University of Notre Dame Pre-College Programs Public Speaking and Debate

Notre Dame names Patrick Clauss, Ph.D., as the academic director. He's the O'Malley Director of the university's Writing Program and teaches writing and rhetoric along with undergraduate and graduate courses in public speaking, and his research on argumentation theory and rhetoric lines up closely with what this course covers. He has won two Notre Dame teaching awards, the Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, C.S.C. Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in 2014 and the Thomas P. Madden Award for teaching first-year students in 2022. He has also served on the College Board's curriculum committee for AP Language and Composition.

Notre Dame says it keeps Summer Scholars classes small, but it doesn't give a class size or name other instructors for this track.

Yes, if you complete every program requirement. You can receive one transferable Notre Dame credit with a Satisfactory (S) grade, which is a pass rather than a letter grade, and you order the transcript through the University Registrar. Notre Dame calls the credit transferable but doesn't say which colleges accept it, so check with any college where you'd want it to count.

Notre Dame looks for current sophomores and juniors with strong grades and solid extracurriculars who come across as self-motivated, self-disciplined and mature, and who sincerely want to be part of the Notre Dame community while they're there. The age rule is firm: you have to be 16 by 1 August 2027, and Notre Dame makes no exceptions because of its insurance and child protection policies. It doesn't publish how many students it admits.

The application asks for two essays, a transcript, a counselor report and a teacher recommendation. SAT, ACT or PSAT scores are encouraged but not required.

• Essays

  Notre Dame calls them very important and wants them to show why you're interested in this particular course, what you'd bring and what sets you apart. It recommends having a teacher, counselor or parent proofread them.

• Recommendation

  Notre Dame finds it helpful when the letter comes from a teacher who can support your interest in the course, and it wants that teacher to speak to your ability to handle college-level work, your maturity, your integrity and your leadership.

• English tests

  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.

You apply through Notre Dame's Summer Scholars application portal.

1. 1

   Start the online application, which opened on 19 October 2026, and add your counselor's details and those of a teacher who has already agreed to recommend you.

2. 2

   Notre Dame then emails your counselor to ask for a transcript, counselor report and school profile, and your teacher to ask for a letter. It's up to you to follow up and make sure everything arrives.

3. 3

   Pay the $75 application fee by credit card after you submit, or send a check.

4. 4

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

5. 5

   Submit your part, including both essays, by 17 February 2027, which is also the date for your counselor's and teacher's materials. You can't swap or add recommenders after that.

6. 6

   If you need aid, a parent or guardian files the Financial Aid Request Form by 17 February 2027, and any offer arrives with the admission decision.

7. 7

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

An admitted student's family pays $5,275 in all: $5,200 for tuition, housing and enrollment, plus the $75 application fee, which you pay whether or not you get in. The $5,200 covers tuition, room and board, extracurricular activities and class field trips, and in 2026 books and class materials were handed out on arrival. The $300 enrollment fee counts toward that total, and the $4,900 balance is due by 14 May 2027. Travel to and from campus isn't listed in the price, Notre Dame recommends buying travel insurance, and parents pay for any medical or mental health care during the program.

Nothing is refunded once it's paid. A student sent home for breaking the rules gets no refund either, and the family covers the trip home.

Aid is limited. Notre Dame offers some need-based scholarships covering part or all of tuition but no merit awards, and it waives the application fee only rarely. Qualifying students who live in Indiana (the Lilly Endowment grant) or the Philadelphia area (the Philadelphia grant) can have tuition, room and board covered, and a parent applies for all of these through one Financial Aid Request Form.

Students stay on campus unless they're on a scheduled, supervised activity or with a staff member or Resident Counselor, under the rules Notre Dame published for summer 2026. Its standards and policies for pre-college students also keep students out of residence halls of the opposite gender, ban driving any vehicle, require written approval for visitors and expect students at every class, meal and check-in. Students live in residence halls, and the opening Welcome Weekend, where they meet faculty, resident counselors and staff, is mandatory.

Medication is the thing to plan for. Staff don't store or hand out any medicine, so students manage their own, and parents need to arrange any medical or mental health accommodations at least 30 days before the program starts.