(LifeSiteNews) — Notre Dame has announced that beginning in the 2026-27 academic year the university will cover full tuition costs for students and families earning less than $150,000 per year.
Students from families whose annual incomes are less than $60,000 will, in addition to free tuition, have other fees covered, including housing and food.
Families with incomes of up to $200,000 will be eligible for need-based financial assistance covering up to half of annual tuition.
Beginning in 2026–27 academic year, Pathways to Notre Dame will provide most undergraduate families with typical assets and annual income:
— University of Notre Dame (@NotreDame) March 18, 2026
In a statement released Wednesday, the university explained that the move reflects its “long-standing commitment to ensure a Notre Dame education is affordable and accessible to students from all socioeconomic backgrounds, and this expansion of Pathways to Notre Dame provides the clarity that families need during the admissions process.”
“As the preeminent global Catholic research university, Notre Dame remains dedicated to every member of its community. Notre Dame will continue to meet 100% of demonstrated need for all admitted students, both domestic and international,” the statement said.
University president Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., launched the Pathways to Notre Dame initiative in his September 2024 presidential inauguration speech when he announced that Notre Dame would be need-blind and loan-free for all students, domestic and international.
“In order to be the community of learning we are called to be, cost must never be a barrier. By expanding the Pathways to Notre Dame program with this announcement, we continue to make strides to make a Notre Dame education more affordable,” Father Dowd said.
“We are committed to making every effort to welcome talented young people from a variety of backgrounds to a Notre Dame community that will help them to develop their gifts. I have no doubt that the students who come to Notre Dame thanks to Pathways will enrich our community in every way,” he added.
Notre Dame joins a growing list of colleges and universities — including Yale, Princeton, MIT, Harvard, Columbia University, Stanford University, Duke University, and the University of Texas system — that are waiving tuition fees for cash-strapped lower and middle-to-upper-middle income families.
