Early & Regular Decision

Restrictive Early Action: November 1

Notre Dame has a Restrictive Early Action program.

• A student applying Restrictive Early Action to Notre Dame may apply to other Early Action programs.
• A student applying Restrictive Early Action to Notre Dame may not apply to any college or university in their binding Early Decision program.
• Students do not indicate a first-choice preference by applying early, and may still wait until May 1 to indicate their decision to attend.

Students who apply in the Restrictive Early Action process receive an admission decision before Christmas. Three decisions are possible:

• Admission to the University
• Denial of admission to the University
• Deferral of decision until Regular Action

Admitted students have until May 1 to decide to confirm their attendance at the University. If a student is denied admission in Restrictive Early Action, then the process ends and they cannot apply later during the Regular Decision process. If a student is deferred, the Admissions Committee has decided to review the application further in the Regular Decision process, and so “rolls over” the application to Regular Decision.

Because the Admissions Committee is unable to extend all of its offers of admission in the Restrictive Early Action process, it is highly conservative when making Early Action admission decisions. The Admissions Committee advises students to apply in the Restrictive Early Action process only if they are in the very top ranges of our applicant pool.

Regular Decision: January 1

The Regular Decision process at Notre Dame is also non-binding. Three decisions are possible following the Regular Decision process:

• Admission to the University
• Denial of admission to the University
• Waiting List

Students will receive their decision by the late March and, if admitted, the admitted student should inform the admissions office of their intention to either confirm or decline their attendance. Confirmed students will need to pay their $500 deposit by May 1. Students who are denied admission to the University may choose to attend another four-year institution for one or two years and then apply to Notre Dame as a transfer student.

Waiting List

Students who are waitlisted will receive a final admission decision by mid-June.

Confirmation Deadline: May 1

Students who receive an offer of admission to Notre Dame should confirm that they will attend the University via their applicant status portal and submit their $500 deposit by May 1. Students who decide not to attend Notre Dame should inform the admissions office of their decision, so as to make additional spaces available for students on the waitlist.