University of Notre Dame Pre-College Programs Playing the Past: A Short History of Video Games

Matthew Thomas Payne, a professor in Notre Dame's Department of Film, Television, and Theatre, leads the course as its academic director. He has taught media studies and film and video production at university level, done industry research for Warner Brothers, and is writing a book on the cultural influence of the educational game The Oregon Trail.

He's also a regional director for the Learning Games Initiative, a research group that archives games and gaming material for classroom teaching, which fits a course built around handling old hardware and ephemera. Notre Dame says it keeps Summer Scholars classes small, although it doesn't publish a class size.

If you complete all the program requirements, you can receive one transferable Notre Dame college credit with a Satisfactory (S) grade, which you'd order on a transcript from the University Registrar. Whether another college counts that credit is up to that college, and Notre Dame doesn't say the course plays any part in its own undergraduate admissions. It doesn't describe a final project for this course either, so the main thing you take away is the experience of studying games the way a historian would.

You need to be a current high school sophomore or junior and at least 16 by 1 August 2027. Notre Dame makes no exceptions to the age rule, citing its insurance, liability and child protection policies. Beyond that, it looks for strong grades, solid extracurriculars and students who are self-motivated, mature and keen to be part of the Notre Dame community.

Notre Dame calls the two essays very important and suggests having a teacher, counselor or parent proofread them. Your teacher's letter should speak to your ability to handle college-level work, your maturity, integrity and leadership, and ideally comes from a teacher who can support your interest in this particular course. SAT, ACT or PSAT scores are optional. Notre Dame doesn't publish a cohort size or acceptance rate.

• International applicants

  If you don't attend an English-speaking high school, you need a TOEFL (5.5+), IELTS (7.5+), PTE (55+) or Duolingo (120+) score.

• Activities

  You can list them in the application, upload a resume or do both, whichever shows your experience best.

You apply through the Summer Scholars application portal, which covers every course in the program.

1. 1

   Start the online application and add your counselor's and recommending teacher's names and emails, after getting the teacher's agreement, so Notre Dame can email them for your transcript, counselor report, school profile and letter.

2. 2

   Follow up with both of them to make sure the emails arrived, because Notre Dame makes it your job to check that every document comes in.

3. 3

   If you're sending test scores, upload them by 31 January 2027.

4. 4

   Submit your part of the application, including both essays and the $75 fee, by 17 February 2027, after which you can no longer swap or add recommenders.

5. 5

   Your counselor and teacher have one more week after 17 February to upload their materials.

6. 6

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

The total is $5,200, plus a $75 application fee you pay when you apply. The $5,200 covers tuition, room and board, extracurricular activities and class field trips, which includes the arcade trip. It's paid in two parts: the $300 enrollment fee once you're admitted, which counts toward the total, and the $4,900 balance, which Notre Dame must receive by 14 May 2027. Notre Dame's cost list doesn't mention travel to and from campus, so budget for that separately.

None of these payments is refundable, so it's worth being sure of your summer before you pay. Help is limited. Notre Dame offers a small amount of need-based aid, from partial to full tuition, but no merit scholarships, and application fee waivers are rare.

• Indiana residents

  The Lilly Endowment grant covers tuition, room and board for students living in Indiana who qualify.

• Philadelphia-area residents

  A donor-funded grant covers tuition, room and board for qualifying students from the Philadelphia area.

• How to ask

  A parent or guardian completes the Financial Aid Request Form by 17 February 2027 to be considered for aid or either grant.

Students can't leave campus except on a scheduled, supervised activity or with a staff member or Resident Counselor as chaperone. Resident Counselors are current Notre Dame, Holy Cross or Saint Mary's undergraduates who work with students outside class and run activities on and off campus. The rules below come from Notre Dame's most recent posted standards, written for summer 2026, and students also sign up to the Code of Conduct for summer high school residents.

• Residence halls

  Students may not enter halls of the opposite gender, and visitors need written approval from the program's directors.

• Medication

  Staff don't store or give out any medication, so students manage their own, and parents must arrange any medical or mental health accommodations at least 30 days before the start.

• Other rules

  Students may not drive, classes and scheduled events are compulsory, and a student sent home for breaking the rules gets no refund, with parents paying for the trip home.