Notre dame acceptance rate

For the University of Notre Dame, the year was one to remember. With 26,506 students submitting applications to the esteemed university, there were 12% more candidates than the previous year, with just 12.9% of candidates getting accepted for the Class of 2026.

3,412 students were accepted by Notre Dame into the class of 2026, with 1,737 accepted during the normal decisions round and 1,675 accepted under the restrictive early action round. 18.7% of those applicants were foreign-born citizens, US citizens residing abroad, or dual citizens.

The 2,198 high schools represented in the entering class include:

• Public schools, 47%
• Catholic schools 33%
• 19% of non-Catholic private schools

More than 40% of accepted students are people of color:

• Hispanic and Latino 15%
• 14% Black
• Asiatic and Pacific Islander: 11%
• American Indian: 1%

14% of accepted students were first-generation college students. According to the school, 20-22% of the accepted class will be first-generation Pell Grant recipients or hail from families with an annual income of less than $65,000.

Admission statistics for the class of 2026 at Notre Dame

	Applicants	Students accepted	Rate of acceptance
Applications for the Regular Round	16,823	1,737	10%
Applications for Restrictive Early Action (REA)	9,683	1,675	17%

Class of 2026 early admissions decisions from Notre Dame

In December 2021, Notre Dame released the findings of its limited early action cycle. For the Class of 2026, the institution received a record number of applicants, a 25% increase over the pool from the previous year. 1,675 of the 9,683 applicants who qualified for early action were accepted to this esteemed institution.

The institution decided to keep its test-optional policy in place this year in response to the effects of the worldwide epidemic. Of the 9,683 early action candidates, 54% chose to opt out of taking the test, and 46% did. 30% of the accepted students did not provide their test results.

Early admittance to the University of Notre Dame’s Class of 2026 included:

• 11% of students are first-generation.
• 12% of the population are foreign students, US citizens, or permanent residents.
• 12% of pupils are from Asian or Pacific Islander backgrounds.
• 10% of Black students
• 17% of pupils are Hispanic or Latino.
• 1% of pupils are Native Americans.
• 4,220 different high schools students
• Applicants from 116 different nations and 50 different states

Admissions data for Notre Dame during the last three years

Over the past three years, there has been a startling 25% surge in applications to the University of Notre Dame. The rise, according to Christy Pratt, director of undergraduate admissions at Notre Dame, was probably brought on by the university’s test-optional policy and the ability to host in-person tours and recruitment activities.

The data for early decision acceptance and total acceptance for the previous three years are displayed in the figures below.

Statistics of Overall Acceptance at Notre Dame

	2024 class	2025 class	2026 class
First-Year Applicants in total	21270	23639	26506
Admitted Candidates	3507	3446	3412
Admission Rate Overall	16.5%	14.6%	12.9%

Early Decision Statistics for Notre Dame

	2024 class	2025 class	2026 class
Total ED Candidates	7300	7744	9683
Total ED Admissions Rate	21.1%	22%	17%

How many applications does Notre Dame get each year?

On average, 21,000 applicants submit applications to the University of Notre Dame annually. The school’s acceptance rate is between 16 to 19 percent and has recently decreased.

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