All students admitted to Notre Dame as freshmen enter the First Year of Studies. The purpose of the First Year of Studies is to provide guidance to incoming students as they adjust to their new environment and seek to meet the challenges of the Notre Dame academic program. First Year academic advisors assist students with course selection and placement, administer and interpret assessment tests and refer students to University faculty and agencies when necessary. Click here to find out more about the advisors.
Students also make use of available undergraduate peer advisors and faculty members.
The First year curriculum includes five courses plus physical education or ROTC each semester. Additional information regarding the curriculum can be found here . At Notre Dame no First Year student is in a major. Because of the specific requirements within the First Year curriculum, freshmen gain a broad overview of various academic avenues and are given the opportunity to sample different areas before they are required to declare a commitment to any one of them. Notre Dame's graduation rate ranks behind only those of Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, according to an NCAA survey of Division I universities.