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The best way to get a sense of how much you’ll actually pay for your education is to apply for financial aid. Families are often surprised at the generous amount of aid available to them. And at Notre Dame, we make scholarship funds a priority. In 2022-23, we dedicated nearly $196 million to need-based scholarships for undergraduate students.
How to Apply for Financial Aid
All undergraduate students applying for financial assistance are required to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), if eligible, and the College Board's CSS Profile. Parents and students must also submit signed copies of federal income tax returns (including schedules), W-2 wage statements, and other documents as requested by the Office of Financial Aid.
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) - Federal School Code: 001840
The FAFSA collects information about the financial circumstances of your family to determine eligibility for federal aid programs. When you complete the FAFSA, you’ll automatically be considered for Federal Pell Grants and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, applicable state grants, Federal Work-Study eligibility, and Federal Direct Loans. You can access the FAFSA at StudentAid.Gov/FAFSA and use the Federal School Code for the University of Notre Dame: 001840.
Note: To be eligible for federal student aid, a student must be a citizen or eligible non-citizen of the United States with a valid social security number. In general, students must be degree seeking and be enrolled on at least a half-time basis. Additionally, students may not owe a refund on a federal student grant, nor be in default on a federal student loan.
Contributors and Consent to IRS FTI
Beginning in the 2024-2025 academic year, students and parents are now considered “contributors” to the FAFSA and will need an FSA ID to apply for federal student aid.
Who are contributors?
A contributor—a new term introduced on the 2024-25 FAFSA—refers to anyone required to provide information on a student's FAFSA (such as a parent/stepparent or spouse). A student's or parent's answers on the FAFSA will determine which contributors (if any) will be required to provide information. Contributors will receive an email informing them that they've been identified as such and will need to log in using their own FSA ID to provide the required information on the student's FAFSA. Being a contributor does not mean they are financially responsible for the student's education costs. Still, it does mean the contributor must provide information on the FAFSA, or the application will be incomplete, and the student will not be eligible for federal student aid.
Consent to IRS FTI
Previously, users could enter their tax information manually or use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. Beginning with 2024-25, all persons on the FAFSA must consent for the Department of Education to receive tax information or confirmation of non-filing status directly from the IRS. In a minimal number of cases, students and families will have to enter their tax data manually, but for most, that data will be automatically transferred into the application. This change makes it easier to complete the FAFSA and reduces the number of questions to be answered.
CSS Profile - School Code: 1841
The CSS Profile (cssprofile.collegeboard.org) collects information about you and your family’s financial circumstances to help the University offer institutionally based funding in the form of need-based scholarships. Some of the questions on the CSS Profile are also included on the FAFSA, but the extra information provided on the CSS Profile helps us to more fully understand your family situation.
The College Board provides an automated fee waiver process that allows low-income students who meet specific criteria to submit their application without payment. Additional information regarding CSS Profile fee waiver eligibility may be found here.
Information and cooperation will be requested from both of the student’s natural parents (biological and/or adoptive), regardless of marital status, as part of the financial aid application process at Notre Dame. Both the custodial parent and noncustodial parent should complete a separate CSS Profile for their student at cssprofile.collegeboard.org. In order for a student to receive maximum financial aid consideration, we ask that the student make every attempt to secure information from both parents. In cases where the CSS Profile cannot be completed by the noncustodial parent, please submit the Noncustodial Parent Waiver Petition, which can be found on our website.
For more information about the CSS Profile, the College Board provides this about the CSS Profile that may be a helpful resource.
Note: Undocumented students will receive consideration for need-based financial assistance from the University of Notre Dame based on an evaluation of their CSS Profile and tax documents in accordance with our institutional policies.
College Board Institutional Documentation Service (IDOC)
For freshman applicants, the University of Notre Dame participates in the College Board’s Institutional Documentation Service (IDOC) which allows students to upload documents to the IDOC portal rather than submitting documents to each participating institution to which a student has applied for admission. Processing of your IDOC information can take up to 5 business days (from the date of upload or receipt).
CSS Profile applicants will receive communication directly from IDOC regarding the submission of supporting documentation, which may include the following:
- Parent and student signed 2022 Federal Tax Returns/Non-Filing Statements
- Parent and student 2022 W-2 Form(s)
- Federal Verification Worksheet
- Other Documents as requested (e.g. business tax returns)
Please redact or black out Social Security Numbers to protect your personal information before uploading documents to the portal.