University of Notre Dame Pre-College Programs Object Design and Prototyping

The course is led by Matt Leevy, an Associate Professor of the Practice in Notre Dame's IDEA Center who also directs the university's Innovation Lab, the 5,000-square-foot space where your designs get printed. Over 15 years at Notre Dame his lab has earned six utility patents, and those patents underpin two physical-product businesses that are still running, In Vivo Concepts and Irish Woodworks, so you're learning prototyping from someone who has turned prototypes into products.

He studied bioengineering at the University of Illinois and earned a PhD in biophysics at Washington University in St. Louis. Notre Dame says it keeps Summer Scholars classes small but doesn't give a class size for this course.

You leave with two product concepts you designed in Solidworks and printed in the Innovation Lab, plus the chance to take the Certified Solidworks Associate (CSWA) exam. Notre Dame presents the CSWA as a credential for your resume, but the course offers the exam rather than guaranteeing the certificate, and Notre Dame doesn't say whether taking the exam costs anything extra.

If you complete all the program requirements, you can also receive one transferable college credit with a Satisfactory (S) grade, which appears on a Notre Dame transcript you order through the University Registrar. It's a pass grade, not a letter grade.

Notre Dame looks for sophomores and juniors with strong grades, solid extracurriculars and, in its words, a high level of maturity, along with a sincere wish to be part of the Notre Dame community during the program. The age rule, 16 by 1 August 2027, has no exceptions, and Notre Dame doesn't publish an acceptance rate or cohort size.

The application asks for two essays, your transcript, a school report from your counselor that includes your GPA and class rank where available, and a letter from a teacher. You can list your activities in the application, upload a resume or do both. SAT, ACT or PSAT scores are encouraged but optional, and if you don't attend an English-speaking high school you'll need a TOEFL (5.5+), IELTS (7.5+), PTE (55+) or Duolingo English Test (120+) score.

Notre Dame calls the essays very important and wants them to explain why you're interested in this particular course and what you'd bring to it, so it pays to write them for Object Design and Prototyping rather than for pre-college in general. It also finds it helpful when the letter comes from a teacher who can back your interest in the subject, and it asks that the letter speak to your ability to handle college-level work, your maturity, integrity and leadership.

Applications go through Notre Dame's enrollment portal.

1. 1

   Start the online application, which opened on 19 October 2026, and add your counselor's and teacher's email addresses, after checking with the teacher, so Notre Dame can email them their forms.

2. 2

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

3. 3

   Submit your part of the application, with both essays and the $75 fee, by 17 February 2027, which is also the last day to change recommenders and the deadline for a parent's financial aid request.

4. 4

   Your counselor and teacher then have one extra week to upload their documents, and it's on you to check they arrive, since Notre Dame reviews your file only once everything is in.

5. 5

   If you're admitted, confirm your place with the $300 enrollment fee by 23 April 2027 and pay the $4,900 balance by 14 May 2027.

The 2027 session costs $5,200, which covers tuition, room and board, extracurricular activities and class field trips. You pay it in two parts, a $300 enrollment fee that holds your place and a $4,900 balance. Add the $75 application fee and an admitted student's family pays $5,275 in all before any aid.

Travel to campus is extra. Notre Dame recommends flying into South Bend International Airport and buying travel insurance, and parents also pay for any medical or mental healthcare during the program. None of the fees are refundable, so it's worth settling your summer plans before you pay the enrollment fee.

Financial help is need-based only. Notre Dame has a limited number of partial to full-tuition scholarships and no merit awards. It also offers grants covering tuition, room and board for qualifying students who live in Indiana (the Lilly Endowment grant) or the Philadelphia area. A parent or guardian completes the financial aid request form, and aid decisions arrive with the admission letter. Notre Dame says it decides admission regardless of any aid request. Application fee waivers are rare.

Students live in Notre Dame residence halls with resident counselors, and they can't leave campus outside a scheduled, supervised activity unless a staff member or resident counselor goes with them. They must attend every class, meal, check-in and scheduled event that isn't clearly marked optional, can't drive any vehicle and can't enter a residence hall of the opposite gender. The program opens with a mandatory Welcome Weekend for meeting faculty, resident counselors and staff.

Medication is the student's responsibility, because staff won't store or give it, and parents must arrange any known medical or mental health needs at least 30 days before the start. Breaking the rules can mean dismissal with no refund, and the family then pays for the trip home. The full rules are in Notre Dame's standards and policies for pre-college students, which were last published for summer 2026, so it's worth checking them again before the 2027 session.