2026-27 Cycle • 2 prompts

University of Notre Dame supplemental essays.

Every University of Notre Dame supplemental prompt for the 2026-27 cycle, with the word limit, what they're looking for, and the most common pitfalls.

1. Prompt 1: Each year more than 24,000 students apply to Notre Dame. Our students come from places big and small, from schools public and private, and from family backgrounds and experiences that span the spectrum. We seek to bring them together in formation of a community where students of different backgrounds and worldviews engage one another and grow together. What contributions would you make to our community and how have your background and experiences prepared you to make those contributions?

   200 wordsrequired

   What they really want

   • Notre Dame's community ethos is real — engage with it specifically.
   • Show what you'd give to ND, not just what ND would give you.

   Avoid

   • Listing identity labels without lived specificity.
   • Generic 'I'd contribute diversity' framing.

2. Prompt 2: Choose one of the following: discuss a moment when you found a sense of purpose, your view of a 'force for good,' or a tradition that has shaped you.

   200 wordsrequired

   What they really want

   • Notre Dame's Catholic identity makes faith/values topics welcome — but not required.
   • Pick the prompt where your specific story is sharpest.

   Avoid

   • Generic 'religion is important to me' framing without a scene.
   • Avoiding any value-laden topic to seem 'safe.'