Notre Dame Introduces New Initiatives to Increase Affordability, Accessibility
Credit: DenisTangneyJr / iStock Unreleased / Getty Images- Notre Dame announced it will not offer student loans in undergraduate financial aid packages and will implement a need-blind admissions policy for all students.
- The need-blind admissions policy will be effective immediately and apply to all students, both domestic and international.
- The no-loan policy will apply to full-time, first-year and transfer undergraduate students starting fall 2025.
The University of Notre Dame will offer gift aid instead of student loans in undergraduate financial aid packages and will not consider students’ financial need in admissions under a new initiative called Pathways to Notre Dame, announced on Sept. 13.
The need-blind admissions policy, effective immediately, will apply to all students — both domestic and international. The no-loan policy, which will replace student loans in financial aid offers with gift aid for middle- and low-income families, will go into effect for full-time, first-year and transfer undergraduate students entering in fall 2025.
The university says it meets 100% of students’ demonstrated financial need, making up the difference between the cost of attendance and what a student’s family can contribute.
“We want an undergraduate student body that reflects the rich diversity of the Catholic community in and beyond the United States, which requires a Notre Dame education be both accessible and affordable,” President Rev. Robert A. Dowd said in a release.
Notre Dame is the first faith-based school and one of nine highly selective universities in the country to be need-blind for all students. These institutions include:
- Amherst College
- Dartmouth College
- Harvard University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- Princeton University
- Yale University
- Bowdoin College
Brown University announced plans to become need-blind to international students beginning in 2025.
Additionally, beginning in fall 2025, full-time first-year and transfer undergraduate students will not receive student loans as part of their financial aid offers. Instead, these students will receive gift aid, which does not need to be repaid. Families will still have the option to take out federal or private student loans.
Twenty-three colleges and universities have no-loan policies, according to a report from CNBC and data from The Princeton Review. These institutions include all of the above-listed schools, as well as others like:
- Duke University
- Northwestern University
- Swarthmore College
- University of Pennsylvania
- Vanderbilt University
- Vassar College
Notre Dame reports that 70% of all undergraduate students receive some type of financial aid. The average cost of attendance at Notre Dame for the 2024-2025 school year is $82,925, including tuition, fees, rooms, and meals, according to the university.
“Pathways to Notre Dame reflects Notre Dame’s commitment to attracting students who seek academic excellence and have the desire, curiosity and zeal that is at the heart of a Notre Dame education,” Vice President for Undergraduate Enrollment Micki Kidder said in the release.
“These initiatives will remove barriers for talented and faith-filled students to flourish here, regardless of their families’ financial circumstances.”