University of
Notre Dame
Private Research University in Notre Dame, IN. Six-year graduation rate 95%. Median 10-year earnings $99,980.
A decade after enrolling, the median University of Notre Dame student earns $99,980 — comfortably above what the typical bachelor's-granting institution returns. The six-year graduation rate of 95% is well above average and the clearest sign this school holds onto its students. Debt at graduation runs to a median of $19,000, neither a bargain nor a burden.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.19 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ Graduation rate 95% — well above the national average
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Mobility score 0.9 — limited economic uplift documented
- ! Admit rate 11% — heavily selective, limited transfer slots
Admissions
University of Notre Dame admits just 11% of applicants, placing it among the most selective undergraduate institutions in the country. The applicant pool is large — 29,942 in the most recent cycle — so the published rate reflects genuine competition rather than a small-sample quirk. A 62% yield rate puts this school in the upper range for admits who follow through. The score bands below rest on the 33% of enrolled first-years who submitted an SAT score — a self-selected group, and not a cutoff.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | 720–770 | 684 (33%) |
| SAT Math | 735–790 | |
| ACT Composite | 33–35 | 541 (26%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at University of Notre Dame →Academics
Six-year completion runs to 95% — students who start here overwhelmingly finish here. 99% of full-time first-years return for a second year — a healthy figure. A 8:1 ratio points to small classes and accessible faculty. This is a private nonprofit four-year college, so read every rate on this page against that peer group specifically. The undergraduate population is 8,968 — big enough for a real range of programs, small enough to navigate.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 8,923 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Net price averages $29,300 annually, so cost is the first thing to weigh here. The income table below is the number that matters — $7,244 at $0–30k versus $45,321 at $110k+. About 62% get grants averaging $51,642, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. Federal borrowing reaches 25% of students.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 2,075 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $7,244 |
| $30–48k | $7,254 |
| $48–75k | $11,432 |
| $75–110k | $18,670 |
| $110k+ | $45,321 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 2,212 of these 8,923 students, totalling $12,329,103 — an average of $5,574 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (St. Joseph County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)