Notre Dame Financial Aid

You’ve heard of Notre Dame before, so we probably don’t need to tell you that it’s an excellent school. Named one of the 25 ‘New Ivies’ by Newsweek and listed at #19 among all national universities by US News and World Report in 2011, Notre Dame is an excellent school academically. Founded and maintained on the principles of Roman Catholicism, the founding faith runs deeply through the school, but the university is far from close-minded, religiously or otherwise. Oh, another thing you might have heard about Notre Dame: football. The Fighting Irish are one of the most historic football teams in the country, with 11 national championships under their belt. We’ll blame recent rocky years on Charlie Weiss’ coaching job, but they’ve been looking good in the last couple of seasons. Needless to say, getting season tickets for Fighting Irish football is a must.

If you’re at Notre Dame and are receiving financial aid, there are certain rules to live by. The most important one is to keep your spending in check. The second most important one is to be sure you save money to buy season tickets for football. The real lesson here is this: know what to spend your hard-earned money on, and know what qualifies as an unnecessary purchase. Money that’s either been given to you or that you’ve borrowed for school is meant to be used for educational expenses, not shopping trips or constant runs to Buffalo Wild Wings. Know when to spend, and know when to keep your debit card firmly tucked away.

Applying for Notre Dame Financial Aid

Applying for Notre Dame financial aid means you’ll have to file a few forms. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is one of them, which is standard; another is the CSS/PROFILE, a form used by private institutions to effectively get a second opinion on a family’s financial standing. The third form, the Business/Farm Supplement, is optional, and is only required for families who are either business owners or operate a farm. If you’ve got any questions about the whole process of applying for Notre Dame financial aid, give your aid officer a call and he or she will be happy to guide you through the nitty-gritty details of the application process.

Notre Dame Financial Aid Packages

According to the university, 71% of all financial aid disbursed by the Notre Dame financial aid office is in the form of scholarships or grants, while only 29% comes in the form of loans or jobs. This favorable balance often leaves students satisfied with their aid packages, but for a small group of students who fall in a strange income bracket when it comes to evaluating aid, the funding they receive just isn’t enough to pay for Notre Dame. About 12% of all students at Notre Dame take out private student loans to cover their college costs. If you think you might be one of these students, then check out our private student loan comparison tool to find the best loan for you. Once you’ve found the student loan that’s tailored to you, go ahead and apply to secure funding for your Notre Dame education.