The University of Notre Dame is a highly respected research institution with a long tradition of academic excellence. Founded in 1842, the school is located in South Bend, Indiana, about 90 minutes from Chicago. It enrolls more than 12,000 students from all 50 states and 100 countries. The university offers bachelor’s degrees in more than 80 majors, as well as master’s and doctoral degrees in many disciplines.
Notre Dame is known for its rigorous academic programs and its commitment to Catholic values. The school has produced more than 200 Rhodes Scholars and counts several U.S. presidents and Supreme Court justices among its alumni. Its sports teams are also highly competitive, particularly its football team, which has won 11 national championships.
Notre Dame’s main campus covers 1,250 acres (5 km2) on the southern edge of South Bend. The school also owns several off-campus facilities, including two lakeside retreat centers and an environmental research center. The main campus is home to dozens of academic buildings; five main libraries; seven museums and galleries; 31 residence halls; and two stadiums.
Founded by French missionaries in 1842, Notre Dame was established as a college for men only—the first such institution in the United States . In 1967, the school began admitting women as undergraduates . Today , nearly half of Notre Dame’s students are women .
The university comprises four undergraduate colleges —Arts & Letters , Science , Engineering ,and Business —as well as a School of Architecture ,a School of Law ,a Graduate School ,and numerous interdisciplinary institutes . Notably absent from Notre Dame’s list of colleges is a Divinity School ; however ,the University does house oneof the nation’ s premier Catholic seminaries ,Moreau Seminary .