Last Updated on October 1, 2026
Quick answer: The Notre Dame supplemental essays include one required short essay of up to 150 words and two short answers of 50 to 100 words, chosen from four options. They make up Notre Dame’s own Writing Supplement, which you submit alongside your main application essay. Each response should show what you would add to Notre Dame’s community.
The prompts below are the ones Notre Dame currently publishes on its admissions site. Confirm the questions on the live application before you submit.
Notre Dame is highly selective, and its Writing Supplement is one of the best places to show admissions officers who you are. You might be drawn to the Mendoza College of Business, or to Notre Dame’s record of placing pre-med graduates into medical school. Many other applicants share those goals, so the details in your essays matter.
Notre Dame has grown more selective. For the Class of 2030 it admitted 9 percent of 36,102 applicants. [1] That means every part of the application has to carry weight, and the supplemental essays are where you show what your transcript cannot.
The Notre Dame Writing Supplement gives you a chance to share your priorities, experiences, and values in a way that numbers cannot. Each prompt is an invitation to let the admissions committee see how you think, what you care about, and how you will contribute to the Notre Dame community. Here is InGenius Prep’s guide to the Notre Dame supplemental essays, with strategies to help you make the most of each word.
Notre Dame Supplemental Essays
The University of Notre Dame Writing Section consists of responses to one (1) short essay question and two (2) short-answer responses to questions you select from the options provided. [2]
Short Essay (Max of 150 Words)
Everyone has different priorities when considering their higher education options and building their college or university list. Tell us about your “non-negotiable” factor(s) when searching for your future college home.
This is your chance to identify the core value or opportunity you must have in your college experience. Choose something that is truly essential to you, not something generic that could apply to dozens of schools. For example, if your non-negotiable is a faith-centered learning environment, connect it to Notre Dame’s residence hall ministry, campus worship opportunities, or the Center for Social Concerns. If you value hands-on research as an undergraduate, mention specific labs, faculty, or initiatives such as Notre Dame’s Institute for Advanced Study. The answers that work explain what your non-negotiable is, why it matters to you, then tie it to something specific at Notre Dame.
How to Structure Your Non-Negotiable Essay
With only 150 words, a simple three-part structure works well. Open with your non-negotiable in one clear sentence. Then spend two or three sentences on a specific experience that shows why it matters to you, such as the research project that made you want lab access from your first year or the faith community that shaped how you make decisions. Close by naming one or two specific Notre Dame resources that match that priority and explaining how you would use them.
Resist the urge to list several non-negotiables. One well-developed factor reads as more thoughtful than three rushed ones, and it leaves you room for the specific details that make an essay memorable. If you need help finding those details, our guide to the why this college essay explains how to research a school and connect it to your own goals.
Short Answer (50-100 Words)
Choose two questions from the options below.
1. How does faith influence the decisions you make?
Notre Dame welcomes students of all faiths but values a thoughtful approach to moral and ethical decision-making. If you have a religious tradition, describe a moment when it shaped your choices, perhaps influencing how you resolved a conflict or decided to serve others. If you do not identify with a specific faith, you can still address a moral framework or guiding philosophy that influences your actions. Show self-awareness and a willingness to live your values.
2. What is distinctive about your personal experiences and development (eg, family support, culture, disability, personal background, community)? Why are these experiences important to you and how will you enrich the Notre Dame community?
This is a diversity and identity prompt. Choose an aspect of your background that has meaning, such as your cultural heritage, family traditions, a challenge you have faced, or a community you belong to. Show how these experiences have shaped your perspective and how they will contribute to the diversity of thought and experience on campus. Mention specific ways you might share your background at Notre Dame, such as through cultural organizations, campus events, or peer leadership.
3. Notre Dame’s undergraduate experience is characterized by a collective sense of care for every person. How do you foster service to others in your community?
Go beyond general statements like “I enjoy helping people” and describe a concrete example of service, such as organizing a tutoring program, volunteering at a local shelter, or leading an environmental cleanup. Explain your motivation and what you learned from the experience. If possible, connect your service values to Notre Dame’s mission and opportunities, like the Center for Social Concerns or service-learning courses.
4. What would you fight for?
This prompt invites you to express a deeply held conviction. Choose an issue or principle you feel committed to, such as educational equity, environmental sustainability, or human dignity, and explain why it matters to you. Share a specific action you have taken or would take in support of this cause. Connect your answer to how you would continue this work at Notre Dame, whether through clubs, research, or service projects.
How to Choose Your Two Short-Answer Questions
Because you answer only two of the four short-answer prompts, think about your full application before you choose. Look at your personal statement, activities list, and recommendations, and ask what an admissions officer still does not know about you. Pick the two prompts that fill those gaps with new stories rather than repeating ones you have already told.
It also helps to choose prompts that show different sides of you. If one answer focuses on service, let the other focus on your values, background, or convictions. Draft a quick outline for all four prompts, then keep the two where your examples are most specific and personal. If you are still deciding whether Notre Dame belongs on your list, our overview of how to get into Notre Dame covers academics, campus life, and what the admissions team values.
Once you have chosen, reread each prompt carefully and underline what it actually asks. The service prompt, for example, asks how you foster service to others, so your answer should focus on your actions and their effect on your community. The faith prompt asks how faith influences your decisions, so ground your answer in a specific choice you made.
Notre Dame Deadlines, Platforms and Testing
Notre Dame runs Restrictive Early Action with a November 1 deadline and Regular Decision with a January 4 deadline. Notre Dame requires one teacher recommendation and recommends a letter from your school counselor. You can apply through the Common Application, Apply Coalition on Scoir, or the QuestBridge Application, and the Notre Dame Writing Supplement is required whichever one you use. Check Notre Dame’s apply page for the full current list of accepted platforms. Notre Dame is test-optional through 2026-2027 and plans to require standardized testing again beginning in 2027-2028. [2]
If you are drafting for several schools at once, our supplemental essay guides for other schools cover the rest of the list.
Additional Tips for Writing the Notre Dame Supplemental Essays
- Pick strategically. Choose short-answer questions that allow you to share different aspects of your personality and experiences.
- Stay focused. Each answer should have one clear main idea, especially with tight word limits.
- Be specific. Use details, names, and examples to make your responses memorable and authentic.
- Tie back to Notre Dame. Even for short answers, find ways to show why your values and goals align with the school’s mission.
The key takeaway for the Notre Dame supplemental essays is that admissions officers want to understand your priorities, your character, and how you will add to the campus community. Keep your answers honest, focused, and rooted in experiences that matter to you.
If you are looking for more help on your supplemental essays and other writing materials, InGenius Prep is here to help. Our team of Former Admissions Officers from top schools like Caltech know exactly what admissions offices are looking for.
Revise With the Word Limits in Mind
Short responses reward careful editing. Once you have a full draft, cut any sentence that restates the prompt, remove filler phrases, and replace general adjectives with concrete details. Read each answer aloud to make sure it sounds like you. Finally, ask a teacher or counselor who knows you well to read your drafts and tell you what they learned about you, since that is exactly what an admissions officer should take away from them.
Plan your timeline so you have room for this kind of revision. If you are applying Restrictive Early Action, aim to finish your first drafts in early October so you have several weeks to refine them before the November 1 deadline. For Regular Decision, draft over Thanksgiving break and finish revisions before the winter holidays. Giving yourself a few days between drafts helps you read your essays with fresh eyes and notice where a sharper detail or a clearer sentence would make a difference.
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