University of Notre Dame Pre-College Programs Film Production Summer Scholars Course

The course is led by Ted Mandell, who has taught film production at Notre Dame for 37 years and specializes in documentary. He co-directed the ESPN documentary 88 and 1 and the award-winning documentary Okuyamba, and he's in charge of the university's annual Student Film Festival, so you're learning from someone with a long record of making films and of putting student work in front of an audience.

Notre Dame says it keeps Summer Scholars classes small, although it doesn't publish a class size for this course.

You need to be a current high school sophomore or junior with strong grades and solid extracurriculars, and at least 16 by 1 August 2027. Notre Dame makes no exceptions to the age rule, citing its insurance and child-protection policies. If you don't attend an English-speaking high school, you'll also need a TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo English Test or PTE Academic score.

The application asks for two essays, a transcript, a counselor report, a teacher recommendation and your activities, either in the application's activities section, as a resume or both. SAT, ACT or PSAT scores are encouraged but not required. Notre Dame calls the essays very important and wants them to show why you want this particular program, what experiences you'd bring, what sets you apart and where your interests are heading. It also suggests asking a teacher who can back your interest in the course for the recommendation. Notre Dame doesn't publish an acceptance rate or cohort size, and it decides admission separately from any aid request.

Applications go through Notre Dame's enrollment portal, where you create an account first.

1. 1

   Start the online application and add your counselor's and recommending teacher's contact details, after checking with the teacher, so Notre Dame can email them directly.

2. 2

   Write the two essays and add your activities, a resume or both.

3. 3

   Upload any SAT, ACT or PSAT scores by 31 January 2027 if you choose to send them.

4. 4

   Submit your part of the application by 17 February 2027, then pay the $75 application fee by credit card or check. That's also the last day to swap recommenders, while your counselor and teacher get one extra week for their documents.

5. 5

   If you need aid, have a parent submit the Financial Aid Request Form by the same 17 February 2027 deadline.

6. 6

   If you're admitted, complete the confirmation form and then pay the $300 enrollment fee by 23 April 2027 to secure your place.

The 2027 session costs $5,200, and with the $75 application fee a family pays $5,275 in all. The $5,200 is made up of the $300 enrollment fee and a $4,900 balance due by 14 May 2027, which covers tuition, room and board, extracurricular activities and class field trips. Books and class materials are handed out on arrival. Travel to campus isn't included, and Notre Dame recommends travel insurance. Parents also pay for any medical or mental health care during the program.

None of it is refundable once paid. That includes a student sent home for breaking the rules, and then parents also pay for the trip home.

Aid is limited. Notre Dame offers some need-based scholarships worth part or all of tuition for students facing serious financial hardship, but no merit awards. There are also grants covering tuition, room and board for qualifying students who live in Indiana (from the Lilly Endowment) or the Philadelphia area. Application fee waivers are granted rarely, and decisions on tuition aid arrive with the admission letter.

You leave with a short film you produced and directed. If you complete all program requirements, you also earn one transferable Notre Dame credit with a Satisfactory (S) grade, and you can order a transcript showing it from the University Registrar. Notre Dame doesn't say how other colleges treat the credit, and it doesn't say the course affects its own undergraduate admissions.

Students live in campus residence halls and can't leave campus outside a scheduled, supervised activity unless a staff member or Resident Counselor goes with them. They may not drive or enter residence halls of the opposite gender, they can't have guests without written approval from a program director, and they have to be on time for classes, meals and check-ins. A mandatory Welcome Weekend at the start introduces students to the faculty, Resident Counselors and staff.

Staff don't store or hand out medication, prescription or not, so you'll manage your own. Parents need to arrange any known medical or mental health needs at least 30 days before the start. The full rules are in Notre Dame's standards and policies for pre-college students.