Notre Dame's Writing Supplement has one required short essay of up to 150 words, on your "non-negotiable" factors when choosing a college, and two short answers of 50-100 words each, chosen from four questions: how faith influences your decisions, what is distinctive about your experiences and development, how you foster service to others, and what you would fight for.
Notre Dame says the supplement is a chance to get to know you outside your academic profile, to let your personality shine and take risks. It also states that submitting content generated or substantially written by AI may lead to a revoked offer.
Notre Dame's questions at a glance
| Question | Limit | Who answers it | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your non-negotiable factors | 150 words | Required | Why this college |
| Faith and your decisions | 50-100 words | Choose 2 of 4 | Short answer |
| Your distinctive experiences | 50-100 words | Choose 2 of 4 | Background and identity |
| Service to others | 50-100 words | Choose 2 of 4 | Community |
| What would you fight for? | 50-100 words | Choose 2 of 4 | Short answer |
How to plan the Notre Dame supplement
- 1Pick the two short answers that show the most different sides of you; faith and service, for example, can overlap.
- 2The required essay is a disguised "why Notre Dame": your factors should lead somewhere specific about Notre Dame.
- 350-100 words is three to five sentences: one example, one reflection.
1. Your non-negotiable factors
Notre Dame's wording · 150 words · Required“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.”
What it is really asking. The factor or factors you will not compromise on when choosing a college, and (implicitly) how Notre Dame meets them.
How to approach it
- 1Name one or two factors and why they matter to you, through experience.
- 2Connect each to something specific at Notre Dame.
- 3Keep rankings and prestige out of it.
Mistakes to avoid
- A shopping list of features.
- Factors any college meets.
Full guide: How to Write Notre Dame's "Non-Negotiable" Essay
Please choose two questions from the options below. Your response to each short-answer question should be between 50-100 words.
2. Faith and your decisions
Notre Dame's wording · 50-100 words · Choose 2 of 4“How does faith influence the decisions you make?”
What it is really asking. How faith influences the decisions you make. Faith can be religious or not; the question is about real decisions.
How to approach it
- 1One decision, one example of faith at work in it.
Mistakes to avoid
- A statement of belief with no decision in it.
More on this kind of question: How to write short answer questions
3. Your distinctive experiences
Notre Dame's wording · 50-100 words · Choose 2 of 4“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?”
What it is really asking. What is distinctive about your experiences and development, why it matters to you, and how you will enrich Notre Dame.
How to approach it
- 1One distinctive experience and one way it would show up at Notre Dame.
Mistakes to avoid
- Listing several experiences in 100 words.
More on this kind of question: How to write the diversity essay
4. Service to others
Notre Dame's wording · 50-100 words · Choose 2 of 4“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?”
What it is really asking. How you foster service to others in your community, in a university that describes itself by care for every person.
How to approach it
- 1A concrete, ongoing act of service and why you do it.
Mistakes to avoid
- Hours counted instead of people helped.
More on this kind of question: How to write the community essay
5. What would you fight for?
Notre Dame's wording · 50-100 words · Choose 2 of 4“What would you fight for?”
What it is really asking. What you would fight for.
How to approach it
- 1A specific cause or person, and the reason from your life.
Mistakes to avoid
- A slogan.
More on this kind of question: How to write short answer questions
What our grader checks in your Notre Dame answers
Every answer is judged against a checklist for its kind of question plus one check written for Notre Dame's own wording. Each area comes back Met, Partly or Missing, and those verdicts (with the word limit) set the answer's readiness: Ready, Nearly there or Needs work. There is no score out of 100.
| Question | Notre Dame's own check |
|---|---|
| Your non-negotiable factors | Names the non-negotiable factor(s), why they matter to the applicant, and how they connect to Notre Dame. |
| Faith and your decisions | Answers how faith (or its absence) shapes real decisions, with an example, in 50-100 words. |
| Your distinctive experiences | Says what is distinctive, why it matters, and how the applicant will enrich Notre Dame, in 50-100 words. |
| Service to others | Gives a concrete example of fostering service to others in the applicant's community. |
| What would you fight for? | Names what the applicant would fight for and gives a reason rooted in their life. |
The type checklists are on the supplemental essay grader page.
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