FAQ's

Applications for all Pre-College Summer 2026 will be live on October 15, 2025

• Study Abroad Applications (Italy, Ireland, South Africa, London): January 21, 2026
• Leadership Seminars: January 21, 2026

• Summer Scholars (Session I & Session II): February 18, 2026

• Study Abroad Italy:  June 6 - June 20, 2026
• Summer Scholars Session I: June 6 - June 20, 2026
• Summer Scholars Session II: July 27 - July 11, 2026
• Study Abroad London: July 5 - July 19, 2026
• Leadership Seminars: July 18 - July 29, 2026
• Study Abroad Ireland: July 18 - August 2, 2026
• Study Abroad South Africa: July 18 - August 2, 2026

You can find the costs associated with each program by cilcking "Tuition, Fees, and Financial Aid" under your program of interest. 

Summer Scholars: The Office of Pre-College Programs has very limited financial aid for Summer Scholars who face extreme economic hardship. We encourage students to reach out to their communities to help offset the costs of the program. The Office of Pre-College Programs does not offer any merit-based financial assistance or scholarship. There are grants available to students for the Summer Scholars program. More information and the Financial Aid Request form can be found under Tuition, Fees, and Financial Aid.

Leadership Seminars: Leadership Seminars admitted students will have their tuition, housing, and meals paid for by the University, while students are responsible for travel expenses to and from the University, the $75 application fee, and $150 enrollment fee.  Application fee waivers and aid for travel expenses are granted rarely and only in extreme circumstances. Enrollment fee waivers are not available. More information and the Financial Aid Request form can be found under Fees & Financial Aid. 

Study Abroad: We do not currently have funding for any financial aid or scholarships for our study abroad programs. As with Summer Scholars and Leadership Seminars, we encourage students to reach out to their communities to help offset the program costs. If a student is facing extreme economic hardship and wishes to be considered for financial aid should any funds become available, please send us an email at precoll@nd.edu and explain the circumstances. No application fee waivers are or will be available for study abroad.

Available Grants: 

Lilly Endowment Inc. Grant

Through the generosity of the Lilly Endowment Indiana Youth Programs on Campus initiative, we are able to provide Summer Scholars program expenses (tuition, room, and board) for students living in the state of Indiana who qualify. Please fill out the Financial Aid Request Form to be considered to receive this grant. 

Philadelphia Grant

Through the generosity of donors, we are able to provide Summer Scholars program expenses (tuition, room, and board) for students living in the Philadelphia, PA area who qualify. Please fill out the Financial Aid Request Form to be considered to receive this grant.

KPMG

Through the generosity of KPMG, we are able to provide Summer Scholars and/or Summer Scholars Online program expenses (tuition, room, and board) for students accepted into the Accounting course (on campus and online) who qualify. Please fill out the Financial Aid Request Form to be considered to receive this grant.

To apply for an application fee waiver and/or financial aid to offset program costs, a parent or guardian must complete the Financial Aid Request Form. This form can be found under each program's "Tuition, Fees, and Financial Aid" webpage. 

Leadership Seminars Financial Aid Request Form - January 21, 2026

Summer Scholars Financial Aid Request Form - February 18, 2026

Financial aid is not currently available for Study Abroad applicants. 

After you have submitted your application, you are able to pay the non-refundable application fee by credit card. If you wish to pay by check, please make the check out to "University of Notre Dame Office of Pre-College Programs" and mail to University of Notre Dame Office of Pre-College Programs, 403 McKenna Hall, Notre Dame, 46556 

Applications are completed online and include two essays, teacher recommendation, counselor report, transcripts, standardized test scores (encouraged but not required for any program), and an application fee. Students who do not currently attend an English-speaking high school must submit a TOEFL, IELTS, or DuoLingo score. 

Standardized test scores are not required for any of our programs, but are encouraged to enhance a student's application. You can submit standardized test scores after you have submitted your application by taking a screenshot of your test score with your first and last name visible. Email the score to precoll@nd.edu with your application ID number. Please see each program's webpage for the deadline to submit standardized test scores.

Pre-College students’ receipt of a Satisfactory (S) grade and one (1) transferable college credit is contingent upon the students’ completing and meeting all Program requirements. To obtain a transcript, please visit the Registrar's website and complete the online request form. If you have questions about ordering a transcript, please contact the University Registrar at (574) 631-7043.

Students must be 16 years old by August 1, 2026 to participate in Summer Scholars, Leadership Seminars, or any of our four Study Abroad programs. 

Due to the University's insurance and liability policies, as well as the strict child protective policies that the University of Notre Dame Office of Pre-College Programs strictly adheres to, we cannot make exceptions for the age requirements outlined above for each program. 

The essay portion of the application is very important. While the essay topics are specific, this is your opportunity to tell us more about yourself, why you are interested in our program, what experiences you may bring to the program, what differentiates you from your peers, and what future interests you may have. We encourage you to take your time to prepare thoughtful and well-written essays that genuinely share who you are and why you are interested in a particular program. We recommend that you have a teacher, counselor, or parent proofread your essays.

A School Report is an online form that we send by email to your high school school counselor after you add their contact information to your application. The counselor will complete the School Report form and submit it to our office electronically along with your transcript and school profile. The form asks for your GPA and rank in class (if available), as well as some questions about your performance in school. The Teacher Recommendation (Reference) is an online form that we send to your teacher when you add their contact information to your application. Your teacher will complete the form and submit it to our office electronically together with their letter of recommendation. The letter of recommendation should include evaluation of intellectual ability to handle college-level material, personal maturity, integrity, and leadership ability. If possible, it is helpful for us to receive the letter of recommendation from a teacher who can support your interest in the Pre-College course you wish to study at Notre Dame.

Once you have started your online application and added contact information for your school counselor and recommending teacher, we will send an email requesting that they submit a school report, transcript, school profile, teacher report, and letter of recommendation. Please follow-up with your school counselor and recommending teacher. It is the applicant’s responsibility to make certain that the Office of Pre-College Programs has received all required materials by the application due date. You will also be able to track your application materials by going to your Application Status Checklist.

Please share our Notre Dame Pre-College Summer 2026 flier with students and parents.

If you have questions or would like materials about our on-campus, online, or study abroad programs mailed to you please email us at precoll@nd.edu.