University of Notre Dame Pre-College Programs Under the Influence: Teens and Screens

Two Notre Dame faculty direct it. Ted Mandell has taught film production at Notre Dame for 37 years, specializing in documentary, and runs the university's annual student film festival. Andrea Christensen directs Notre Dame's Education, Schooling, and Society program and teaches psychology. She's a former schoolteacher with a Ph.D. in psychology from Notre Dame.

The pair co-teach the undergraduate course Drunk on Film: The Psychology of Storytelling with Alcohol and Its Effects on Alcohol Consumption, and Under the Influence is based on a Notre Dame undergraduate course on storytelling in popular culture. Notre Dame says it keeps Summer Scholars classes small but doesn't publish a class size.

You can earn one transferable college credit with a Satisfactory (S) grade, but only if you complete every program requirement. It's a pass grade, not a letter grade, and you order the transcript yourself from Notre Dame's Registrar. Notre Dame calls the credit transferable, but whether a college you attend later counts it toward your degree is that college's decision.

Current high school sophomores and juniors can apply, as long as they'll be at least 16 by 1 August 2027. Notre Dame makes no exceptions to that age rule, citing its insurance and child-protection policies, so a student who turns 16 later in August can't attend.

Beyond grade and age, Notre Dame looks for strong academic standing, solid extracurricular activities, maturity and self-discipline, and a sincere wish to be part of the Notre Dame community. SAT, ACT or PSAT scores are encouraged but not required. International applicants who don't attend an English-speaking high school need a TOEFL (5.5+), IELTS (7.5+), PTE (55+) or Duolingo (120+) score. Notre Dame doesn't publish how many students apply or how many get in.

You apply online through Notre Dame's pre-college application portal.

1. 1

   Choose a teacher to recommend you, ideally one who can speak to your interest in media or psychology, since Notre Dame says that helps, and get their agreement before you add their email.

2. 2

   Start the online application and add your counselor's and teacher's emails. Notre Dame then emails them to request your transcript, school report, school profile and recommendation, but it's up to you to make sure everything arrives, and you can track it on your Application Status Checklist.

3. 3

   Write the two essays, which Notre Dame calls very important. They're your chance to explain why this course in particular interests you, and Notre Dame recommends having a teacher, counselor or parent proofread them.

4. 4

   If you want to send SAT, ACT or PSAT scores, upload them by 31 January 2027.

5. 5

   Submit your part of the application and pay the $75 application fee by 17 February 2027. After that you can't swap or add recommenders, although your counselor and teacher have one more week to upload their documents.

6. 6

   If your family needs financial help, a parent or guardian completes the Financial Aid Request Form by the same 17 February 2027 deadline, and any aid decision arrives with your admission letter.

A family pays $5,275 in total: the $5,200 program fee plus a $75 application fee. The $5,200 covers tuition, room and board, extracurricular activities and class field trips. Travel to and from campus isn't on that list, and parents also pay for any medical or mental health care a student needs during the program.

Once you're admitted, you secure your place with a $300 enrollment fee by 23 April 2027, which counts toward the $5,200, and then pay the $4,900 balance by 14 May 2027. None of it is refundable, and a student dismissed for breaking the rules gets no refund either, with the family paying for the trip home.

Notre Dame offers limited need-based scholarships, from partial to full tuition, and no merit aid. The Lilly Endowment grant for qualifying Indiana residents and the Philadelphia Grant for qualifying students in the Philadelphia area cover tuition, room and board. Application fee waivers are rare.

Students can't leave campus except on scheduled, supervised activities or with a pre-college staff member or Resident Counselor, and Notre Dame sets out exact campus boundaries. Students may not drive, can't enter residence halls of the opposite gender and can't have visitors without written approval, and they must turn up on time for classes, meals, check-ins and scheduled events.

Families also need to plan ahead for health needs. Staff don't store or hand out medication, prescription or not, so students manage their own, and parents need to arrange any medical or mental health accommodations at least 30 days before the program starts. The full rules are in Notre Dame's standards and policies for pre-college students, which were published for summer 2026 and may be updated for 2027.