College
Sign up

Notre Dame admissions policy

Notre Dame testing requirements: what the score rule actually changes

Test optional. This guide separates the requirement from reporting, score combination, cohort context and the academic evidence Notre Dame still expects.

Test optional under the published through the 2026–27 school year. Applicants may self-report; enrolling students later verify submitted results. Notre Dame superscores and treats ACT Science as optional under the enhanced ACT.

Build a Notre Dame test planRead the policy
A wide editorial admissions-planning scene for Notre Dame using a campus-context model, separate policy folders, score-route objects, and an American high school counselor conversation without logos or visible text
Test optionalThe verified application rule.
ReportingApplicants may self-report; enrolling students later verify submitted results.
Score contextRecent Notre Dame score-submitters cluster around 1400–1550 SAT and 33–35 ACT.
Scopepublished through the 2026–27 school year
Policy in plain English

Notre Dame has four separate testing decisions.

The useful question is not whether Notre Dame “likes tests.” It is what the published rule requires, which score is actually read, and how the result reaches the file.

DecisionNotre Dame ruleWhat the applicant should do
RequirementTest optionalNotre Dame applicants can decide whether testing adds evidence. Optional does not mean a low score is automatically harmful or that a high score repairs an underprepared transcript.
ReportingApplicants may self-report; enrolling students later verify submitted results.Record the accepted route before ordering scores or assuming a transcript copy is enough.
Score handlingNotre Dame superscores and treats ACT Science as optional under the enhanced ACT.Build the retake around the section that can change the reviewed result.
Cohort contextRecent Notre Dame score-submitters cluster around 1400–1550 SAT and 33–35 ACT.Label the population and never convert the range into an admission guarantee.
The part most summaries miss

The policy is tied to a named period. Applicants for a later entry term must verify that the optional policy has been extended before omitting a score.

Notre Dame’s holistic review also weighs course rigor, service, character and fit with its mission, so a retake should not consume the work that demonstrates those qualities.

  1. Lock the entry term.published through the 2026–27 school year is the fact basis for this page. A later applicant must confirm the new cycle rather than inherit an old label.
  2. Name the exact destination.Notre Dame undergraduate admission is the relevant undergraduate context; graduate and professional testing rules do not belong here.
  3. Separate eligibility from competitiveness.A required result can complete a file without making it competitive, while an optional result can still add useful evidence.
  4. Preserve the rest of the record.Stop retesting when a plausible section gain no longer justifies the time taken from coursework, writing and sustained activities.
Application evidence

What the score can and cannot establish at Notre Dame.

It can add a common measure

Notre Dame can read an SAT or ACT beside students from very different high schools. The score may clarify academic preparation when the local transcript is unfamiliar, but its meaning still depends on course access and performance.

It cannot replace curriculum

Notre Dame’s holistic review also weighs course rigor, service, character and fit with its mission, so a retake should not consume the work that demonstrates those qualities. Admissions readers can see whether the student pursued the strongest appropriate sequence; a composite does not manufacture missing preparation.

It can reveal a section imbalance

Notre Dame superscores and treats ACT Science as optional under the enhanced ACT. A section-level plan is therefore more useful than repeatedly chasing a round total without diagnosing the limiting skill.

It cannot predict admission

Recent Notre Dame score-submitters cluster around 1400–1550 SAT and 33–35 ACT. The cohort contains admitted students, not a mechanical rule. Students below, inside and above a range can receive different decisions because the application is broader.

It can guide timing

Applicants may self-report; enrolling students later verify submitted results. The useful final sitting must leave enough time for the route Notre Dame accepts and for the applicant to confirm that the checklist is complete.

It cannot freeze the policy

For Notre Dame, published through the 2026–27 school year describes the verified scope. Testing policies, optional sections and reporting instructions can change; the application term must remain attached to every operational decision.

Applicant auditWrite the Notre Dame entry term, exact undergraduate destination, testing label, reporting route and score-combination rule in one record. Recheck that record before the final sitting and again before submission. If Notre Dame undergraduate admission changes or the application cycle moves, repeat the policy check instead of copying last year's conclusion.

A four-week decision sprint

Finish the Notre Dame testing decision with evidence.

Week 1

Audit the rule

Save the Notre Dame requirement, reporting method, last useful test date and any program exception in one planning record.

Week 2

Run two diagnostics

Use full timing and the current exam structure for the Notre Dame plan. Compare section consistency rather than choosing the better single day.

Week 3

Target one constraint

Practice the smallest set of domains that can change the reviewed score under Notre Dame’s combination policy.

Week 4

Make the stop decision

For Notre Dame, keep or omit the score when allowed, register for a justified retake, or move the time into higher-value academic and application work.

Questions students ask

What to know before you plan.

Does Notre Dame require SAT or ACT scores?
Test optional under the published through the 2026–27 school year. Applicants should verify the entry term before relying on the label.
Can I self-report scores to Notre Dame?
Applicants may self-report; enrolling students later verify submitted results.
Does Notre Dame superscore?
Notre Dame superscores and treats ACT Science as optional under the enhanced ACT.
What score does Notre Dame expect?
Recent Notre Dame score-submitters cluster around 1400–1550 SAT and 33–35 ACT. This is context, not a minimum or guarantee.
Should I retake for Notre Dame?
Retake only when full-format practice shows a repeatable section gain and the time cost does not weaken coursework or application evidence.
Keep planning

Connect Notre Dame policy to the rest of the college list.

College testing policy centerCompare required, optional, flexible and test-free rules.SAT vs ACTChoose the format that produces the stronger repeatable result.SAT datesLeave reporting and retake room.ACT datesPlan the current enhanced ACT sections.Georgetown SAT/ACT Requirements and Score PolicyPrevious guide in this research cluster.NYU SAT/ACT Requirements and Score PolicyNext guide in this research cluster.

Fact basisNotre Dame Undergraduate Admissions Evaluation Criteria. The named official publication defines the factual scope used here; students should match any time-sensitive rule to their exact exam administration or college entry term.

Turn Notre Dame policy into a finished testing decision.

For Notre Dame, choose the exam, target the limiting section, and stop retesting when another hour belongs in the academic record or application.

Build a Notre Dame test planSee pricing

Continue with College prep