reveals values. Written by EssayLens to teach, not a real applicant’s essay. Tap a highlighted line →
My one non-negotiable is a place where people do not leave on the weekends, because I have spent four years at a school that empties out every Friday at three.1 I want a college that is a home, not a commuter stop, where Saturday means something happening on campus and people who actually want to be there. I learned the hard way that you cannot build real friendships in a place everyone is trying to get away from2. That is the thing I will not compromise on. I need the kind of campus where the community does not pause on weekends, where staying is the default and not a sacrifice3.
  1. 1Names a single, specific, unusual priority instead of a generic list. It immediately reveals what the writer values.
  2. 2Explains the why behind the priority, which is more revealing than the priority itself, exactly as the prompt intends.
  3. 3Quietly points toward Notre Dame's famously residential, communal culture without becoming a Why-us pitch.
Stuck? Start here
  • What is the one thing you genuinely cannot compromise on in a college?
  • Why does it matter so much to you?
  • Does that priority line up with what Notre Dame actually is?
Before you submit
  • Is it one specific priority, not a generic list?
  • Did you explain why it matters to you?
  • Does the fit with Notre Dame show without a sales pitch?
02
Short answers (choose three of five) 50 to 100 words each
Notre Dame asks you to answer three of five short-answer prompts in 50 to 100 words each. Recent options include: a compliment you have received that reveals something about your character; how faith or belief in something larger than yourself shapes your life and decisions; and prompts about your community, your background, and what brings you joy. Choose the three that are most genuinely you.
What it’s really asking

Three quick, honest windows into who you are: your character, your values, your community, and, if you choose it, your relationship to faith or meaning. The set is short, so each must be specific and true.

Why they ask it

Notre Dame wants to feel the person behind the application and gauge fit with its warm, faith-rooted community. The short answers reveal character fast.

Three ways in
Pick your truest three

Choose the prompts where you have the most genuine, specific material, not the ones you think sound best.

Consider the faith prompt honestly

If faith or meaning matters in your life, this prompt welcomes real reflection from any tradition or none.

One detail each

With 50 to 100 words, lead with a concrete image or a true admission and let it carry the answer.

✕  Weak opening

“A compliment I received that I value is when people tell me that I am a really hardworking and kind person who always helps others.”

✓  Strong opening

“The compliment I think about most: a kid I tutor told his mom I explain things 'like they are not stupid for asking.'”

✦ Annotated example · A short answer that reveals character. Written by EssayLens to teach, not a real applicant’s essay. Tap a highlighted line →
The compliment I think about most: a kid I tutor told his mom I explain things 'like they are not stupid for asking.'1 I have held onto that because it named something I try hard to do and rarely say out loud: I think most confusion is the explainer's fault, not the asker's. When someone does not get it, I assume I have not found the right doorway yet2. The compliment told me a stranger had noticed, which is the first time I believed it might actually be true.
  1. 1Opens with a specific, quoted compliment instead of a paraphrase. It reveals a value, patience and respect, through a concrete moment.
  2. 2Articulates the underlying value cleanly, turning a small compliment into a genuine statement of character in very few words.
Stuck? Start here
  • Which three of the five prompts have your most genuine material?
  • If faith or meaning matters to you, what would you honestly say?
  • What is one concrete detail that opens each answer?
Before you submit
  • Did you choose the three that are truest to you?
  • Is each answer specific from the first line?
  • Do the three together show different sides of you?

Mistakes that sink Notre Dame essays

✕ Listing generic non-negotiables

Good academics and a pretty campus are everyone's list. Name a specific, real priority that actually distinguishes what you need.

✕ Turning the essay into a Why ND

The non-negotiable prompt is about your values, not a pitch for Notre Dame. Let the fit show indirectly.

✕ Avoiding the faith prompt out of fear

If faith or meaning is genuinely part of your life, the prompt is a gift. Notre Dame welcomes honest reflection from any background.

✕ Being vague in the short answers

50 to 100 words punishes generality. Lead with a concrete detail and trust it.

Notre Dame essay FAQ

How many essays does Notre Dame require?

One essay of 150 words or fewer, plus three short answers chosen from five options at 50 to 100 words each, in addition to the Common App personal statement.

What is the main Notre Dame essay prompt for 2025-2026?

It asks about your non-negotiable factors when searching for your future college home, in 150 words. It is really a question about what you value most.

Does Notre Dame ask about faith?

One of the optional short-answer prompts invites you to reflect on how faith or belief in something larger than yourself shapes your life. Notre Dame is Catholic and welcomes honest reflection from applicants of all backgrounds; you choose whether to answer it.

How long are the Notre Dame short answers?

Each of the three short answers you choose is 50 to 100 words. They are brief, so specificity matters.

Is Notre Dame test-optional?

Yes. Notre Dame is test-optional for the 2025-2026 cycle.

When are Notre Dame's deadlines?

Restrictive Early Action is November 1, which is non-binding but limits other early applications. Regular Decision is January 1.

Prompts and facts verified against Notre Dame Undergraduate Admissions and Notre Dame How to Apply (University of Notre Dame, 2025-2026 cycle). Supplements change yearly, re-verify each cycle.

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