The University of Notre Dame, founded in 1842 by Rev. Edward F. Sorin, C.S.C., of the Congregation of Holy Cross, is an independent, national Catholic university located in Notre Dame, IN, adjacent to the city of South Bend and approximately 90 miles east of Chicago.

The University is organized into four colleges—Arts and Letters, Science, Engineering, and the Mendoza College of Business—the School of Architecture, the Law School, the Graduate School, six major research institutes, more than 40 centers and special programs, and the University library system. All first-year undergraduate students enter the First Year of Studies, which provides an academic structure for the first year as well as advising and academic support.

At Notre Dame, education has always been linked to values, among them living in community and volunteering in community service. Residence hall life is both the hallmark of the Notre Dame experience and the wellspring of the University’s rich tradition. A younger tradition, the University’s Center for Social Concerns, serves as a catalyst for student volunteerism. About 80 percent of Notre Dame students engage in some form of voluntary community service during their years at the University, and at least 10 percent devote a year or more after graduation to service in the United States and around the world.

With 1,250 acres containing two lakes, Notre Dame is well known for the beauty of its campus. The Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the 14-story Hesburgh Library with its 132-feet-high mural depicting Christ the Teacher, and the University’s beautifully renovated 130-year-old Main Building with its famed Golden Dome are among the most widely known university landmarks in the world.

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