University of Notre Dame: Founded in the Catholic Tradition and a Research Giant

Summary:

The University of Notre Dame is a world-acclaimed research institution known for its traditions, renowned academia, and pre-college online courses for high school students.

Key points:

• The University of Notre Dame is a catholic university steeped in history and accolades.
• It was founded with the intention of serving as a force for good in our world.
• Notre Dame has a 96% graduation rate (top 5 among research universities).
• It also has a 98% retention rate (number of students who continue to sophomore year).
• Notre Dame's graduate program includes more than 50 master, doctoral, and professional degrees offered by their seven schools.
• It also boasts an impressive roster of pre-college online courses for high school students.

Did you know that the University of Notre Dame’s students often find real gold flakes in the grass after the re-gilding of the Golden Dome? Or, that Notre Dame has more Heisman’s than any other university?

The University of Notre Dame is a catholic university steeped in history and accolades. In this article, we’ll touch on notable things the university has experienced, share majors of study and fun facts, and review college prep online courses available to high school students. 

How Does Notre Dame Rank?

The University of Notre Dame is ranked in the top 20 institutions of higher learning by U.S. News & World Report. Founded in 1842 by Reverend Edward F. Sorin, the university is located in South Bend, Indiana, and was chartered by the state of Indiana in 1844.

One of America’s top undergraduate teaching institutions, Notre Dame is also at the forefront of research and scholarship. Long a place of innovation, Notre Dame is where leading ideas were pioneered, such as the aerodynamics of glider flight, the transmission of wireless messages, and the formulae for synthetic rubber. 

Today, researchers are achieving breakthroughs in astrophysics, radiation chemistry, environmental sciences, tropical disease transmission, peace studies, cancer, robotics, and nanoelectronics.

But what academic accolades has Notre Dame achieved?

All About the University of Notre Dame’s Academics

As per their website, Notre Dame boasts:

• 96% graduation rate (top 5 among research universities).
• 98% retention rate (number of students who continue to sophomore year).
• 9:1 student to faculty ratio.
• 97% placement rate.
• 1/3 of students conduct undergraduate research.
• More than 70% of students study abroad.
• 89% participate in internships or research projects. 
• #9 largest endowment among private universities.
• A top producer of Fulbright Program students for 11 consecutive years (an international educational exchange program that offers grants for U.S. citizens to study, teach, or conduct research abroad, and for non-U.S. citizens to come to the U.S.).

Notre Dame's graduate program includes more than 50 master, doctoral, and professional degrees offered by their seven schools: 

1. College of Arts and Letters
2. College of Science 
3. Notre Dame Law School 
4. School of Architecture 
5. College of Engineering 
6. Mendoza College of Business
7. Keough School of Global Affairs

But this research-driven institution, steeped in history and tradition, also boasts a number of fun facts. 

Fun Facts About Notre Dame

As with most universities, Notre Dame has a number of cherished traditions and facts that include:

• Students, under no circumstances, walk up the steps of the Main Building. The popular superstition is that you will not graduate if you do so. Therefore, it is a commencement tradition to take a picture on the stairs.
• Notre Dame boasts seven Heisman trophy winners, the highest number in the whole country.
• Two movies were filmed at Notre Dame: “Knute Rockne, All American” and “Rudy,” both of which are football related. 
• The Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes is a 1/7-sized scale of the famed French shrine where the Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Bernadette on 18 occasions in 1858.
• The Golden Dome that sits on top of the Main Building is covered in 23.9-karat gold leaf. Students often find flakes of gold in the surrounding grass during a re-gilding.

So what do alumni have to say about attending Notre Dame?

Student Alumni Testimonials 

“The University of Notre Dame was founded with the intention of serving as a force for good in our world. It is the formation not only of one's mind, but of one's heart that sets a Notre Dame education apart.” ~ Connor Patrick '23

“Here at Notre Dame, we build each other up. The community here motivates you to continue going when you feel low; it challenges you to step outside of your comfort zone and try something new; and it encourages you to put good out into the world, helping live out our mission.” ~ Savannah Carr '24

As a high school student who is motivated to change the world, we invite you to consider the Notre Dame Pre-College Online Program. So what courses does Notre Dame currently offer? Think STEM enrichment program and pre-college business class, among others.

Pre-College Online Program Offered by the University of Notre Dame

Designed to empower brilliant and energetic thinkers, courses feature dynamic video lessons by renowned faculty, and access to mentors. Best of all, study anywhere, anytime, at your own pace, since the program is available year-round. This is a great opportunity for you to explore your passions and prepare for college. 

Let’s review.

In the course, Business: From Startup to Success, you’ll discover the fundamentals and exciting inner workings of the world of business. Analyze companies like Lululemon, Nike, and AT&T, and create a hypothetical startup business. You’ll learn the basic legal, accounting, and tax considerations. You’ll practice reading financial statements, market insights, and apply growth strategies that will take you from startup, to established business, to going public.

If law interests you, then consider the course Law: Thinking Like a Lawyer. In it, you’ll learn how the IRAC method is used to analyze legal issues. You’ll explore the major components of the international legal system, how to navigate a shifting legal landscape through the lens of sports law, and analyze how intellectual property law protects people’s brands, ideas, and designs.

In the course, Biology: The Impact of Genetic Mutations, you’ll explore how genetic mutation occurs in cancer, how energy is transformed in living systems, and the differences between metastatic and non-metastatic tumor cells. You’ll study how knowledge of evolution explains the existence of genetic diseases, the evolution of drug resistance in bacteria and tumor cells, and how organisms adapt to their environment over time.

Psychology: Understanding the Self and Our World investigates the central and active role of personality and the ‘self’ as it relates to our understanding of the world. In this course, you will evaluate the biased manner in which we make judgments of others and ourselves, and analyze the connection between knowledge of ‘self’ and wellness.