University of Notre Dame

About University of Notre Dame

The University of Notre Dame is a premier private Catholic research university located adjacent to South Bend, Indiana. Founded on November 26, 1842 by French priest Edward Sorin of the Congregation of Holy Cross, Notre Dame has grown from an austere frontier missionary academy into one of the world's most preeminent institutions of higher learning and an elected member of the Association of American Universities (AAU). Carrying the highest Carnegie Classification (R1: Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity), Notre Dame unites cutting-edge scientific discovery with a profound commitment to Catholic intellectual tradition, moral ethics, and the cultivation of human dignity. The university's sprawling 1,261-acre tree-canopied campus is internationally celebrated for architectural splendor—from the gilded 19th-century Golden Dome crowned by a 19-foot statue of the Virgin Mary and the Neo-Gothic Basilica of the Sacred Heart to the iconic 134-foot "Touchdown Jesus" mural (*The Word of Life*) on the Hesburgh Library overlooking Notre Dame Stadium. Academic distinction flourishes across eight renowned colleges and schools: the Mendoza College of Business, consistently acclaimed for finance, ethics, and leadership; the College of Arts and Letters, the intellectual heart of the university known for theology, philosophy, and political science; the College of Engineering, advancing aerospace, robotics, and clean energy at the Hessert Laboratory; the College of Science, pioneering cancer research and environmental sciences; the nation's oldest Catholic law school (Notre Dame Law School, est. 1869); the Keough School of Global Affairs; and the School of Architecture, America's leading academy for classical design and traditional urbanism.